TESTIMONY
BEFORE
THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
AND THE SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT OF
GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT, RESTRUCTURING AND THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
ON
“HAS AIRLINE SECURITY IMPROVED?”
November 14, 2001
BY
JACQUELINE MATHES
FLIGHT ATTENDANT
ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS, AFL-CIO
1275 K STREET, NW, 5TH FLOOR
WASHINGTON, DC 20005
Good Morning Chairmen and Members of the
Committee.
My name is Jacqueline Mathes and I have been a
flight attendant for United Airlines for almost
29 years. I am a proud member of the
Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO, and I
am here today representing AFA’s 50,000
members at 26 carriers. I am currently on
voluntary furlough through January 30, 2002.
I chose to take the three-month furlough in the
hopes that my sacrifice will help save a flying
partner’s job. Thank you for giving me
the opportunity to testify today at this
important hearing on aviation security.
Even though I have not worked a flight since
November 1st, I know firsthand, from
flying after September 11th and
talking with my flying partners, what air
security is like today. We have all heard the
horrific story of the security breach in my
hometown, Chicago, earlier this month: a
passenger nearly made it onboard with a number of
knives, mace and a stun gun. Luckily, a random
search was conducted on this passenger, but only
after he had successfully cleared the metal
detectors. And despite the fact that he was
detained in Chicago, his checked luggage - which
could have contained explosives - was not pulled
off the plane. That case caught national media
attention because of the audacity and severity of
the security breach. But after September 11th,
we all learned that those who want to slip
weapons through the current security system will
find a way unless we work -- quickly -- to change
that system.
Soon after September 11th, the FAA
immediately put new security requirements in
place. Simply put, these changes did not
improve airport and airline security -- they were
merely window dressing. Airlines were
required to conduct searches of the cabins for
weapons or bombs. Without trained security staff,
airlines instead gave the duty to perform these
searches to their flight attendants, who were not
trained in security checks. A carry-on
baggage limit to one bag plus one personal item
per passenger is confusing and has not been
enforced. Placing National Guard at the
airport has only ensured that there is a military
presence at the security screening areas in
airports; but the Guard does not help with the
actual screening process in any way. A call
for better-trained federal screeners has not been
acted on, and we know all the serious breaches
that have occurred so far. A requirement
that all cockpit and cabin crew meet before each
flight to discuss security plans has been met
with opposition from the airlines, who are far
more concerned about on-time departures. Flight
attendants are pressured every day by airline
management to speed-up or simply skip vital
security measures in order to maintain on-time
departures.
Despite these new security requirements, flight
attendants still believe there are far too many
loopholes -- large enough loopholes to allow for
another terrorists attack on the airlines. Flight
attendants are well aware of these serious gaps
in security. Every day we go to work to
ensure the safety of our passengers. That is what
we are trained to do. In the air, we are
the fire fighters, the law enforcement agents,
the first aid responders, and the comforters to
our passengers. On September 11th,
the 12 flight attendants onboard United Flights
93 and 175 became the last line of defense in
protecting the cockpit and passengers. All
12 lost their lives in the performance of their
duties that fateful day.
Since September 11th, our lives and
work have changed dramatically. We are now
faced with frightening prospects of what could
happen again, and we are, quite frankly, well
aware of how easily another terrorist attack
could occur. Are we more confident in the
safety of air travel since September 11th?
No. Do we believe that the new security
changes put in place by the FAA since September
11th have made a difference? No.
Are we sure when we board an airplane that it is
weapon-free? No. Do we believe that
air travel can be safe? Yes, eventually.
But much needs to be done.
Before I talk about what changes need to be made,
let me give you examples of how different life is
today for flight attendants. What is most
unnerving to me is that flight attendants now
start each trip by discussing what we can use on
the aircraft for weapons. We actually talk
about breaking wine bottles to use as weapons to
protect ourselves in case of a terrorist attack.
In eight weeks, not a single flight attendant has
received any type of new training on terrorists
attacks or how to protect themselves or the
passengers. Without any additional training
from the airlines and working in a failed
security system, flight attendants believe they
must prepare themselves for any emergencies.
We believe another terrorist attack can happen --
and we want to be as prepared as possible. It
is horrific that we have gotten to the point of
talking about disarming, injuring or killing
terrorists onboard aircraft. This is the
main way life has changed for me since September
11th.
Like all other travelers, flight attendants have
first-hand knowledge of changes in the check-in
process and screening process. Yet, I do
not believe any changes in place today have made
air travel more secure. In fact, on October
18th, security screening at O’Hare
found a small hotel sewing kit in my bag. The
kit contained thread, a few sewing needles and a
small pair of three-inch metal sewing scissors --
scissors that barely cut thread. I had
forgotten that I had the sewing kit in my bag.
