TSA

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Bomb Dogs Will Ride Amtrak
Bomb Dogs Will Ride Amtrak
Feb 19, 2008 5:33 AM CST

Bomb Dogs Will Ride Amtrak

Security stepped up on nation's rail system

(Newser) - Amtrak is stepping up security, with random screening of carry-on bags and security teams packing machine guns and leading bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains, reports AP. The new system, beginning this week, echoes stricter security procedures at the nation's airports. Amtrak insists there should be no additional departure delays...

Travel Costs Rise, But for What?
Travel Costs Rise, But for What?
OPINION
Feb 13, 2008 12:30 PM CST

Travel Costs Rise, But for What?

2008 is the 'year of the fee,' but one writer demands more in return

(Newser) - We can't duck travel fees imposed by air carriers, hotels, and Uncle Sam, so let's demand more in return, Christopher Elliott writes on MSNBC. Airlines are adding $25 baggage fees and "probably illegal" fuel surcharges, and the TSA will add a “temporary” bump in security fees—so can't...

Improved Security Lost in 'Maze'
Improved Security Lost in 'Maze'
Feb 8, 2008 5:22 PM CST

Improved Security Lost in 'Maze'

Post-9/11 promises haven't translated into better airport security systems

(Newser) - Whiz-bang technology that would keep terrorists from destroying airplanes, promised after the 9/11 attacks, hasn't materialized, the Washington Post reports. The various players blame each other for bureaucratic, legal, and market failures. One security-industry exec calls the Transportation Security Administration "a maze"; TSA officials blame firms for not delivering...

Congressional Report Blames TSA for Botched Website

Site lacked basic security features

(Newser) - The TSA awarded a website design and maintenance contract to a firm with whom an administration official had close personal and professional ties, ComputerWorld reports. The site, meant to handle individual requests to have names removed from the TSA’s no-fly list, lacked even rudimentary encryption mechanisms and was not...

Want to Make Your Flight? Chill Out
Want to Make Your Flight? Chill Out
Dec 18, 2007 1:05 PM CST

Want to Make Your Flight? Chill Out

40 airports single out nervous, twitchy travelers for searches

(Newser) - Nervous fliers, beware: Some 600 security guards at 40 US airports are scanning crowds for passengers who exhibit unusual stress or fear. The federal program aims to create “a new layer of unpredictability” at checkpoints, says the TSA administrator, but has civil rights advocates crying foul and security experts...

Use Your Cell Phone as a Boarding Pass

Houston pilot program said to add security, save paper

(Newser) - Passengers flying Continental out of Houston today will be able to use their cellphone or PDA in lieu of a boarding pass as part of a three-month pilot program, USA Today reports. After checking in, an encrypted barcode is sent to passengers’ mobile handsets, which is scanned by a TSA...

Airport Screeners Miss Bombs
Airport Screeners Miss Bombs
Nov 14, 2007 8:29 PM CST

Airport Screeners Miss Bombs

Investigators smuggle in explosives in undercover test

(Newser) - Airport screeners fared poorly in an undercover test in which government investigators smuggled liquid explosives and detonators past checkpoints, the AP reports. As a troubling bonus, the investigators learned how to make the explosives on the internet and bought the parts for less than $150, showing that would-be terrorists could...

Tests Confirm: Airport Security Isn't Working

Screeners missed up to ¾ of dummy bombs in TSA simulation

(Newser) - You might have hoped interminable lines and indignities of shoe removal might have contributed to safer airplanes, but a study by the Transportation Security Administration shows screeners missing fake bombs at an alarming rate. USA Today obtained a copy of the classified report, whose rate of failure stunned officials: at...

Remote-Control Toys Face Airport Crackdown

Fun's over; gadgets could be detonators

(Newser) - Remote-control toys in carry-on luggage will come under intensive new scrutiny at the nation's airports, officials from the Transportation Security Administration warned yesterday. The crackdown reflects terror intelligence from a number of sources, including a video from a since-arrested Egyptian college student in Florida describing how to convert the toys...

Ice Packs Helped Prompt TSA Bulletin

66-year-old mom with bad back fields question about Osama

(Newser) - This week's TSA bulletin warning of a possible attempt to penetrate security checkpoints with "peculiar items" was caused in part by an incident involving a 66-year-old woman and the ice packs she uses on her bad back. The clay-filled, tape-wrapped packages ignited hazmat suspicions, though their owner says she's...

US Airports Warned of Terror Attack Rehearsals

Suspicious materials seized in 4 cities linked to 'dry runs'

(Newser) - Airport security teams have been warned to be on the lookout for terrorists attempting to carry explosive components onto planes as part of a dry run for future attacks, the AP reports. The TSA issued the alert last week after four passengers were caught with clay, wire, pipes, switches and...

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