Aviation and Airport

U.S. airline security measures hamper exporters from the Marshalls
Businesses in Micronesia are worried about a new TSA security directive which stipulates that freight can no longer be accepted from individual shippers, and must be forwarded through a cargo agent, consolidator, or freight forwarder
- Read more
EC court: Airlines must publicize banned-items list
The EC Court of Justice ruled that airlines cannot remove items from passengers’ baggage unless these items have been included in a publicly available banned-items list; rule comes as a result of a passenger suing an Austrian airline for removing his tennis rackets from his baggage
- Read more

DHS's stimulus projects to create 3,000 Jobs
DHS has received $1 billion for air travel security under President Obama’s stimulus package; money will be used to enhance checked baggage security and liquid threats in carry-on baggage
- Read more
President's proposed 2010 budget shows DHS priorities
Proposed budget increase DHS budget by 6 percent; priorities include cyber security, helping TSA screen travelers, increase bomb disposal and counter-IED capabilities, border security, emergency response
- Read more

Schneier: Perverse incentives drive bad security decisions
Many security-related decisions are less than optimal because those who have to make the decisions face perverse incentives; in the post-9/11 era, we have to make sure the incentives driving security decisions are the right incentives
- Read more
Lab-on-a-chip detects pollutants, disease, and biological weapons
Researchers develop nano-sized laboratory, complete with a microscopic workbench, to measure water quality in real time; breakthrough will help keep water safe from pollution and bioterrorist threats
- Read more

TSA wants to screen your baggage -- emotional baggage, that is
To improve on X-ray and millimeter-wave scanning and go beyond group profiling, some suggest screening passengers for hostile intentions
- Read more
DHS receives IT money in stimulus package
DHS receives a $2.8 billion boost from the new stimulus package; largest single item is for TSA’s installation of checked baggage explosive detection systems
- Read more

U.K. pilots oppose government's ID card plan
Lawyers for U.K. pilots’ association said they are examining whether there are legal grounds to challenge Home Office plans to force pilots to take up the cards from Autumn this year
- Read more
New liquid detection system for airports
Los Alamos national Lab develops a device which enhances airport security by spotting liquids that could prove to be potential threats
- Read more

House overwhelmingly approves "white list" of non-terrorists
Congress wants DHS to create a “white list” — a database of people who are not terrorists, but are routinely flagged at airports anyway
- Read more
Random checks as effective as terrorist profiling
Profiling is a waste of time and resources in security screening; the problem is that too much time is spent repeatedly screening members of the profiled group who are not actually terrorists,
- Read more

Square root bias and airport security screening
Say someone from profiled Group P is 16 times more likely to be a terrorist than someone from the average Group A; using the square root bias, people from Group P should be screened only four times more often then people in Group A (4 is the square root of 16); this reduces the number of people from Group P who are subjected to repeated screenings from 16 to 4 — but it still screens people from Group P more than the average person
- Read more
Airport screening machines to stimulate the U.S. economy?
A $500 million piece of the proposed economic stimulus plan
- Read more
Ireland examines need for radioactive waste facility near Shannon
Terrorists may try to smuggle nuclear materials into the United States through Ireland; Irish government will build radioactive waste facility near Shannon airport in case radiological screening of aircraft bound for the United States discovers such material
- Read more

More headlines