FAA Reauthorization Bill Inches Along

The Senate has okayed adding cargo crews to the ranks of those armed in the sky, just days after authorities warned that cargo flights could be the next target for al Qaeda. 

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) first came up with the idea back in March, along with her colleague from the other side of the aisle, Jim Bunning (R-KY). Like their counterparts on passenger flights, the armed cargo crewmembers would be a last-ditch defense against hijacking and the use of their aircraft as human-guided weapons.

The House already included the provision when it passed the $60 billion FAA reauthorization bill.  But cargo carriers have said the idea doesn't really address the real threat. They're a lot more worried about what sort of bad news could be hiding in their holds than they are about being hijacked for suicide missions. After all, remember the story about the DeSoto (TX) man who shipped himself home from New York City via cargo express? His box was transferred through at least three airports before it arrived at his parents' home. He was discovered only after he broke out of the box -- before the delivery guy left.

But the Bush administration says the threat of cargo hijackings is more real than might be imagined.  Last Friday, DHS said recent intelligence suggested cargo aircraft could be hijacked -- perhaps at airports overseas -- and flown into targets in the United States.

FMI: www.dhs.gov