Safe and Secure

Flight Attendants Question Ground Security was an article recently run in the USA Today. Author Blake Morrison wrote that flight attendants and pilots are subject to several security searches whereas ground crew employees are not. While the Transportation Department proposes that ground crews "must go through a thorough background and criminal records check as well as prescreening procedures," the Association of Flight Attendants claim that "thousands of airport mechanics, caterers, and ramp workers still have access to airplanes and runways without passing through metal detectors or undergoing regular searches."

I sent the article to a handful of GSE techs, aircraft mechanics, and a safety auditor for their reaction. All agreed that while the flight attendants made some valid points, the article proposed no solutions as to how those on the ramp feasibly could be "corralled" for searches during the course of their shifts.

A GSE technician for a major airline said that his company takes security seriously and is in the process of completing background checks and fingerprinting of employees. But, he says that he enters the ramp area several times a day and it would be "burdensome to have to be x-rayed every time we enter the ramp area." He adds that they will comply with any new procedures but hopes that common sense will be used in the development of new policies.

A longtime ramp worker answered, "Doing a metal detection on a mechanic? Egads! I would set off every bell and whistle. My toolbox is full of 'weapons' including hooked carpet knives used to . . . trim carpets."

The safety auditor, who is a former A&P, replied, "It's times like these that I am glad I am no longer employed by a major airline that has to turn the airplane in 20 minutes with all maintenance discrepancies cleared. If you think that was pressure, wait until you have to go through security again to get that 7/16ths wrench you forgot."

Herein lies the rub of security meets scheduling. Airplanes on the ground are not making money. Ground crews are even more pressured these days to get turnarounds done quickly. September 11 was a horrible event for everyone in this industry and no one knows that more than those who service the aircraft. While it may have been 18 or 19 people who physically brought the world this tragedy, the thousands of those who service the world's aircraft, everyday, are ever diligent in keeping the flying public safe and secure.     

Thanks for reading.

Michelle Garetson