Dec. 24--Four years ago the serenity of Christmas Day was interrupted by news of a failed attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit.
The term "Underwear Bomber" entered our national vocabulary on that 2009 holiday after a Nigerian man, 23, attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear on Flight 253.
In February 2012, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was sentenced to life in prison. But questions about the security of this country's commercial aviation system lingered.
Abdulmutallab was linked to al-Qaida, and it was learned that his father had expressed concerns over his son's radicalization to U.S. officials in Nigeria. These warnings were never passed up the U.S. intelligence chain of command.
Four years later, are we doing any better? The public face of aviation security in this country remains the Transportation Security Administration, whose thousands of employees screen about 1.8 million air travelers daily before allowing them to board their flights.
Since its creation following the 9/11 attacks 12 years ago, the TSA's mission has been to do everything in its power to prevent another terrorist attack. On that basis, the TSA must be judged a success. There have been no further terrorist incidents.
But TSA's methods are changing, and in a very specific way that could make clearing security before flying almost pleasant again.
In a recent editorial board visit, TSA chief John Pistole noted that the "one size fits all" approach for screening is "unsustainable." TSA is looking for more ways to "pre-screen" ever more passengers considered low risk. Already, about 25 percent of the traveling public is being expedited through the screening process. The eventual goal is to boost that number to 75 percent. Profiling is prohibited, but asking individuals to voluntarily share information so that they can qualify for pre-screening isn't. Early next year, TSA will expand its PreCheck service for passengers considered low security risks. For an $85 fee, good for five years, passengers who agree to be fingerprinted and submit to criminal background checks can keep their shoes on and stow their liquids and laptops away. It's almost civilized. We encourage Houstonians who can to sign up.
Copyright 2013 - Houston Chronicle
