riers, airports have not received Federal funding to offset the increased costs of doing business in a post-September 11 world. We need your help to ensure that airports receive funds earmarked specifically for enhanced security. In the past, security projects have had to compete for funds with other airport improvement projects. We would like to see airport funding remain at current levels while Congress creates a separate program to fund aviation security improvements. Airports are the major hubs of our nation's transportation system and it is essential that we invest in security of those facilities and the safety of those who visit them. The Aviation, Transportation and Security Act, combined with the necessary funding, will make tremendous in-roads in bolstering airport security. The Act, however, contains deadlines that the Transportation Security Agency, air carriers and airports may find difficult to meet. Some say the deadlines are impossible. Most notable are the requirements to screen 100 percent of checked bags within 60 days and the deployment of explosive detection systems within 1 year. Obtaining the necessary personnel to meet the 60day requirement could be very, very problemmatic. There are also concerns about the physical requirements-that means the facilities, terminal facilities-and the lack of facilities to accomplish the deployment of these explosive detection devices. My staff anticipates that we would need somewhere north of 60 such machines to satisfy the peak demands at Hartsfield. Our engineers and planners are reviewing space requirements, facility designs and other issues to support the installation of new equipment as it becomes available. We applaud provisions of the Act that will add $2.50 to every flight to pay for security. Again, we hope Congress will restrict the use of those funds to airport security requirements. As you know, we currently collect funds to support Federal inspections at our airports. However, we have faced a challenge of low Federal staffing levels during peak international travel times. This is true of both INS and Customs staffing. We cannot afford to face those obstacles when it comes to the federalization of checkpoint screening. Hopefully, the new funds will provide for sufficient numbers of Federal screeners to ensure that the traveling public will spend less than 10 minutes in line at any security screening point. Again, echoing what Mr. Jackson said, world class security and world class customer service. Our customers are demanding faster, better and more secure services at ticket counters, security screening areas and other areas of the airport. We hope that the Transportation Security Agency will embrace customer service as one of its security cornerstones. It is obvious they will, since Secretary Mineta has said so. Finally, Section 114 of the Act must be expanded to punish individuals who violate security rules and regulations at airports. Currently, the Act increases penalties for individuals who assault or intimidate security personnel at airports or on aircraft; however, there are no Federal penalties imposed on individuals who commit other serious security breaches. A recent breach in our security apparatus, for instance, revealed that there are no Federal penalties for such breaches of security. Airports are being asked to bolster security and taxpayers and travelers are being asked to spend billions for additional security measures to ensure the safety at our airports and yet, flagrant, willful violations of those security measures apparently are not against the law. We at Hartsfield believe that they ought to be. We agree with you, Senator Congress must enact tough Federal penalties that will deter individuals from breaching airport security. Such breaches are a threat to the safety of thousands of passengers and visitors. They destroy public confidence in security systems taxpayers and travelers have spent billions of dollars to erect. Security breaches inconvenience thousands while costing millions of dollars in flight delays and lost productivity. They ought to be against the law and there ought to be strong penalties for those who violate airport security. I would like to thank you again for allowing Hartsfield to join you in this important hearing. We are proud of our efforts to increase security while maintaining our ability to provide quality customer service. We appreciate your focus, Senator Cleland, and that of the Committee on this important topic and for your efforts to help enhance security at our nation's airports. We look forward to working with the Committee and the Federal agencies to help reestablish the public's trust and confidence in safe and efficient air travel. [The prepared statement of Mr. DeCosta follows:] PREPARED STATEMENT OF BENJAMIN R. DECOSTA, AVIATION GENERAL MANAGER, HARTSFIELD ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Good Morning, I am Ben DeCosta, the Aviation General Manager for Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. I would like; to thank Senator Cleland and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for holding this hearing to shed light on this critical issue. Few topics are as important to our Nation right now as airport security. In the aftermath of September 11, it is essential that we do all we can to bolster the security of our nation's airports and to restore the confidence of the traveling public. As the world's busiest airport, more than 80 million passengers annually pass through our gates. We want to do everything we can to ensure the safety of those passengers and visitors. Security has always been a priority at Hartsfield, and we have been very proactive in the implementation and enforcement of aviation security rules. In October 1999, we implemented two programs aimed at improving employee security awareness and compliance with rules. Our first program focused on security compliance and enforcement, while the other program focused on rewarding individuals for actively participating in our security program. We asked the Atlanta City Council to integrate into the City's Aviation Code the Federal Aviation Regulation's individual responsibility provisions. This ordinance allows me to assess monetary and other penalties against companies and individuals for violating security rules. As a result of this ordinance, we have seen a much higher level of compliance with security rules by airport employees. Additionally, we instituted the Hartsfield Harry Program to reward employees for taking an active role in airport security. Hartsfield Harry encourages airport and airline employees to challenge personnel found on the ramp without proper identification. Our security staff conducts tests throughout the airport to monitor compliance with security regulations. If an employee challenges "Harry,"-a security staffer who has entered a secured area without wearing proper identification-that alert employee receives a $25 check and becomes eligible for a quarterly drawing that awards $500 to the winner. Our compliance and enforcement program and Hartsfield Harry Program are two examples of our commitment to creating a safe and secure environment for the traveling public and airport employees. