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U.S.: JFK Security
Gaffs May Cause Analysis The crash of American Airlines Flight 587 near John F. Kennedy International Airport is likely to have a major impact on airports in the northeastern United States, whatever the final determination of the cause. The airport has already been criticized for lax security. JFK undoubtedly will draw increased federal scrutiny, and this may spell logjams for other regional airports picking up flights from JFK. Ultimately, this would add to the woes of the already troubled airline industry and further hinder the tourism industry's recovery from fears of terrorism. Based on the number of international passengers, Airports Council International -- a Geneva-based group that tracks and monitors airport statistics -- ranks JFK as the busiest international airport in North America. In 2000, it was the 14th busiest airport in North America and ranked 20th in the world. |
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The airport's size and location, however, have contributed to a security system that is often criticized in federal and private reports. In 1996 the Port Authority, which oversees operations at JFK, commissioned a report that found JFK susceptible to "fanatics and suicide missions intending to blow up American aircraft," according to a New York Times report at the time. JFK also ranked among the top-three worst airports in a security review done by Federal Aviation Administration investigators in 1999. Further underscoring the airport's security holes, a lone gunman in July 2000 ran past airport security and boarded a Las Vegas-bound airliner, holding the pilot and co-pilot hostage for several hours. On Sept. 10 -- only a day before four domestic airliners were hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon --an Egyptian national who worked for an airline at JFK managed to sneak his wife and two children past security and immigration checkpoints after they arrived on a flight from Egypt. And on Sept. 13, amid fears of more terrorist actions, at least three people were taken into custody at JFK. One was already aboard a plane, and two others, including one with a false pilot's license, were picked up in a pilots' lounge, according to CNN. U.S. officials said that in making the arrests, they might have prevented another attempted hijacking. More recently, the American Airlines concourse at JFK was closed for several hours Nov. 1 after the FAA determined a security checkpoint was not following proper procedures. According to reports, an employee of Worldwide Flight Service, the security company contracted by American Airlines, was relying solely on pat-downs rather than using a metal-detection wand while checking passengers. JFK has also been the point of origin for several flights that ended in controversial crashes. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island, following an explosion in the fuel tank that was reportedly caused by an electrical problem. Several conflicting theories, however, include the possibility of a bomb in the cargo compartment or an attack on the plane from a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile. Other crashes that have stirred controversy include Swissair Flight 111, which crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia on Sept. 2, 1998, after a fire broke out on board, and EgyptAir Flight 990, which crashed into the ocean Oct. 31, 1999 in an alleged suicide bid by the co-pilot, who reportedly invoked Allah several times in the final minutes of the flight. Given the airport's track record and the government's intense efforts to ensure domestic safety and stimulate confidence in air travel, JFK is likely due for an intense security review by both the Port Authority and the federal government. Other regional airports, including La Guardia and Newark, will likely be called upon to pick up additional flights from JFK's load. This could clog the already busy airports in the northeastern United States. La Guardia, for example, already ranks first in the nation for the most delayed flights; more than 15 percent of flights in and out of La Guardia were delayed last year, according to FAA statistics. Such bottlenecks at La Guardia and other regional airports would only increase if flights were diverted from JFK. | ||
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