First I will go into the current security regulations. Air travelers are limited to one carry on bag and one personal item on all flights. All passengers need a government issued ID and boarding pass to get by security check points. Chris Woodward stated how all electronical items, such as laptops and cell phones are additionally screened along with random pat-downs. All weapons of any kind are prohibited past security checkpoints including tweezers, nail files, and disposable razors (Woodward).

Now I will go into the current changes that are being examined at our airports today. One new idea is to change pre-boarding questions. Gary Stroller (B) explains how the current pre-boarding question ?Has anyone unknown to you asked you to carry any item on this flight?? has its biases. Charlie Leblanc of Houston based Air Security International stated that the reason that the question is worded that way is because airlines don?t want to slo

In Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York airports a test was administered to see if the proper security questions were being asked by check-in employees. Gary Stroller (B) explained how some airline check-in employees were not asking the right security questions and in some cases check-in employees refrained from asking the mandatory security questions period. One instance a man was on his cell phone while checking in so the employee thought it would be too inconvenient to ask him a single question. These security questions are mandatory and should be followed as so. It?s Safety first, not safety only if it is convenient.

Another measure which is being looked at in Congress right now is to train pilots as federal agents. Pilots will then be permitted to carry a weapon on board. This would give pilots protection from intruders and be a deterrent to any hijacker entering the cockpit. Judy Keen explains how one type of weapon that might be used would be the stun gun which is used by over 900 police and correctional facilities. The stun gun shoots two darts at 50,000 volts at which would paralyze an intruder for 15 minutes and has a range of 21 feet. The stun guns is easy to use, the training to use a stun gun is minimal and once learned is a very effective defense. Another idea is to arm undercover marshals on board with duck-hunting bullets. Alan Levin explains the reason for using duck-hunting bullets is they shatter on impact and won?t pierce an airplanes hull if fired while creating the same amount of damage to the opposition. Another innovation is the use of the internet to watch the cockpit from the ground. Cockpits then could be monitored safely and effectively.

Fred Bayles explains how new safety procedures on aircrafts will have an increased effect on ticket prices, causing concern for frequent flyers. The reason for the increase ticket price is with the new security regulations the plane will be on the ground longer than before. Anytime the aircraft is on the ground airlines are losing money which will transfer into increased airfare (Bayles). Aircraft cabin sweeps are to be administered daily, inspection of cargo hole and service doors daily, every floating device has to be inspected for tampering, all these regulations add to the time the plane will stay on the ground. The overall opinion of increased airfare is if it will add to their safety they would be willing to pay a little bit more.

Another problem is the two departments of transportation are studying ways to improve airport and aircraft safety in private and have no consumer representation. The public wants some input on this subject and the government and

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1792
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)