St. Joseph’s Prep
Philadelphia, PA
Teacher: Mr. Conners
Governmental Regulation of Air Travel
Edward D’Imperio
Grade 12
Federal regulation of air travel security is controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This Administration regulates travel with thousands of rules and codes, which are strictly followed. Many of these rules and codes have changed since the September eleventh tragedies. Since then, the government has played a bigger role in regulating air travel security. In his State of the Union address President Bush assure America that, "We will improve intelligence collection and sharing, expand patrols at our borders, strengthen the security of air travel, and use technology to track the arrivals and departures of visitors to the United States."1
Government regulation of air travel is needed for a numerous amount of reason, most of which are common sense. For one, United States citizens have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. One example of a regulation needed to protect this right is their policy of no weapons on flights. This includes guns, knives, and even box cutters, which were allowed to be carried prior to September eleventh. Another regulation that the FAA deems necessary is the ban of smoking on most domestic flights, which was put into law in 1990. By 1997 four-fifths of all flight to and from the United States were smoke-free. A third example of good regulation is the change from airport-hired surveillance guards to federally employed guards. Also federal marshals have been anonymously placed on all flights in the U.S. 2
One issue that has been brought up recently is the quality of air on aircraft. The U.S. National Research Council found that regulations on air quality may not be strict enough to protect travelers from contaminants such as ozone and carbon monoxide. There are three problems with cabin air. The high pressure makes it difficult to breath, the low ventilation cause dizziness and fatigue, and the low humidity causes temporary discomforts such ad dry scratchy eyes. The problem is that cabin air is not checked regularly. As a matter of fact it is not checked at all unless there is a complaint. 3
At this time and in the situation that the United States faces, there are few regulations that we do not need. Most people would welcome the new security searches and would rather be more cautious than to have a repeat of September eleventh. In any time of national crisis any type of regulation that could prevent a disaster is absolutely necessary, and the FAA has almost no regulations at this time, which are unnecessary. This is one minor regulation that is unnecessary however. It is the use of a camera in an airport. Some of the airports in the U.S. have restrictions on photography. One woman in Newark had her film confiscated and developed by authorities who edited the film, which had a U.S. marshal in the background, then sent it back to her house 4
There is only one problem with adding new security regulations and hiring new employees to enforce these regulations. The problem that comes with all of this is figuring out how to pay for it. Airports especially could not afford these new spendings with all of their cutbacks and layoffs. In late January 2002, LaBarge Inc. was awarded a contract in excess of seven million dollars to make assemblies and box assemblies for X-ray inspection systems from PerkinElmer Detection Systems. Our government is looking to big businesses such as PerkinElmer to supply the security systems that are needed to keep Americans safe and secure. 5
Congress recently approved of an Aviation and Transportation Security Act. This security act will help finance the government’s takeover of aviation security. Travelers are being charged as much as $10 on a round-trip ticket. This money will be used for luggage screeners, sky marshals, bomb-detection devices and other security measures. Unlike other taxes charged, this tax will pay for the newly created Transportation Security Administration under the Department of Transportation instead of going to the FAA. On average a family of four is actual paying for five people to fly. The National Business Travel Association estimates that this new tax will add about $625 million to U.S. corporations’ annual airfare tab. 6
This raise in the cost of airfare will not only affect people in the air travel industry. It will have a chain reaction effect on other industries that deal with airlines such as corporate businesses and oil companies.
At the beginning of February the FAA announced that they would begin using smart-cards, encryption, and biometric technologies for airport security. It plans to have most of the project done by 2004. The cards, which will have either 32-bit or 63-bit chips, will contain the person’s photo, personal demographic information, and biometric data such as facial recognition or fingerprint identification. Airlines may also give smart cards to travelers. The FAA would have to link the smart-cards to government databases, which would have criminal records and terrorist records. The company in charge of making the smart-cards is Securcom International. They are currently testing the cards out in major airports. 7
The FAA has also ordered all U.S. airlines to install new cockpit doors to prevent break in and certain gunfire and explosives. The new doors would be able to handle the most powerful type of handgun and certain types of explosives. It will also have a locking device on it so that the door could only be activated from inside the cockpit. The order given by the FAA requires that the cockpit doors be replaced within 18 months. The estimated cost for each cockpit door will be somewhere between $12,000 and $17,000. A federal grant has been set aside for $100 million, which will help carriers finance the project. The order is only for domestic flights, however the FAA is strongly urging other nations to follow. 8
The FAA has done a great job in dealing with this crisis of airport security. The task of deciding when they are over-regulating should lie in the hands of the courts. They should have the final say. The decision of whether there is too much regulation should be decided in a trial, which is the only fair way of doing it.
Today, there is just the right amount of regulation. We need the rules that are in place now to keep order and ensure safety to passengers. Before September eleventh we definitely had too little regulations and rules. However, the FAA and other regulating authorities have been woken up by this tragic event and have gotten things to where they should be today with the right amount of regulation