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In-flight surveillance could foil terrorists in the sky
Big Brother comes to the skies: EU-funded aviation security system uses a camera in every passenger’s seat, with six wide-angle cameras to survey the aisles; software on the computer to which the cameras are connected detects suspicious behavior of passengers — from air rage to terrorist intent
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Bluetooth-based traffic tracking system
Bluetooth-based traffic tracking system would provide information on the speed of the morning commute — or the sluggishness of airport security lines
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Pilot sees flaming object near Houston
Continental Airline’s pilot sees an object with a flaming tail and a trail of smoke flying near his plane on approach to Houston, Texas; FBI suspects a model rocket
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Self-repairing aircraft may revolutionize aviation safety
A new technique which mimics healing processes found in nature could enable damaged aircraft to mend themselves automatically — even during a flight
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Developing biofuel for commercial aircraft
The airline industry seeks to develop non-food biofuel which will offer aircraft cheaper fuel without affecting global food supplies
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Israel's Code Positive pilot security in final trial phase
Israel has developed a new identification method for planes entering Israeli air space; first trial phase proved successful, and airlines from five countries now begin second and final phase of trial
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Foreign repairs of U.S. planes worry lawmakers
More and more U.S. airlines outsource the repair and maintenance of their planes to shops outside the United States; the FAA has approved 700 such non-U.S. shops to work on U.S. planes; critics say the FAA does not have the resources to verify the quality of the work being done in these shops – or the security measures these shops take to make sure that U.S. airlines will not find “al-Qaeda under the hood”
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U.K. background checks of airport employees lax
There are about 200,000 employees in U.K. airports with permission to enter restricted zones; the criminal background of these employees is being checked before they are given such permissions—but these background checks apply only to the crimes which took place in the United Kingdom; the background checks do not apply to crimes committed in other countries
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FLO completes $7.1 million financing
As airports grow more crowded and security lines lengthen, there is money to be made in whisking passengers past airport hassles; FLO offers registered traveler solutions, and investors show interest
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Facial recognition scans to be deployed in U.K. this summer
U.K. government plans to deploy facial recognition scanners at U.K. airport this summer; scanner will allow for automatic security checks at gates
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Indonesia runs airport bird flu drill
Indonesia is the nation worst hit by the bird flu so far, with 107 dead since the first human case appeared here in 2005; authorities run a bird flu detection drill at the Bali airport
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Travelers uneasy about new airport security device
Scanner can see through clothing to search for concealed weapons; travelers have diverse opinions about its use
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Safety in (random) numbers
USC researchers posit that a key to airport security is making security unpredictable (from the point of view of a potential terrorist); there is a difference between merely mixing things up and making police operations truly, systematically random
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Millimeter wave scanners to be deployed at JFK, LAX
At JFK, passengers sent to secondary screening will be given the option of a pat-down or a trip through the body imager; at LAX, the millimeter wave machine will be located just beyond the checkpoint magnetometers
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Behavioral observation program questioned
TSDA has been training security officers in behavioral observation, then placed them in major U.S. airports to observe passengers and note suspicious behavior; in the past four years, 104,000 passengers were pulled out of line to answer to more serious security measures, but fewer than 700 were arrested – all on criminal, rather than terror, charges; critics are not sure the $45 million annual tab is justified
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