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 tragedy, we have reviewed our security posture and have fully implemented all necessary security measures to further enhance our security program. On September 11, we increased our law enforcement support by 300 percent, thanks to the tremendous support received from the city of Atlanta Police Department, Federal law enforcement agencies and other local municipalities. In fact, the Clayton County Police Department is actively patrolling the outer perimeter of the airport. The mutual aid received from these agencies allowed us to quickly evacuate the airport, search the terminal building and prepare the airport for the reception of passengers on September 13, 2001. We also welcomed the deployment of the Georgia Sky Guards to assist in the monitoring of security screening operations. We were pleased when Guardsmen were given authority to support our law enforcement efforts in other areas of the airport, such as on the concourses. The airport community has responded positively to our increased security awareness through its involvement in the Airport Security Consortium. Our consortium, under the leadership and direction of our Aviation Security Manager, Richard Duncan, is meeting regularly to review security directives and assess their impact on airport operations. The consortium motto is "Security is Everybody's Business;" therefore, it insists on the complete involvement of all partners while implementing security measures. The consortium developed plans for revalidating security badges, searching incoming vehicles and reducing the number of access portals while maintaining our ability to provide quality customer services to our passengers and employees. We have devoted a tremendous amount of resources to ensure the full implementation of the additional security requirements, even though our revenues have decreased as a result of the reduced air travel. We are spending more than a million dollars per month on increased law enforcement coverage. Unlike the air carriers, airports have not received Federal funding to offset the increased cost of doing business in a post September 11th environment. We need your help to ensure that airports receive access to funds above the usual entitlement levels. If we were forced to use entitlement funds for special security needs, we would be forced to cut improvements needed elsewhere. We need a special security grant to offset the increased cost of security and unfunded mandates. We welcomed the enactment of the Aviation Security and Transportation Act and the subsequent creation of the Transportation Security Agency. We hope that the agency will streamline the process for airports to receive Federal funds for airport security improvements. In the past, security projects have competed with other highly visible and important airport improvement projects for the same pot of money. I would like to see the airport entitlements remain at the current level while Congress creates a similar entitlement program that would fund aviation security improvements. Since airports serve as the linchpin of our national transportation and commerce system, we must ensure that our Nation contributes to the cost of creating and maintaining a secure and safe environment. Although the Act is good in itself; it contains some extremely ambitious deadlines for the Transportation Security Agency, air carriers and airports. Most notable are the requirements to screen 100 percent of checked bags within 60 days and the deployment of explosive detection systems within 1 year. I'm not sure if the agency or air carriers can obtain the necessary personnel resources to meet the 60-day requirement. I have heard some discussions concerning the use of National Guard soldiers to fill the gap while the agency hires employees and acquires equipment to meet these challenges. Additionally, I'm concerned about the physical requirements and the lack of facilities to accomplish these objectives. After a recent briefing from the Federal Aviation Administration's new equipment integration team, my staff anticipates we would need 40 or more explosive detection system machines to satisfy our peak demands. Our engineers and planners are reviewing space requirements, facilities designs and other issues to support the installation of the new equipment: as it becomes available. The 60-day requirement for 100-percent bag screening will be difficult, if not impossible, to meet at this airport. Positive bag matches, hand searches and the use of K-9 teams are not real alternatives for solving this challenging task. We simply don't have the space necessary for positive bag matching and hand searches of this magnitude. Additionally, our K-9 teams must be available to respond to law enforce ment concerns. We applaud the provisions of the Act that will add $2.50 to flight segments to pay for security. We also hope that Congress will restrict the use of these funds to airport security requirements only. As you know, we currently collect funds to support Federal inspections stations; however, we have faced the challenge of low Federal staff levels during peak international travel periods. We cannot afford that kind of challenge with security screeners; it is critical that we have sufficient staffing for screening stations. We hope that the collected funds would provide significant Federal screeners to ensure that the traveling public will spend less than 5 minutes in line at a security screening area. Our customers are demanding faster, better and more secure services at ticket counters, security screening areas and other areas of the airport. We hope that the Transportation Security Agency would embrace customer service as one of its policy cornerstones. Section 114 of the Act must be expanded to punish individuals who violate security rules and regulations at airports. Currently, the Act increases penalties for individuals who assault or intimidate personnel performing security duties at airports. However, there are no Federal provisions to punish individuals who commit other serious security violations. When a football fan bolted down an escalator