The Star-Ledger reports that Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey called on Congress on Wednesday to approve the hiring of additional security screeners at Newark Liberty Airport specifically. In 2003, Congress imposed a limit on the number of airport screeners, limiting it to 45,000 nationwide. Before that they had about 55,000. This year, they reduced it again to 43,000, citing budgetary issues. The Senate adopted an amendment to its Homeland Security spending bill for 2007 removing the limit on airport screeners. But apparently, Republicans in the House want to eliminate that plan from the budget, despite the fact that some screeners have had to work 50-60 hours a week after the security scare in the UK.
Meanwhile, Verified Identity Pass and British Airways have announced that they will be launching a Registered Traveller Program at Terminal 7 at JFK this fall. As we reported the other day, Registered Traveller Programs allow travellers to submit data about themselves as well as a registration fee and get expedited through security.
Elsewhere, a pilot program at San Francisco Airport will be using RFID tags to track luggage. Asiana Airlines and Korean Air will be testing a system to sort and track bags using Radio Frequency ID tags embedded in the tags airlines attach to checked luggage. Currently, baggage handling is done by barcode. Barcodes are read to sort bags by airline and flight. With a bar code scanner requiring a clear view of the barcode in order to scan it, less than 85% of bags are read correctly. With a RFID system, no view of the tag is required, and thus the accuracy rate can soar above 90%. The two carriers will test the system on flights between San Francisco and Incheon, with both airports sharing data to review accuracy. With a standard in place for these RFID tags, and field tests to improve the system, the program could be expanded.