After the departure of Transportation Security Administration chief John Magaw, US officials have begun to show signs of yielding on year-end security deadlines much opposed by airports and airlines.
US transportation secretary Norman Mineta, who forced Magaw to step down last month, now says that the 31 December deadline for full baggage screening can be met but only at the cost of long queues and delays at airports. This is a change from his earlier insistence that all deadlines had to be met and that passengers would still receive high levels of service. But Mineta has told the House Aviation Subcommittee the promise was impossible to fulfil without more funding or flexibility, marking the first time that he has publicly questioned the deadlines.
The issue of arming pilots has also been raised. Magaw had adamantly opposed allowing airline pilots to carry lethal weapons in the cockpit. Mineta has said that the administration would reconsider the question. Meanwhile, a key opponent of arming pilots, Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ernest Hollings says he will allow his committee to vote on the issue, although he still opposes it. A change in the deadlines and in lethal weapons policy could come when Congress returns in early September and takes up legislation to create a new Homeland Security Department.
Source: Flight International