recently without subjecting himself to the screening process, we had to evacuate and rescreen all passengers at the airport. This process took over 3 hours, interrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of customers and cost the air transportation system millions of dollars. After finding the individual, it was very disheartening to learn that he had not violated a Federal law. Airport operators must have the support and backing of the Federal penal system to ensure that individuals are punished for failing to comply with Federal security rules. We must have security deterrence that discourages individual violators. We believe that a Federal law against airport security infractions would send the right message to the general public. Finally, Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport would like to be one of the 20 airports selected to test and evaluate new and emerging technology, including biometrics, for providing access control and other security protections for secured areas of airports. If the technology works at the world's busiest airport, it will work at other airports, too. In closing, I would like to thank the committee for choosing Atlanta as the site for this hearing. We are proud of our efforts to increase security while maintaining our ability to provide quality customer service to our customers. We have devoted the necessary resources to implement the new security directives at considerable expense of the city of Atlanta. We believe that airports must get some help from Federal agencies to continue the same level of support for an undetermined period of time. Furthermore, we will continue to work with all entities to help re-gain the public's trust in the aviation industry as the Transportation Security Agency assumes its role at this airport. Thank you again for allowing Hartsfield to join you in this important hearing. We are proud of our efforts to increase security while maintaining our ability to provide quality customer service. We appreciate your focus, Sen. Cleland, and that of the committee on this important topic, and for your efforts to help enhance the security of our nation's airports. And we look forward to working with the committee and Federal regulatory agencies to help re-establish the public's trust and confidence in safe and efficient air travel. Senator CLELAND. Thank you very much, Mr. DeCosta, you are doing a great job with a real world class mission here. May I just say thank you for your support of legislation that I will introduce this afternoon when I get back to Washington to make it a Federal crime to deliberately breach security at an American airport. As I have said, I was out there on the tarmac and went through that experience and believe me, those of us on the aircraft would have had the penalty a little bit tougher. But I think that is the right way to go and thank you for your support. May I say that the $2.50 passed in the aviation security law will go to buttressing our aviation security. It is fenced off and it will go to that purpose. Additionally there were other monies, about $1.5 billion, in the aviation security bill that will go to airports for your enhanced security and we just finished with the Defense appropriations bill Friday night about midnight and there is another $200 million there for airport security. So there is going to be some monies coming down the pipe. The $1.5 billion I understand is on a competitive grant basis. So Mr. Jackson here invited you to apply for some of that. Mr. DECOSTA. We certainly will and intend to. Senator CLELAND. You and your staff will be aware of that. May I just recognize Mr. Robert Hightower, the Georgia Commissioner of Public Safety, who is with us today and the Governor's designee in leading homeland security here in Georgia, and Gary McConnell who is no stranger to challenges and difficult situations and disasters and attacks, mostly in terms of nature's revenge on us in terms of tornadoes and hurricanes and so forth-Gary McConnel, head of GEMA, we are glad to be with all of you. Let me just go back, Mr. DeCosta, to that incident on November 6 when an individual caused a mass evacuation at Hartsfield when he intentionally breached airport security. Hartsfield correctly followed FAA procedure in temporarily halting incoming and outgoing air traffic. The incident did cause long delays and flight cancellations. Can you tell me what, if anything, do you believe can be done to ensure that a similar breach does not happen in the future? Mr. DECOSTA. Well, we have taken many steps. We had many lessons learned that day and have taken procedural, process steps, management steps to ensure that it does not happen again. We have employed some technology also. The public has heard us use the word Code Orange. We have strengthened our Code Orange procedures to ensure that it is far less likely that it would ever happen again. As I said to the Airport Consortium, which is a group made up of the airlines, my own staff, the FAA and other tenants, that our goal, our objective is to make sure that that never happens again at Hartsfield. It is a tall order. Under the zero defect, zero tolerance policy where any breach could result in evacuation of the airport, we are taking every step to avoid that eventuality. What people do not realize is that those thousands of people who had to be evacuated from the airport were themselves, at least those who were frail, were put in harm's way by what we had to do. Senator CLELAND. Thank you very much. And I certainly hope that the implementation of the aviation security bill and the increased penalty, which I hope to get through the Congress, will certainly help in that regard. Thank you very much. Mr. John Selvaggio, Senior Vice President of Airport Customer Service with Delta, is here today. Thank you very much, John, for representing Delta. We would like to hear from you. STATEMENT OF JOHN SELVAGGIO, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, We are delighted that the Committee is holding this hearing, especially here in Atlanta, the home of Delta Air Lines and the site of Hartsfield Atlanta International, the world's busiest airport. We are also proud of the role you played, Senator Cleland, in sponsoring and passing the most comprehensive aviation security legislation in our nation's history. This landmark Act will build on the many comprehensive security programs established after the September 11th tragedy. It centers, appropriately, on a Federal, unified system. The Federal Government and the aviation industry have an enormous challenge in implementing the new law, but we are confident that we can deliver a safer and more secure system. |