Aviation and Airport

GE's Checkpoint of the Future irons out the kinks
Despite recent problems with puffer machines, GE remains on the cusp of a comprehensive, thirty-second airline screening solution
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EU-US negotiations over flight data to begin Friday
Officials will try to reach accord on passenger name records; 30 September deadline set by European Court of Justice; airlines face $6000 per passenger fines if talks fail
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L-3 to supply Kansai Airport with screening equipment
Eight VIS 108 and four eXaminer 3DX explosives detection systems on their way to Japan; VIS 108 a popular choice for airports; sales vindicate 2002 purchase of PerkinElmer’s Detection Systems division
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Coalition for Luggage Security promotes postal delivery
Separating luggage from passengers said to improve safety by minimizing bomb threats; move would free up space for lucrative cargo shipping; security concerns remain as long as cargo remains underinspected
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TSA decides to suspend installation of trace detection portals
Announcement follows roll-out delays, concerns about reliability; dirty air a major problem; decision a blow to GE and Smiths; criticism of TSA and DHS laboratories grows
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New passport holder claims to beat RFID security risks
Paraben claims its metal mesh, velcro-closing passport holder reduces signals by an average of 85db
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Canadian government announces annual air security revenue, expenses
Deficits projected as security costs, number of travellers, mount; government plans to hold dwindling program surplus as check against future costs
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Scaled-down Analogic CT scanners to make debut in nation's airports
TSA optimistic about trial run, believes full deployment possible in 2007; technology developed under agency’s CAMBRIA development program
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Solution for tracing explosives in compact electronic items
What do laptops, medical devices, and cameras have in common? they are characterized by small size and sophisticated internal components; tracing explosives hidden in them is thus difficult; TraceGuard is developing a solution specifically aimed at sniffing explosives hidden in such devices
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London arrests should prompt interest in fluoroscopic detection system
In tests conducted in spring 2004, TSA found that, compared with X-ray machine systems, screeners using the fluoroscopic system from Golan Group were more likely to detect IEDs — especially those “artfully concealed”; it is time to consider to act on the study’s conclusions
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mPhase Technologies board of directors approves spinout of magnetometer business
New company will take advantage of strong prototype test results, ongoing relationship with Lucent Technology Bell Labs
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TSA fights back against charge that X-rays can not stop shoe-bombers
At a press conference yesterday, officials defended themselves with X-ray images of shoes with and without bombs; the difference was easy to see, they said
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Concerns mount about American visa waiver program, European privacy laws
Britain is one of twenty-seven countries whose citizens do not need a visa to visit the United States, a sobering thought considering that most of those arrested in last week’s liquid bomb plot were British citizens.
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Passenger cargo remains a glaring security problem
Experts say that resistence from airlines is to blame; a pilot program in San Francisco provides a model for others
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