BA Chairman Calls Some Checks "Redundant"

The European Union, and at least one UK airline, are questioning security measures that have been put in place for flights bound for the United States. Some of the measures being challenged are the requirement for passengers to remove their shoes, and the separate x-ray examination of laptop computers.

The EU has issued a formal challenge to a U.S. mandate that European travelers be subjected to online security checks before they are able to board a flight to the U.S., according to the New York Times. Europeans are allowed to enter the U.S. without visas, which U.S. officials say is the reason for the online checks. But EU officials say the process is overly burdensome, and have expressed concerns about where and for how long the data is stored.

British Airways chairman Martin Broughton, however, went further in his criticism of U.S. security policies in a speech at the recent U.K. Airport Operators Association conference. Broughton said that the process of having passengers remove their shoes so that they can be x-rayed, along with the practice of separately scanning laptop computers, is "redundant." He said that Europe should not concede, his word was "kowtow" to every U.S. demand when it comes to security measures. The British pilots' union, the operators of Heathrow Airport, and security consultants in both countries have agreed with Broughton.

One London analyst, Chris Yates, told the New York Times that, while safety should still be the number one concern, that there are a "whole bunch" of rules that could be phased out. He specifically mentioned the shoes, which he called a "knee jerk" reaction to the actions of Richard Ried, who tried to take down an airplane using explosives hidden in one of his shoes. Yates said newer metal detectors would easily find bomb components hidden in such a way.

In a statement, The U.S. Government responded to the EU challenge by saying that it would continue its ongoing review of security measures "based on the latest intelligence."

FMI: http://europa.eu, www.ba.com, www.tsa.gov