The Way I See It - Flying Blind

Wed, Jan 06, 2010, 4:59 am  //  Ham Hayes

I fly several times a year, much of it international.  I know my fate, when flying, is totally out of my control and I accept that.  In fact I was flying this last Christmas Day from Seattle to Austin, Texas.  After landing, I found out about the attempted bombing of Flight 253, and was thankful my wife and I were safe.  I was also thankful for the courageous passengers and crew of 253, as well as the many people in the airline industry and government who watch out for our safety and security.  There is no doubt in my mind that since 9/11, without the efforts of those folks, we would have had many more incidents.  However, given the Christmas event, it is important for the general public, as well as those who provide our security, to understand whether we are doing what is actually needed.  We also need to understand whether we are out-thinking those who wish to harm us. 

There are about 900 international flights entering the U.S. and more than 28,000 total flights in the U.S. every day.  That puts the number of passengers who have to be screened on the order of several million per day.  Providing security for that number of people and flights is a huge task.  Those of us who fly feel that impact in the form of long lines and sometimes seemingly new and bizarre procedures.  For example, no one had to remove their shoes prior to Richard Reid’s unsuccessful bombing attempt.  The fact is, as the threat changes our defenses have to adjust as well.  Those trying to take down an airliner are on the offensive and look for weak spots in our defense.  They will devise new methods to accomplish their aims, but our security systems seem designed to counter threats that have already been attempted.  Our security systems also employ a layered approach and use a variety of techniques to uncover a plot.  Intelligence gathering and no-fly lists are examples of additional layers to the passenger and baggage inspection procedures in place at airports.  Clearly in the Christmas event, both inspection and intelligence broke down. 

There was a breakdown of the post-event protocols as well.  CNN reports other airliners that were still in the air were not notified of the event, which was a violation of federal requirements (and common sense).  The 9/11 attack involved multiple airliners; the notification is intended to give aircrews information they need in case we are under another coordinated multiple-plane attack.  The first officer quoted by CNN, Steve Danyluk, said he was “justifiably furious” at the lack of notification and noted that “gaping holes in our response have been exposed...”  Danyluk also pointed out that billions of dollars were spent subsequent to 9/11 to provide notification, and he questions why the system wasn’t used.  Unlike his experience as a military pilot, he postulated the government failed to run tests and simulations of non-military disaster response systems which would uncover flaws and disconnects.  His point is excellent. 

My concern is that common sense and meaningful leadership is missing in our government and security institutions.  I don’t want to hear that protocols were followed and the system worked.  Clearly those are now known myths exposed by what happened in the real world.  The system is clearly broken, unfortunately in a number of ways.  Our leaders need to stop playing blame-ball, listen to the professionals and fix it.  My family, friends, neighbors and all the trusting souls I fly with deserve honesty, integrity and action by our government.  No other course of action is acceptable.