Will Rogers World Airport Gets New Federal Security Director

Feb 24, 2011 — Last week the TSA named TSA-veteran Kevin Donovan as the Federal Security Director (FSD) for Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City.

(TSA) "Previously, [Donovan] was the Acting FSD for the airports of the Eastern Washington District based in Spokane, Wash. He also served as the Assistant General Manager for Procedures in the Office of Security Operations at TSA headquarters. In this role, Donovan helped develop and coordinate national screening procedures and aviation security regulatory requirements."

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:48

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ICAO Members Adopt Security Roadmap on Aviation

 

Feb 22, 2011 — Last week Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John Pistole was at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Regional Conference in New Delhi, India, where the U.S. and 13 other member states in attendance adopted the "Security Roadmap on Aviation."

(TSA) "The roadmap identifies the actions the member states will take to strengthen security screening procedures by ensuring that professionals are appropriately trained and equipped. Key elements include air cargo security and capacity building. This agreement will enhance existing aviation security harmonization efforts of countries in the region, as well as the concepts in the ICAO Declaration on Aviation Security."

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:42

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Would-Be JFK Bomber Gets Life in Prison

Feb 18, 2011 — Convicted would-be terrorist, Russell Defreitas, on Thursday was sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to commit a terrorist attack at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, by exploding fuel tanks and the fuel pipeline under the airport. Defreitas, a naturalized United States citizen from Guyana, was arrested in June 2007. The prosecution considers him the originator of the plan, and the person who recruited the co-conspirators.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:40

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CBP Finds 205-Pounds of Opium Smuggled on Flight from Thailand

Feb 18, 2011 — Federal officials said Thursday that a shipment of 205 lbs of pure opium hidden in acrylic cats was seized on January 21 at JFK International Airport. The drug-filled figures were on a flight from Thailand and destined for an address in the New York area. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) estimates the opium is worth more than $9 million.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:39

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North Korea Can Launch Missiles From Second Facility

Feb 18, 2011 — Early this week, VOA News reported it has seen new satellite imagery that shows North Korea has completed a launch tower at its second long-range missile site at Tongchang-dong, which is only about 30 miles from the Chinese border. This launch facility was spied by satellites in September 2008.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 03:37

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Heads Continue to Roll Over Moscow Airport Bombing

 

Feb 8, 2011 — The Russian government continues to place blame for poor security that President Medvedev says allowed a suicide bomber to kill dozens of people at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport last month.

First Medvedev fired the country's Federal Transportation Security Chief Andrei Alekseyev shortly after the terror attack. Then on Tuesday (2/8), the Federal Security Service announced that two senior Russian anti-terrorism officials have been relieved of duty over the attack, reports RIA Novosti.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 00:08

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First Flight for Navy's Bat-Wing Fighter-Sized Drone

Feb 7, 2011 — Last Friday (2/4) the U.S. Navy's new bat-winged X-47B unmanned aircraft successfully completed its historic first flight at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California. The first flight of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) lasted 29 minutes.

In a press release Northrop Grumman, which is the UCAS-D prime contractor, said the "event marks a critical step in the program, moving the team forward to meet the demonstration objectives of a tailless fighter-sized unmanned aircraft to safely take off from and land on the deck of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier."

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 00:05

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TSA Grants Workers Limited Collective Bargaining Rights

Feb 5, 2011 — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Friday that TSA Administrator Pistole has decided to allow Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) to vote on electing a union to represent them in "limited, clearly-defined collective bargaining within a framework consistent with TSA's security mission."

(TSA) "TSOs will have the right to vote for or against union representation in a fair and transparent process, bringing closure to the question of union representation and bargaining."

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 00:03

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Business Executives Killed in Iraq Plane Crash

Feb 5, 2011 — Seven people died in a small private plane crash Friday in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Among the casualties are two JPMorgan executives and the CEO of private equity group MerchantBridge reports Reuters. At this time officials do not know what caused the crash.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:55

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France to Hunt for Wreckage from 2009 Air France Crash

Feb 4, 2011 — French transportation secretary Thierry Mariani has announced that a fourth search for the wreckage of Air France Flight 447 will be conducted this spring and summer in the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and Africa. The latest effort to find any debris from the Airbus A330-200 will employ underwater robots and submarines.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 23:53

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Airport Security Mice Detect Explosives

Airport sniffer mice are being used in a new security device created by an Israeli firm and demonstrated in public trials during the last few weeks.

