Speeches - Airline Security Press Conference

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Remarks of
Congressman Bob Etheridge
Airline Security Press Conference
October 23, 2001

"Thank you all for joining me here this morning to discuss the vital issue of airport security. I especially want to thank officials with the Department of Transportation and the RDU Airport Authority for affording us the opportunity to hold this event at this facility.

"September 11 will be remembered forever as a day when evil visited our great nation as never before. Hijacked airliners were transformed into missiles, slamming into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, and causing enormous and previously unthinkable loss of life.

"The impact of the attacks on our economy that was already slowing down is just now beginning to come to light. Nationally, initial reports indicate the airlines alone have lost more than $3 billion in revenues. We know that the September traffic here at RDU took a hit of about 50 percent. The ripple effect of losses of such magnitude will be widespread. We know that RDU's parking lots saw a decline of 26.1 percent last month. And taxicab drivers saw a decrease in passengers of 40.2 percent. Those are just a few examples of the economic hit we've taken. Beyond those specific numbers, we know that vendors, retailers and other travel related businesses have felt the impact as well as those in the larger economy. My friend Al Baldy of the Association of Travel Agents of the Carolinas will discuss the situation from her industry's point of view in a few minutes.

"Some early figures for October look more promising and we know that some losses can be attributed to the normal ebb and flow of market economics. Yet the single most effective action we can take is to bolster airport security. That will restore consumer confidence that our airplanes are safe and will jump-start our struggling economy. I am flying back to Washington today, and I am going to work with my colleagues to pass legislation in the U.S. House to provide that needed security boost.

"One month after the attacks, the U.S. Senate approved the Aviation Security Act by a unanimous vote of 100-0. This bill calls for a federal force of 28,000 passenger and baggage screeners and armed security guards at key checkpoints throughout airports. The Senate plan includes many measures President Bush has proposed, including more plainclothes sky marshals on commercial flights and strengthened cockpit doors. The Aviation Security Act represents precisely the type of action that Congress should take in the wake of the September 11 disaster. But the House has failed to take action on this bill. That failure must not stand.

"While security at our nation's airports has improved since the September 11th attacks, there is no doubt that we have a long way to go. Despite a major push to make air travel safer, airline passengers are subject to inconsistent levels of scrutiny from airline to airline, even within the same airport. I believe that our first objective in any airline security legislation should be to make passenger-screening standards 100 % consistent and 100 % effective.

"As it stands now, airport security in the United States is largely run by the airlines themselves. The airlines, in turn, hire private guard companies to do much of their security work. Too often, that work is done by low-wage workers with no uniform standards or accountability, and I strongly believe that this must change. My Democratic Colleagues in the House have introduced an airport security bill which would fully federalize baggage screening within one year.

"Congress absolutely must pass this legislation without further delay. Six weeks have passed since the September 11th tragedy, and many people are still afraid to fly. Folks, improving security at our airports will have positive benefits on all aspects of our economy. When people see the level of security at their local airport increase, they will no longer be afraid to return to the sky, and our country will get back to business.

"We must take effective action to bolster airport security. We must act to restore the faith of the flying public that our airplanes are safe. And we must act now to give our economy this much-needed shot in the arm before the onset of the crucial holiday travel season. We must act to show the evildoers that their efforts to terrorize us will not succeed.

"Thank you again for joining me this morning. I now want to turn the floor over to Al Baldy with the Association of Travel Agents of the Carolinas for her perspective on the economic hit we've taken and the importance of beefing up airport security. And then I would be happy to answer any questions you may have."