Who Did Airport Security Before TSA and How Airport Security Changed Since 9/11, Capstone Project Example

Abstract

This research takes a qualitative look at how airport security and safety have changed since the creation of TSA. The author will also do a detailed analysis of security procedures prior to and post 9/11. The United States airline industry has undergone several changes within recent years. There have been many problems that have impacted airline travel and safety include the threat of another terrorist attack. There is a great deal of public opinion regarding problems with TSA security procedures and checks that have directly affected the safeness of airlines. In addition, the new technologies and aggressive tactics have done little to curb individuals from getting back security checkpoints with dangerous materials on them. Studies have shown the level of impact of TSA in airlines today. This paper will examine if airports are safer since the creation of 9/11 compared to security procedures prior to TSA.

Keywords: airlines, airline industry, TSA, security, safety, 9/11, United States, procedures, terrorists, airports,

Proposal

Objective: Before 9/11 airport security within the US was exceedingly lax, all passengers had to do was show their I.D and boarding pass, run the routine security check, and board the plane. After the tragic events of 9/11, the government enforced strict rules and regulations for airports were swiftly created by the federal branch of Homeland Security known as US Transportation Security Administration (TSA). After more than a decade later, with more security threats from other countries and terroristic threats being levied against the United States, many question is airports safer today. The purpose of this project is to address these concerns. One of the problems facing the airline industry is the threat of terrorist activities such as hostage takeover, passengers carrying explosives, and weapons that could repeat the events from 9/11. As a result, TSA has implemented many protocols and security clearances in order to eliminate these problems. Passengers now have to show up, and hour and half before their flight in order to go through the security checks. They recently began using an invasive security procedure check that is meant to aggressively search passengers in order to check for unwanted materials, and possible weapons. However, there have been cases where individuals were able to bypass security checkpoints and bring, box cutters, explosives, and mock explosives on board that have tested the public’s perspective of how safe airports are after the creation of TSA. The object of this research is to investigate the overall safeness of airports after 9/11 and after the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and what security was in place before TSA.

Scope: The scope of this project will be based on airport security operations within the United States while measuring the impact of the Transportation Security Administration in U.S. airports today. Precisely the project will investigate the impact of the creation of TSA after 9/11, and the safety comparison of airport security prior to the 9/11 attacks. The author will research and compare the levels of security, number of threats to airports, and safeness of airports since TSA.

Methodology: As part of the methodology for this research, the author will take a quantitative data and a qualitative examination that will analyzed, research, and interpreted to support the project. Data and analysis provide from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) database, National Research Council, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Homeland Security, and data provided from other government databases. Information will also be provided from opinions and research conducted by experts in the field of airport security, scholarly journals, and news articles devoted to the topic at hand. This information collected from these various sources will be analyzed in supporting the purpose of this project and methodologies.

Statement of the Project

The United States depends on the civil aviation industry to move massive numbers of people and goods around the country. The airport industry within the United States was greatly affected after the events of 9/11. The level of easiness in which a group of terrorists concurrently seized plans that scare many people from traveling, and forced the industry into lockdown until officials could figure out new security protocols. The events and the after effect forced the government acted in a swift manner. Billions of government dollars were given to airports to improve security and Congress created the Airport Security Federalization Act which created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The government has made great strides in trying to improve airport security with improvements to security technologies that allowed for more air marshals, a voice stress technology system, computer profiling system, extra explosive detection equipment, and several other systems that replaced previous protocols prior to September 11^th. However, even with all the new procedures and technology put in place, many criminals and individuals have managed to thwart the system and get past security checks. This project will examine and analyze the effectiveness of the creation of TSA on airport security since 9/11, security protocols prior to, and the level of safeness in airports. This program outcome will be met by careful research and analysis providing evident to support the findings.

Program Outcome #1: Students will be able to apply the fundamentals of air transportation as part of a global, multimodal transportation system, including the technological, social, environmental, and political aspects of the system to examine, compare, analyze and recommend conclusion.

The global aspect of this Program Outcome will be answered by analyzing and comparing the effectiveness of airport safety today and prior to 9/11 with the creation of Transportation Security Administration compared to security in international airports.

The multimodal aspect of this program outcome will be answered by comparing and contrasting the easiness of passengers going through the airport security while examining its multi-modal transportation that motivates those who choose to travel by flying rather by other modes.

The technological aspect will be addressed by identifying and examining the security procedures and systems that make airports more secure. In addition, the technological aspect will be addressed by examining the technical challenges of scanning luggage, checking passengers, and checking for weapons or explosives to prevent attacks in time. Furthermore, the technological aspect will be demonstrated by examining new technologies used in airport security compared to prior TSA technologies in airports that were made to secure passengers and airports.