Assembled by a firm called BioExplorers, the new airport security detector houses mice that are trained to pick out the smell of explosives and other potentially hostile threats to airport security.

According to information published on the BioExplorers website, mice can recall huge numbers of different smells, and they’re able to tell them apart. They have well over 1,000 olfactory receptors genes – close to 50 per cent more than dogs have.

Airport Security Mice

BioExplorers believes the mouse detector can outperform other types of airport security including millimetre wave scanners, sniffer dogs and frisking techniques. And it’s possible that airport authorities might consider introducing airport security mice in response to passengers’ concerns over the full body image scannersnow in use at airports in the US and beyond.

The device resembles a full-body scanner, but features a trio of trays, each housing mice that effectively work for four hours at a time. They’re fed air in sequence, giving two of the mouse trays a rest while the other’s at work. When that air contains traces of explosives, the mice move to another part of the detector, but they remain concealed from passengers at all times.

“It is as if they are smelling a cat and escaping”, BioExplorers’ Eran Lumbroso explained, adding: “We detect the escape.”

Mouse Explosive Detection

The security mouse explosive detection technology was trialled in Israel at the end of 2010. Over 1,000 participants were involved, of which 22 were rigged up with dummy explosive devices, and these were all identified by the mice without exception.

BioExplorers believe applications for their technology exist beyond airports: public transport sites, border security operations and public events could all benefit from it, they say.

However, there are reportedly downsides to this new invention. For example, mice don’t live for that long and, so, a fleet of them would need to be maintained and job-trained, ready to take over from other examples when needed.

Source: airport-int.com

By: Progress On 03:26

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Manchester Airport Holographic Security Trials

Manchester Airport in the UK has unveiled the world’s first holographic, customer service-based security technology.

While making its airport debut, the same technology is well-known within other industries, such as entertainment.

As of 31 January 2011, Manchester Airport now has a pair of holographic customer services staff that brief passengers on security procedures, as they prepare to pass through airport security.

The new additions to Manchester Airport’s security network give passengers information on current airport liquid restrictions and ensure that their boarding cards are ready to be deployed.

Holographic Security Trials

Airport liquid restrictions have been enforced from 2006 onwards, as a result of a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners. The recentMoscow Airport explosion incident has, once again, brought the issue of airport security back into the public eye, and these holographic security trials are a new concept that’s now being tested.

Both holograms are modelled on real-life staff working at the site – namely Julie Capper and John Walsh – and both are now active in Manchester Airport’s Terminal 1. The holograms are a product of entertainment organisation Musion and, said James Rock – the founder of the company – they have a variety of applications.

“We’ve developed this technology for many uses but it’s perfectly suited for an airport environment where the support of recorded messages can help with passenger information”, Rock was quoted as having said in a Manchester Airport press release issued at the end of January.

“It’s something we’ve worked on for a number of years at Musion and we’d like to see its widespread use for practical purposes, like the virtual assistants”, Rock added.

Manchester Airport Security Holograms

The Manchester Airport security holograms represent the latest innovation to be introduced at the UK’s fourth-busiest airport (based on 2010 passenger statistics).

In November 2010, biometric airport passenger eye scan trialswere carried out while, at the end of 2009, Manchester Airport was the first in the country to host full-body image scanners.

As with these two technologies, these holograms are being trialled in the first instance.

“We are always looking for new ways to improve the experience of our airport for customers”, Manchester Airport’s Customer Services Director, Julie Armstrong, added in the same press release.

“But four years after the restrictions were introduced, passengers understandably forget about liquids. We don’t want anyone to have to throw their drink or make up away so we’ve tried lots of different ways to reinforce the liquid rules, from posters to people dressed up as giant deodorant cans! Maybe holograms are the answer?

“You certainly can’t miss them and with the real John and Julie already being popular with our customers, I’m hopeful that their virtual selves will be a big hit too.”

