Security

US VISIT Exit

While the industry waits for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to signal its intentions with respect to implementation of biometric capture for visitors departing the US, there have been a number of encouraging developments. On 3 September, IATA was asked to provide additional information relating to the process described by US VISIT in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to representatives of the US General Accountabilities Office (GAO). That team had been tasked with drafting a report to the Co-Chairs of the US House Sub-Committee on Homeland Security. IATA testified before the Sub-Committee in mid-July.

In the past months, we witnessed a growing level of opposition in Congress and the media as well, to the DHS plan to force airlines to capture biometrics. Language has been inserted into appropriations legislation that would prevent DHS from going forward without first conducting a minimum of two pilot tests - one with government collection and another using a volunteer airline. The Co-chair of the sub-committee has gone on record as being strongly opposed to airline collection. While DHS has indicated that it intends to publish a Final Rule consistent with its NPRM, the clock is ticking and pressure mounts. IATA anticipates that if DHS goes forward with a FInal Rule, it will almost certainly be published ahead of the US elections on 4 November.

Liquids and Gels

The global saga of the Secure Tamper-Evident Bag (STEB) illustrates the perennial problem of trying to develop efficient and effective harmonised security measures that span borders. After more than two years of work, neither governments nor industry are any closer to solving this vexing problem that affects transfer passenger and their liquid duty free purchases. Many security professionals are left wondering if a future technology solution may be the only answer to the problem.

In a nutshell, the "duty free" problem is that liquids in excess of 100ml cannot be taken through security checkpoints. So, passengers that purchase duty free goods abroad may have them confiscated at their intermediate destination as they traverse security checkpoints on the way to a connecting flight. One more developed proposal attempts to solve this problem by placing the duty free goods in a tamper evident bag at the point of purchase. In theory, as long as the security inspector sees that the bag has not been tampered with, the passenger can take it through the checkpoint.

The US has proposed such a scheme for outbound passengers only. The problem is that inbound passengers will not benefit as well. Not to mention the needless regulatory burden being placed on airlines by the "solution". Things are not any better within the schemes being proposed by the European Union, which leaves security professionals wondering whether we will need to wait for technology that can make up for the lack of procedural and regulatory progress.

IATA has raised this issue on many occasions with representatives from ICAO, US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the European Commission (EC) and will push for a solution at the AVSEC World 2008 on 11-13 November in Seoul.

Fonte: IATA 25/09/2008.