The social and environmental aspect will be addressed in combination with the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, and scholarly articles that share on the topic with regards to airport safety after 9/11 and the effectiveness of the Transportation Security Administration. The project will also analyze the environmental issues that face airports and security procedures concerning airport operations that could engender the health of passengers and resource conservation. The environmental impact of pollution and the construction of new airport facilities utilizing a green initiative.

The political aspect will be established by reviewing congressional legislation on airport security that enacted the Aviation Transportation and Security Act that created the TSA, the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) created prior to TSA, and programs initiated to deal with protocols and procedures to prevent acts of terrorism or other security threats.

Program Outcome #2: The student will be able to identify and apply appropriate statistical analysis, to include techniques in data collection, review, critique, interpretation and inference in the aviation and aerospace industry.

In gathering the needed statistical analysis data, the researcher will collect data and review and interpret data from multiple Airlines websites, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) database, The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), scholarly articles, and any available electronic means including online databases, libraries, and web searches. In order to provide a statistical analysis, a t-test analysis with information used from gathered sources, will be used to examine the level of security prior to and after the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The author will use a t-test to determine the number security threats or attacks prior to 9/11 compared to the number that have developed since TSA’s implementation.

Program Outcome #3: The student will be able across all subjects to use the fundamentals of human factors in all aspects of aviation and aerospace industry, including unsafe acts, attitudes, errors, human behavior, and human limitations as they relate to the aviators adaption to the aviation environment to reach conclusions.

The human factors aspect will be addressed by examining airport security affects passenger safety.

The human behavior aspect will be addressed by examining attitudes towards security personnel following the security procedures and protocols put in place to effectively search passengers.

Furthermore, the human behavior aspect will be addressed by examining pilots’ and passengers’ actions following the creation of TSA in airports.

The unsafe acts and human limitations aspect will be addressed by examining pilots’ and airport employees’ actions during security checks and following protocols.

The unsafe acts aspect will also address the safety issues of TSA procedures and prior safety issues before 9/11.

The human behavior and attitude aspect will addressed by examining the communication systems used between pilots, Air Traffic Control (ATC), airport managers or airport staff , and the FAA inspectors in the reporting security issues and potential threats. The human behavior and attitude aspect will also be addressed by examining the success of individuals getting weapons and make shifted bombs onto airplanes.

Program Outcome #4: The Student will be able to develop and /or apply current aviation and industry related research methods, including problem identification, hypothesis formulation, and interpretation of findings to present as solutions in the investigation of an aviation/aerospace related topic.

For researching this project a quantitative and qualitative data methodology will be used, as the concluding results will help to prove or disproved the hypothesis. The author will gather, analyze, and interpret data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation, RITA, and other government sites to complete this research project. The method will establish a clear understanding of the Program Outcome by procedure of using the available databases, research resources, and consequent data analysis. The statistical analysis and the established methodology will be used in determining the impact of TSA on airport safety. A t-test conducted using the software, Microsoft Excel will be used to show if there is a significant variances of security prior to 9/11 and after the creation of TSA. The results will prove or disapprove the hypotheses.

• Hypothesis: Is Airports safer now after TSA created than it was prior to 9/11?

Research Questions:

• What is the overall impact of TSA to airport safety?
• Who as in charge of airport security before TSA?
• How do changes in security procedures affect passengers?
• Does the changes in the newly implanted security checks affect the safety of airports?
• What are some measures that TSA and airports employ to make airports safer?

In gathering the data needed the use of the TSA, FAA, DHS databases, and other government sites will be used to provide statistical analysis to complete the research project. This method of research will validate a basic understanding of the Program Outcome with the use of available databases, research, and consequent data analysis.

The data retrieved from the Transportation Security Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Aviation Administration databases will be used to provide descriptive statistics, including the percentage passengers since 9/11 and threats prevented or attacks. Furthermore, the author will investigate the variances in the level of security in airports in the United States. The use of statistical data and the methodology established will be used in defining the impact TSA new security procedures over the last 10 years in the United States. The author will perform a t-test, using the software, Microsoft Excel, to conclude if there is a significant variances in security prior to 9/11 and after the creation of TSA.

• Hypothesis: Is Airports not safer after post 9/11?

Research Questions:

• What is the overall level of safety of airports post 9/11?
• What are the environmental and political ramifications of the new security procedures implemented in airports today?
• How are airport employees, staff, and pilots impacting airport safety post 9/11?
• How many attacks have been prevented since 9/11?

