Aviation and Airport

Garda
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Luggage loss rates increase 80 percent after liquid bomb plot
Restrictions on carry-on luggage caused a 20 percent increase in checked bags; high loss rates suggest infrastructure problems; no data available for post-25 September time period
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EU imposes new carry-on luggage rules
Mandatory across the European Union, the new restrictions are almost identical to those imposed in the United States; liter bags will be in great demand, as will 100ml bottles; new luggage size restrictions coming soon
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Raytheon unveils new UAV control cockpit
As a good portion of UAV crashes are the result of human error, Raytheon’s Universal Control System is designed with the operator’s need first and foremost in mind; wrap-around displays and ergonomic comfort prevail; system is multi-platform compatible and STANAG 4586 compliant
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EU considers "deep background checks" for Registered Traveler program
Responding to concerns about racial profiling, EU may instead develop a large-scale network linking criminal and civil data bases; a final report is not due until June, but in the meantime EU planners will move ahead with plans; privacy concerns remain an unsurmounted obstacle
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Graduate student arrested for exposing boarding pass vulnerability
Student Web site allowed users to print out their own boarding passes; stunt showed how a terrorist could print up a dummy pass to evade detection by No Fly List; no procedures exist to check ID card, boarding pass, and traveller identity simultaneously
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AD Aerospace to install cockpit monitoring for TUI AG
Small cameras survey the approach the cockpit while the flight crew watches securely from the cabin; AD Aerospace an innovator in airline camera surveillance
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Investigators expose Miami airport buddy punching system
Employees took time off and had others check them in and out of work; scheme shows weakness of single-factor authentication systems
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TSA again delays deadline for passenger-airplane cargo security measures
About 7,500 tons of cargo is transported each day in the U.S. on passenger planes;about 50,000 employees, agents, and shippers have unescorted access to that cargo; TSA wants these employees to undergo rigorous background and criminal checks, but the airline industry keeps failing to meet the agency’s deadlines
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The U.S. and Israel will deepen cooperation on civilian aircraft protection
Israel was the first victim of a systematic terror campaign against its aviation (by the PLO in the late 1960s), so it has learned a thing or two about protecting passenger aircraft; the U.S. and Israel will now collaborate more closely in such protective efforts
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DHS finds major staffing problems at TSA
Report notes inconsistent screener/administrator ratios; staffing decisions are being made without regard to the size of the airport; inspector general recommends adjustments and singles out Hawaii for special notice
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CBS exposes cargo security weakness with a dummy bomb
Known Shipper program failed to prevent an unknown television producer from transporting a lead-line case in the hold of an American airlines flight; CBS was even able to dictate which flight would carry the cargo; although the box was invulnerable to canine or mechanical inspection, nobody tried to open it
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Airline industry objects to new passenger flight data proposals
DHS may ask airlines to provide flight manifests an hour before departure; industry says change from 15 minutes will result in economic hardship and offers a 30 minute compromise; controversy is also building over revised definition of “departure”
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Northrop Grumman decides to enter Navy UAV competition
Company proposes its Global Hawk for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program; cost remains an issue for widespread UAV deployment, but Navy sees much to gain in a technology with a long flight time and a high ceiling
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Montana inaugurates new anti-illegal immigration air facility
Predator B UAVs to join the Grand Falls Air Branch soon; development a triumph for embattled senator Conrad Burns; two other branches to open next year
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