Travel Security Update

Aug 27, 2007

DHS to test potential passport alternative. Vermont and the DHS plan to increase the security of the state's driver's licenses in an attempt to create an alternative document in compliance with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The project is similar to an ongoing initiative in Washington state. Aug 24, 2007

Passenger data will be shared among agencies. Information about foreign travelers to the U.S. that is collected by DHS can and will be shared with U.S. intelligence agencies, according to officials. The information is stored in a database that until now has been used primarily by Homeland Security officials. "We're expanding our portfolio of agencies we are working with," a department spokeswoman said. Aug 24, 2007

TSA will allow cargo from certified shippers to pass without screening. The TSA will implement a program that will allow boxes sealed by government-certified shippers to be loaded on planes with no further screening. A TSA spokesman said freight "is inherently screened" if tamper-evident seals are intact when it arrives from a facility that meets federal security standards. Aug 24, 2007

[sup.3]Big Brother[sup.2] TSA watching passengers. The TSA is rolling out a new screening program that has specially trained agents fanning out to high-risk airports across the country to watch passengers. The program, Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques, has agents on the lookout for atypical behavior among passengers. Officials refused to comment on which airports are being screened under the new program. Aug 23, 2007

New rules may complicate travel to, from U.S.. Industry insiders are criticizing a new air travel safety rule which requires airlines to provide the U.S. government with passenger information earlier than previously required. "This new measure, on top of all the other ones already in place, is really disturbing. Asking business travelers to plan their trip at least 72 hours in advance is unrealistic," said Jerome Drevon-Barreaux, a global travel manager for a Paris firm. Aug 23, 2007

Turkish Court Charges Plane Hijackers. A Turkish court has charged two men with hijacking after they sought to seize control of a plane heading for Istanbul from northern Cyprus at the weekend, state-run Anatolian news agency said on Thursday. Aug 23, 2007

Many orthopedic implants will set off airport metal detectors. A new study found that airport metal detectors can detect more than half of all orthopedic implants. The TSA recommends that travelers with implants advise TSA security officers so a private screening can be arranged. Aug 21, 2007

TSA focuses on behavior detection. The TSA has trained 600 behavioral detection officers to spot terrorists at airports, The New York Times' Joe Sharkey writes. TSA Administrator Kip Hawley expects to double the number of detection officers in the next fiscal year. Hawley noted that good detection officers recognize signs of "hostile intent." Aug 21, 2007

Expedited passport processing not so speedy. Public demand for passports has been overwhelming since new travel laws were put in place, swamping State Department offices with passport requests. A $60 fee allows travelers to get speedy passport processing, at least in theory. The Department has changed the definition of "expedited passport processing" from three business days to "a number of business days," as the State Department is now taking 10 days for internal processing. Aug 20, 2007

FAA gives airlines 60 days to implement new security rules. The FAA is giving U.S. airlines 60 days to comply with new flight deck security rules. Officials say the short grace period will be sufficient because most carriers already have many of the security procedures in place. Aug 20, 2007

Post-9/11 security rules create passport rush, issues. The State Department is predicting that because of the new rules relating to passports, 50% of Americans will obtain a passport or its equivalent in the next four years. Last week, officials revealed that it will cost almost $1 billion to handle the demand for passports over the next three years. They also said they will no longer guarantee a three-day processing time for expedited passports. Aug 20, 2007

Atlas Jet

A Turkish court has charged two men with hijacking after they sought to seize control of a plane heading for Istanbul from northern Cyprus at the weekend, state-run Anatolian news agency said on Thursday. The two hijackers surrendered and released their hostages after forcing the Atlas Jet plane to land in southern Turkey on Saturday. They had said they had a bomb, which turned out to be modeling clay with wires attached. Hijackings are not uncommon in Turkey, where a number of radical groups ranging from Kurdish separatists to far-left islamist militants operate. Aug 23, 2007

Atlas Jet

Atlas Jet McDonnell Douglas MD-83 jet hijacked in Turkey, the officials said the pair had demanded to be taken to Tehran. Broadcaster CNN Turk said the two had met in northern Cyprus a year ago and their ultimate goal was to reach Afghanistan and join al Qaeda. It quoted police officials in the southern city of Antalya as saying one of the hijackers was Turkish and the other an Egyptian born in Cairo in 1974, who had received training in al Qaeda camps. It did not specify where the camps were. Newspapers carried similar reports. Previous reports have said one of the hijackers was a Syrian passport-holder, thought to be Palestinian. Aug 20, 2007