Program Outcome #8: The student will investigate, compare, contrast, analyze and form conclusions to current aviation, aerospace, and industry related topics in operations, including simulation systems, operations research, rotorcraft operations, communication and control systems, air carrier operations, and corporate operations, airport safety and certification.

The author will examine air carrier operations, and corporate operations, airport safety, and certification, operations research, rotorcraft operations by investigating the security procedures implemented by TSA and new regulations for airports.

Program Outcome 9

The students will investigate, compare, contrast, analyze, and form conclusions to current aviation, aerospace, and industry related topics in safety systems, including system safety, industrial safety, accident investigation and analysis, transportation security, airport safety and certification, safety program management, and aviation psychology.

Program Outcome 9 will be answered by analyzing the safety systems and security procedures put in place. This program will require reliability in the form of safety program management. The author will specifically investigate the specific protocols and new technology put in place for security of airports. The authors will analyze the new security screening systems that are newly implanting in major airports across the United States, the costs, and the effectiveness.

To discuss the industrial safety aspects of this paper, the authors will analyze the perspectives of TSA security procedures from airport employees and security. In addition to address the industrial safety aspects of the paper, the author will analyze the importance, and the reasons for the replacement of new airplanes, cockpits, and other systems. The author will then discuss the industrial safety aspects in Program Outcome 9 by analyzing probable positive and negative outcomes of safety within airports. The author will also discuss the current aviation programs and how they relate to safety and security.

The author will examine airport’s environment and examine the process and costs of implementing the new security measures in airports, aircrafts, and other systems. The author will compare the current airport safety standards by examining TSA’s Secure Flight Program, and TSA’s Security Guidelines for General Aviation Airports, FAA’s Airport Safety, Department of Homeland Security procedures, and other resourceful information. The author will show how these programs are being implemented, their ties to making airports safer and preventing attacks.

Information and concluding suppositions on the Safety Management System (SMS) will also be provided. The author will explain how the procedures of federal and legislative decision-making and controlling of risks help to keep airports secure. The author will also examine the security procedures and programs that the TSA is currently using in airports to improve safety and change perception of aviation safety and security in air travel.

References

Aviation Security. (n.d) Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.gov/aviation-security

Airport Safety and Operations. (n.d). Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/arp/offices/aas/aas300/

Benac, Nancy. (2011). National Security: Ten Years After September 11 Attacks, U.S. Is Safe But Not Safe Enough. Huff Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/03/promises-promises-us-safe_n_947688.html

Blalock, Garrick, Vrinda Kadiyali, Daniel H. Simo. (2007). The Impact of Post-9/11 Airport Security Measures on the Demand for Air Travel. Retrieved from http://dyson.cornell.edu/faculty_sites/gb78/wp/JLE_6301.pdf.

Choi, Charles Q (2011). Have Post-9/11 Airport Screening Technologies Made Us Safer? Http://www.scientificamerican.com. Scientific American. Retrieved form http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=have-new-airport-screening-technologies-inspired-by-9-11-made-us-safer

Data and Research. (n.d). FAA. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/data_research/

Jackson, Brian, Tom LaTourrette, Edward W. Chan, Russell Lundberg, Andrew R. Morral, David R. Frelinger.(2012). Efficient Aviation Security. Rand Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1220.html

Logan, Gabi. (n.d). The Effects of 9/11 on the Airline Industry. USA Today. Retrieved from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/effects-911-airline-industry-63890.html

Mann, Charles C. (2011). Smoke Screening. Vanity Fair. Retrieved from http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/tsa-insanity-201112

Raffel, Robert R. (2007). Intelligence and Airport Security. Intelligence in Homeland Security. CIA. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol50no3/airport_security_5.htm

Research and Innovative Technology Administration. (n.d). RITA. Retrieved from http://www.rita.dot.gov/

Safety Management Systems for Airports, Volume 1: Overview. (2012). Transportation Research Board. Retrieved from http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/159030.aspx

Seaney, Rick. (2011). After 9/11: Are We Safer in the Air? ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/911-safer-air/story?id=14372486#. UWb8_srpuM8

Secure Flight Program. (n.d). TSA. Retrieved from http://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/secure-flight-program

Transportation Security Administration. (n.d). TSA. Retrieved from http://www.tsa.gov/

U.S Department of Homeland Security. (n.d).DHS. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.gov/

U.S Bureau of Transportation and Statistics. (n.d) Retrieved from http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/data_and_statistics/index.html