Remarks of Thomas J. Kinton, Jr.

Aviation Subcommittee

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

February 26, 2002

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee on Aviation.

For the record my name is Thomas J. Kinton, Jr., Aviation Director of Boston's Logan International Airport, and acting Executive Director and CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority, owner and operator of Logan Airport.

As one of the first airports in the country to endorse and actively campaign for the federalization of airport security following the September 11 terrorist attacks, I want to commend the members of this committee for your work in crafting and passing the Transportation and Aviation Security Act last November.

Passage of this important new law signaled a major step forward in this country's commitment to the safety and security of the flying public.

The new act elevated airport security to a national priority, created uniform national standards of performance and accountability and gave airport operators and the public alike the confidence knowing that highly trained, professional personnel will be operating airport security checkpoints.

Delivering on the promise of this important new law will be a major undertaking.  The steps we are taking to neutralize, at last, the threat of terrorists planting bombs inside checked luggage, are decades overdue.  At the same time, the challenge we face to individually inspect more than a billion bags that fly each year is daunting.  Yet, it is a test that must be met.

So is the challenge, in less than a year, to train and deploy an airport security force larger than the FBI, DEA, and Border Patrol combined.   Yet, until this historically weak link in our airport security system is reinforced, by replacing existing screeners with designated federal agents, we will continue to suffer breakdowns in security that force passengers to be deplaned from loaded aircraft and entire concourses to be evacuated for re-screening.

These exasperating incidents test public confidence in our airport security system, tax the patience of a flying public that has shown commendable patience over the past five months, and cost the air travel industry and our economy millions of dollars in delays and missed flights.

Because of what happened at Logan Airport just five months ago we feel a special urgency to be on the cutting edge of whatever new techniques or technologies are being developed to make aviation more secure than it has ever been before.

Whether we like it or not, Logan Airport is in the national spotlight of our nationwide effort to rebuild public confidence in our airports and in air travel.  We're the airport where two planes were hijacked, so consciously or not, Logan Airport is the yardstick by which the country measures its progress on making airport security airtight.

Logan has responded to this special responsibility by taking a leadership role on airport security issues, and making a commitment to go above and beyond the various security directives issued since September 11.

That is why Logan Airport was particularly proud to be selected by the Transportation Security Administration as one of 15 airports across the nation enlisted to help in the federal effort to establish security procedures and protocols for all 439 commercial airports in this country.

At Logan, we're improving security with technology.  Logan is piloting a first-in-the-nation facial recognition program that creates a direct link between Logan's security checkpoints and federal counter-terrorism databases. 

We're also the first airport in the country to put a database in the hands of airport security personnel walking the beat.   In less than a minute, Logan security officers using a BlackBerry wireless device can access the National Crime Information Center for wants, warrants and FBI watch lists without ever letting a potential suspect get out of their sight. 

And to intercept potential terrorists who might try to fly on a fake passport or other bogus identification, Logan is also testing "BorderGuard" document authentication technology.

Logan is also making needed structural changes.  We are nearly complete with the first phase of a three phase project to install about 200 security cameras throughout every airport concourse and airfield access point, which will be monitored simultaneously from a central security office.

Technology is an important tool.  But even more important are the people who use that tool.  

For Logan's frontline staff, we've taken steps to instill a culture of security awareness by giving counter-terrorism training to hundreds of people who deal face-to-face with Logan's customers every day.

We're holding people accountable by increasing fines for violations of Logan's security regulations.   And when a company responsible for some of Logan's security checkpoints showed they weren't up to today's more rigorous security standards, we had them fired and found someone who was.

We are happy to share our experience with other airports and are eager to be a testing ground for pilot projects so that other people can share their good ideas with us.

Even before September 11, the Massachusetts Port Authority was engaged in an authority-wide audit of our security procedures and facilities.  The attacks did not so much alter this agenda as accelerate it.

To help us better understand and prepare for the new world we woke up to on the morning of September 11, we turned to nationally and internationally respected experts on counter-terrorism. 

Rafi Ron has been working with Massport to improve security at Logan since October.  He is the former head of security for El Al Airlines and Ben Gurion Airport.  His impressive credentials as a security specialist in one of the most dangerous regions of the world is particularly valuable to us at Logan as we prepare to counteract the new threats of today's more dangerous world. 

Airports in America can learn from the experience of airports in those parts of the world that have been on the frontline in the war on terrorism much longer than we have.  By bringing Rafi Ron to Logan Airport we have been able to learn about the strict security that is standard operating procedure in Europe and Israel, while learning how these security measures can be adopted and incorporated into the operations of large, complex American airports, like Logan International Airport, with their unique demands and constraints.

It is now my pleasure to introduce to the committee, Rafi Ron.

Thank you.