PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS AVIATION AND TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ACT

President Bush Signs Aviation and Transportation Security Act

MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
NBC News’ Tammy Kupperman, Fred Francis and Jim Popkin; MSNBC.com’s Mike Brunker, Anne Hurley and Alex Johnson and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

President Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act into law on Nov. 19. Many of its provisions will take months or years to implement. In the meantime, here's a look at how U.S. airports have reacted to increased threats of terrorism and how the security of foreign airports compares.

Vehicles: Vehicles parked outside airports are closely monitored. Unattended vehicles may be towed.
Lessons from abroad: Unattended or illegally parked vehicles are also towed in Europe and Asia. Vehicle monitoring extends to entry roads at several foreign airports. Those at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, the most secure in the world, include checkpoints with armed guards and inspectors who scrutinize documents for every car. It's common for police to search the undersides and trunks of cars arriving at Narita International Airport in Tokyo.

Outside: After being prohibited by the FAA in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, curbside and off-site baggage check-in are again available in several cities.
Lessons from abroad: Curbside check-in is unheard of at most foreign airports. The area outside Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv is patrolled by armed undercover security officers who can stop and question passengers, then alert their colleagues inside the airport to any suspicious individuals. Police at Tokyo's Narita International Airport check the identification of every person entering the airport.

Ticket counter: Every passenger must have a government-issued photo ID. Passengers with tickets and photo ID but no luggage may bypass the ticket counter. Experts recommend that all passengers be interviewed in depth by law enforcement officials. Currently, less than 10 percent of checked baggage loaded onto domestic flights is screened for explosives. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act requires all checked baggage to be screened by January 18, 2002.
Lessons from abroad: Government-trained security personnel interview all passengers at Ben Gurion International Airport for 15 to 20 minutes before they even get to the ticket counter. Every passenger at Narita International Airport can also expect to be questioned before checking in. Security officers at many European airports interview randomly selected passengers before allowing them to proceed to ticketing. Like many foreign airports, London’s Heathrow International Airport (the largest in Europe) and the Hong Kong International Airport (Asia's largest) inspect all checked baggage. Additionally, airports in Europe and the Middle East employ baggage matching, which requires that every bag checked in be claimed by a specific passenger before boarding. No bags are loaded onto the plane until each passenger is on board.

Carry-on baggage: Metal detectors are set on the highest levels. Passengers are limited to one carry-on bag and one personal item. All bags may be subject to individual hand searches after screening. Electronic items, such as laptop computers and cell phone may be subjected to additional screening.
Lessons from abroad: The same restrictions apply in foreign airports.

Security checkpoints: Only ticketed passengers are allowed to enter the gate. Passengers may be asked to show their boarding passes and identification. Handheld metal detectors can be used after passage through the walk-through metal detectors.
Lessons from abroad: In addition to checking boarding passes and identification, airport personnel at Ben Gurion apply a security sticker to each passenger’s boarding pass. The sticker prevents the passenger from re-entering the check-in area and is required during the boarding process. In several European and Asian countries, passengers can expect to be patted down if they set off the metal detector.

Waiting areas: FAA agents are roaming airports with bomb-sniffing dogs. National Guard troops are patrolling concourses, checking bags and watching for weapons over the next few months while officials implement longer-term security measures.
Lessons from abroad: Waiting areas of European and Asian airports are patrolled by armed guards. In addition to surveillance, Ben Gurion furnishes waiting areas with an eye toward passenger safety. Throughout the airport there are impact-resistant trash bins that are designed to explode upward.

On-board: Armed federal air marshals currently fly on select flights. The aviation security bill will increase their numbers by early 2002, giving top priority to nonstop, long-distance flights. The bill also requires fortified cockpit doors that will be locked for the duration of a flight. Transponders, the devices that enable ground controllers to track a plane's flight path, will no longer be made inoperable from the cockpit.
Lessons from abroad: European nations are considering adding armed guards to their flights. Israel's leading airline, El Al, already does. El Al planes also have two sets of cockpit doors on its planes. The outer doors are made of steel, and both sets remain secured during the flight. After Sept. 11, Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department ordered certain airlines to keep their cockpit doors locked and to ban passenger visits to flight decks.

Ramp passes: There is no standard way of tracking lost ramp passes or ground crew identification. Security experts recommend a better system to track lost IDs.
Lessons from abroad: Lost passes and identification are a universal problem. Many countries, including the United States, are investigating "smart cards" — identification cards that incorporate biometric imprints — as a solution.

Dangerous goods: Items such as manicure sets, aerosol cans and corkscrews are now considered possible weapons. These items should be packed in checked-in luggage.
Lessons from abroad: Similar restrictions have been in place worldwide since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Employee screening: There is no standard for employee background checks because most employees are hired by private companies, not the government. Baggage screeners currently undergo 12 hours of classroom training. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act will put all 28,000 airport screeners on the federal payroll, ensure that each is a citizen of the United States, and require 100 hours of classroom and on-the-job instruction.
Lessons from abroad: Employees at most foreign airports are required to be citizens of the country they work in. The Israeli government trains all baggage screeners at Ben Gurion International Airport. Japan requires 150 hours of classroom training for its baggage screeners. France requires 60 hours.