Source: airport-int.com

By: Progress On 03:22

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New Scanning Software Offers More Modesty

New airport security technology is aiming to overcome some of the concerns provoked by the controversial full body scanners now deployed at many hubs around the world, including 78 US airports.

In response to the American public reaction to these scanners – which provide an in-depth image of body shapes and, in particular, genitalia - the TSA has now introduced a different scanning technology that uses a template to represent the private parts of the passengers that pass through it.

This, essentially, gives the middle sections of all passengers the same profile, but the airport scanner reportedly performs as effectively as the older software, and highlights the presence of any suspicious-looking concealed objects by outlining them with red warning boxes.

New Airport Scanning Software

An example of this new airport scanning software was demonstrated to officials at the start of February 2011. “We believe it addresses the privacy issues that have been raised since the AIT [advanced imaging technology] equipment has been deployed since the fall of ‘07”, John Pistole – TSA representative – told those present.

“We have high hopes for it, but obviously we want to make sure that we are getting it right in terms of not only lab testing … but also operationally tested in these airports”, he added.

The new software is presently being used at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport on a trial basis, and further tests are scheduled to take place at Washington and Atlanta airports in the near future. Beyond these, the potential’s there to roll it out on a more widespread basis, if the results are positive.

Modest Airport Scanning Technology

According to the TSA, the modest airport scanning technology was developed through a collaborative venture between it, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and a number of private firms.

“Testing this new software will help us confirm test results that indicate it can provide the same high level of security as current advanced imaging technology units while further enhancing the privacy protections already in place”, Pistole added.

In September 2010, Airport International covered emerging reports that the original airport body scanners were to be upgraded with new programmes that replaced human images with cartoon versions. The TSA was said to be considering this plan and, around the same time, it was said that US airports would accommodate a total of 1,000 full body airport scan technologies by the end of this year.

Source: airport-int.com

By: Progress On 03:19

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BA increases fuel surcharge again

British Airways has announced its fuel surcharge will increase for the second time in three months, citing “the continuing substantial increase in the price of oil”.
BA last increased its fuel surcharge by £20 per return flight on long-haul routes in December, and the latest increase will take effect on February 8.
World Traveller and World Traveller Plus tickets will increase by £12 per sector (£24 return), while First and Club World tickets will increase by £17 per sector (£34 return). Full details of the new surcharges are detailed below.
The latest move means that World Traveller and World Traveller Plus return tickets will have increased by £44 since December, with First and Club tickets increasing by £54.
As was the case in December, there will be no increase in fuel surcharge on short-haul services.
In a statement BA said that the move “reflects the continuing substantial increase in the price of oil and a 14 per cent rise in the spot price of jet fuel since our last fuel surcharge increase in December 2010”.
Political unrest in Egypt has helped push oil prices back over the US$100 per barrel mark, although this is still some way off the US$150 per barrel seen in 2008.
For more information visit ba.com.


Fuel surcharge changes:

• For World Traveller flights over nine hours an increase from £76 a sector to £88. On flights of less than nine hours an increase from £63 a sector to £75
• For World Traveller Plus flights over nine hours an increase from £94.50 a sector to £106.50. On flights of less than nine hours an increase from £73 per sector to £85.
• For First and Club World flights over nine hours an increase from £108 per sector to £125. On flights of less than nine hours an increase from £88 per sector to £105

Source: businesstraveller.com

By: Progress On 03:11

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TSA Hopes to Enhance Privacy with New Scanning Software

Feb 2, 2011 — TSA Administrator John Pistole announced Tuesday that his agency is testing new software for its advanced imaging technology (AIT) machines that the TSA says "eliminates passenger-specific images and instead auto-detects potential threat items and indicates their location on a generic outline of a person." The software uses the same generic outline for all passengers, and if no potential threat items are detected, an "OK" will appear on the monitor with no outline.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 01:49

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U.S. Travel Alert for United Kingdom and Gibraltar

 

Feb 1, 2011 — The U.S. Department of State has issued the following Travel Alert to inform U.S. citizens traveling to or resident in the United Kingdom, including England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibralter; of the continuing high level of terrorist threat, including the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems, aviation and other travel infrastructure in the UK.

