High Turnover Seen As U.S. Airport Security Risk

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Thursday March 16 4:53 PM ET High Turnover Seen As U.S. Airport Security Risk By Tim Dobbyn

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The high turnover of poorly-paid airport security staff was a weak link in efforts to improve the screening of passengers and luggage, a congressional panel was told on Thursday.

Operators of metal detectors and X-ray machines often started at $6.00 an hour or less. Staff turnover exceeded 100 percent a year at most large airports and sometimes reached 400 percent, according to a review by the General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress.

``At 400 percent turnover it's hard to train people to sharpen pencils,'' agreed Cathal Flynn, the Federal Aviation Administration's top security official.

FAA hopes to finish rules next year that would require companies that provide screening services to be certified.

Flynn said the rules could influence the pay of screeners by setting higher standards that will require more training and investment in workers who perform well.

Security workers often resigned to go to higher-paying fast food restaurants in the same airport terminal, witnesses told the House Transportation aviation subcommittee.

GAO looked at Belgium, Britain, Canada, France and the Netherlands, and found screener turnover was lower.

The five countries provided better pay and benefits, placed responsibility for screening with airports or the government instead of airlines, and required higher training standards.

GAO and FAA witnesses met with committee members in closed-session to discuss sensitive details before opening the hearing to the public.

``Most people who have looked at this ... say the real weak link in our security system revolves around the screener situation,'' said John Duncan, the Tennessee Republican who chairs the subcommittee.

Airlines are responsible for screening passengers and luggage using FAA-supplied equipment. Airlines generally contract out the work that includes watching X-ray screens and running explosive detection devices.

``If you talk to any screener in any airport they'll say one thing: We are underpaid for what is expected of us,'' said Bill Gilchrist a pre-boarding screener at Kansas City airport.

Gilchrist, who won an FAA award for his work last year, said he was paid $7.20 an hour and only did the job because he found it interesting and received additional income from rental property he owned.

Thomas Vaiden, an executive of International Total Services, which employs Gilchrist, said the lowest priced proposals usually won contracts with airlines to perform security work.

The Air Transport Association that represents the major U.S. airlines was asked to supply details on the proportion of money member carriers spent on security.

``I find very few people sitting next to me on the plane who are not willing to pay an extra 50 cents or a buck to know they are going to get there alive,'' said Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat on the committee

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000316/ts/airlines_security_1.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 16, 2000


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