Separating needles from haystacks

08-20-2006

Revelations about the plot to bomb planes sent shock waves through the commercial aviation industry, but flight schedules seem mostly back to normal, as both the carriers and the carried adjust to the new security regulations.

These TSA-approved luggage locks are designed so they can be opened by airport security personnel and don't have to be cut.

Amendments to the ban have already been made, and the immediate threat has apparently been defused. Still, the primary injunctions against carrying liquids and gels on board will continue for the foreseeable future, and the impact of these new realities on air travel will become more apparent as the situation unfolds.

With the exception of small amounts of necessary medicines, baby foods and formula and a short list of other sundries, passengers cannot take any liquids, gels, pastes, solutions or other items of similar consistency on commercial airliners, including such innocuous-seeming items as gel shoe inserts and baby pacifiers. Also banned is anything in an aerosol can. In fact, not only is it illegal to try and carry prohibited items on a plane, it's technically illegal to even bring them into the security area.

If you want to bring any of these materials, you'll have to pack them in your checked bags. (For the complete list, see www.tsa.gov.)

Other than these items, passengers can still carry aboard everything that has been permitted, including computers, DVD players, cell phones and other personal electronic equipment. You can still bring solid food and fruit (and presumably no fruit wraps).

It remains to be seen how cash-strapped carriers respond, as more passengers check more bags and board planes depending on the kindness of the airline for its in-flight amenities. That can be especially true on longer domestic flights, where most complimentary services already have been eliminated.

This flood of checked luggage also comes at a time when airlines have been more strictly enforcing the number, size and weight of bags per passenger they will transport at no extra charge. Already this tsunami of luggage is overwhelming check-in and baggage handling systems, forcing airlines to reassign staff to handle the shift in demand.

As more people check bags, security of another kind will become an issue. Since all checked items must be available to be opened for inspection, bags have to be sent through the system unlocked or run the risk of having Transportation Security Administration agents force them open. Unfortunately, this enforced openness also increases the possibilities for pilferage in-transit.

To provide passengers with some measure of protection, the TSA has approved special luggage locks distributed by two companies. The simple, four-dial combination locks also have a key that lets TSA agents open them for inspection and relock them when done.

Supposedly TSA personnel have been trained to use these keys and have been provided with master keys, but just in case, the locks are sold with a guarantee that they will be replaced for free if inspectors do cut the hasps.

The TSA-approved locks come in a variety of styles and colors and are sold under the brands of Safe Skies (available at www.safeskieslocks.com starting at $9.99 each) and Travel Sentry (sold in retail stores and at www.travelsentry.org).

We do wonder whether keys so widely distributed would not also be easily obtained by potential thieves. Also what good will they be most places outside the United States, where there are no TSA inspectors? Still, the locks should provide skittish travelers with some measure of security.

In some senses, the protection offered by these locks is analogous to the security provided by the overall passenger screening process. While they may forestall incidental malfeasance, they are neither fail-safe nor tamper proof.

Achieving that level of assurance will require constant vigilance, and it remains to be proven whether in the long term it can be consistent with the efficient operation of a modern transportation system.

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