Travel Alert
U.S. Department of State -- Bureau of Consular Affairs
United Kingdom and Gibraltar (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland)

January 31, 2011

The Department of State has issued this Travel Alert to inform U.S. citizens traveling to or resident in the United Kingdom (UK) of the continuing high level of terrorist threat, including the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems, aviation and other travel infrastructure in the UK. U.S. citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. This Travel Alert expires on April 30, 2011.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 01:38

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TSA Freezes Private Screener Program

Jan 31, 2011 — Last Friday TSA Administrator John Pistole announced he has decided not to expand a program that allows airports to use private security contractors in place of TSA airport screeners. Pistole said, "I examined the contractor screening program and decided not to expand the program beyond the current 16 airports as I do not see any clear or substantial advantage to do so at this time."

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 00:53

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Japanese Volcano Causing Flight Disruptions

Jan 31, 2011 — More than 1,000 people living near Japan's Mount Shinmoe were told to evacuate their homes and businesses on Monday following several days of volcanic eruptions, which began last Wednesday. This is the most active the volcano has been in nearly 300 years. Train service and air travel over the southern island of Kyushu have been disrupted.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 00:39

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DHS Ditching Color Coded Threat Level Advisory System

Jan 27, 2011 — DHS Secretary Napolitano today (1/27) announced the end of the much maligned color code threat level advisory system former President George W. Bush put in place after the 9/11 attacks. The current HLS Advisory System will be phased out and replaced in April 2011 by the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS).

DHS says the new NTAS "will more effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the public, government agencies, first responders, airports and other transportation hubs, and the private sector."

DHS also has established a NTAS Twitter page.

Source: Planet Data

By: Progress On 00:36

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Cyclone poses 'serious threat to life' in Queensland

A huge tropical cyclone taking aim at Australia's Queensland state has strengthened to a Category 5 -- the highest designation on Australia's cyclone classification system -- and its landfall is "likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations," forecasters said.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi has winds gusting up to 295 kph (183 mph) and is expected to maintain that intensity until making landfall in northeastern Queensland late Wednesday evening local time, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said.

The cyclone threatens more devastation for Queensland, which already has been hit by deadly flooding in recent weeks.

"Yasi ... poses an extremely serious threat to life and property within the warning area, especially between Port Douglas and Townsville. This impact is likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations," the bureau says on its website.

Hundreds of patients have been evacuated from hospitals in the far north Queensland town of Cairns, and residents are being told to leave their homes as Cyclone Yasi closes in.

The storm is forecast to make landfall between Cairns and Innisfail.

Experts say it will bring torrential rain and cause a storm surge of up to 2 meters above the usual high tide line, flooding low-lying areas along the coast.

Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart warned the state faces "one of the most significant weather events" in its history.

"This is a life-threatening storm, and people need to understand that they have a final window of opportunity to self-evacuate," Stewart said.

"In the hours that are left, people need to make their final preparations to either shelter in place, or evacuate."

The state's premier, Anna Bligh, has urged residents in the threatened areas to take sensible precautions and to stay inside once the storm hits.

"These will be highly destructive winds... they will be life-threatening if people make it their business to go outside in them.

"Loss of life and serious injury ultimately depends on people being sensible, listening to the warnings, taking advice and not treating this as a tourist event.

"It will be a display of the awesome power of nature, but it's not something you want to go outside and watch."

More than 250 patients -- including premature babies, those in intensive care, and on dialysis -- are being airlifted to facilities in Brisbane for treatment after the storm forced the closure of two hospitals in Cairns.

"We understand this will cause some anxiety, but it is only being done to make sure that very ill, very vulnerable patients are in the safest place possible," said Bligh.

More than 20 people died and thousands of homes were wrecked when severe flooding hit Queensland in January, affecting 3.1 million people.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a one-off flood tax aimed at helping to pay for the estimated AUS $5.6 billion (US $5.58 billion) damage caused.

Source: edition.cnn.com

By: Progress On 21:56

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