The Coalition of Airline Pilots Association (CAPA) ?F? rating for airline security is a slap in the face to the efficacy of some of the most fundamental changes made in airline security. Efforts to improve airline security occurred after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks exposed grave vulnerabilities in airline security, and air travel changed forever for Americans. Those terrorist attacks, coupled with subsequent efforts such as the December 2001 attempted suicide bombings by the infamous ?shoe bomber? Richard Reid and his cohort Saajid Mohammed Badat , indicated the continued attractiveness of the aviation industry as a terrorist target. Yet, do long lines, inconsistent demands for clothing removal, and screeners employed by TSA rather than disparate security contractors mean that security has improved, or are these primarily superficial, cosmetic changes? Indeed, maybe this is not a fair question and may be a flippant viewpoint, as aviation and airline security have many more facets and changes. CAPA is a trade association comprised of different airline and pilots? associations and unions that examines various regulatory, safety, security, and legislative issues that affect flight crews. While CAPA is an association and not an official independent auditor, its findings should be considered because they do raise red flags. After all, pilots and air crew are the ones who have to deal with the consequences of security breaches.

The five major areas they gave an “F” grade for security include: screening of employees, screening of cargo, high-tech credentialing of crew members, self-defense training for crew, and the plan for countering shoulder fired missiles (MANPADS). They gave a ?C” grade for passenger screening and a ?B” grade for bag screening, noting that both had improved, but more needs to be done. Reinforcing cockpit doors also received a ?B? rating. So, there is some good news, but most of the categories were rated poorly. CAPA believes that it is not only passengers that may present a threat to security but also airport and airline employees, vendors, and contractors who are not screened. They point out that some of them are allowed into restricted through badge access. There is a security check before these badges are issued, but how deep and how thorough is unknown and likely dependent on each individual airport’s requirements. Even if someone has no record, that does not mean s/he could not be a threat, as CAPA points out that badged employees are not required to go through any scanners or have their bags inspected. This is a potential loophole if these employees have nefarious intentions, but reconciling normal work routines with security would require more equipment, personnel, and time, all of which would impact daily operations. It is a complex issue to fix but an important one to address if we are to plug any loopholes. There is pending legislation on this issue.