It was a sewing kit that I had always carried
with me in case I had to mend my uniform while
working. It had been in my bag for months,
well before September 11th, and for
all my flights between September 11th
and October 18th. This was the
first time any screener had seen it and while I
did not fault the screener from taking it from my
bag, it was clear that more needs to be done to
screen bags. Why was this overlooked by
every screener on every flight until this one
screener spotted it? If she had not spotted
it, the kit would still be in my bag. How
can we be assured that all weapons are being
spotted and removed? This must be resolved
and fixed immediately.
Other stories that I have heard clearly show that
the screening process continues to fail. Crewmembers
continue to report that potential weapons are
passing through security. Flight attendants
report finding passengers with scissors, pen
knives, steak knives, Swiss Army knives,
screwdrivers, razor blades, box cutters and even
knitting needles. Despite the fact that
small nail clippers, and in my case a tiny sewing
scissor, are being taken from crewmembers,
passengers are managing to get on board with all
types of weapons.
In addition, most airline catering and service
personnel continue to service aircraft without
passing through screening. Flight
attendants are finding potential weapons on-board
at an alarming rate. It is crucial that all
airline employees who come into contact with a
plane pass through security screening. Box
cutters are still found too often on aircraft.
We must screen everyone with access to the
airplanes and other secure airport space.
In one alarming example, one AFA member has been
terminated and another is facing severe
discipline, after their flight was canceled
following the discovery of a box cutter in the
cockpit. The box cutter was found on the
first flight out in the morning. The
Captain stated that no box cutter was in the
cockpit after the final flight the day before.
When the flight attendants reported to the plane,
there were already one FBI agent, five Boston
Police and one representative from the carrier
onboard. The flight attendants were asked
to help conduct a thorough security inspection of
the entire aircraft to make sure no other weapons
were hidden onboard even though they had no
proper inspection training. The FBI then
requested that a search be conducted using dogs.
Despite these searches, and given that the FBI
still seemed concerned, the crew was
uncomfortable about taking that particular
aircraft with the scheduled passengers and
suggested they move to another plane. The
carrier refused to switch airplanes. The
flight attendants were also uncomfortable with
the entire security procedures and their role in
those procedures as untrained “consultants”
to the law enforcement specialists. They
express these concerns to the Pilot in Command
and he elected to cancel the flight. The
carrier is now disciplining the flight attendants
for the flight’s cancellation.
On a daily basis, flight attendants are
witnessing severe security scrutiny on our flying
partners, yet less than severe scrutiny on the
flying public. Flight crews have seemingly
been targeted for extensive searches by the
private security guards, while passengers pass
through checkpoints without a second glance.
Female flight attendants have been fondled and
groped by male security guards. A female
flight attendant passing through security at San
Francisco Airport was repeatedly rubbed all over
her body with a screening wand wielded by a male
security guard. A pregnant flight attendant
based in Portland, Oregon, whose buttons on her
maternity blouse set off metal detectors was
subjected to a body search. Reports
of this abusive behavior come at the same time
that we continue to see well-publicized instances
of major security breaches at airports across the
country. While we strongly recognize the
importance of vigilant security screening to keep
weapons from being brought onboard aircraft, this
behavior is unacceptable and does not move us to
a truly safe and secure airline industry.
AFA believes that Congress must move forward on
the following recommendations to ensure that this
industry is as safe as it can possibly be.
*We must federalize the security screeners
through the Department of Justice, just as the
Senate voted to do in its bill last month.
*We must update and improve flight attendant
training. Today, the FAA requires carriers
to provide minimum training on hijacking
situations. The training is grossly
outdated and falls far short of addressing the
new reality that flight attendants face on the
aircraft. Training procedures must be
updated to include appropriate and effective
responses to terrorism as it exists today. The
training should be realistic and include self-defense
and training in non-lethal weapons if they are
required in the cabin.
*Strict limits for carry-on baggage must be
enforced. Reducing carry-on baggage by
imposing a single standard that clearly and
strictly limits carry-on baggage is imperative
and must be done immediately. It is clear
that screeners are currently examining far too
many bags, some of which are extremely large, in
too short a time frame. This makes proper
scanning difficult, if not impossible. If
Congress is serious about preventing terrorists
from bringing weapons onboard an aircraft, then
you must take action to limit the amount and size
of carry-on baggage.
*Congress must take immediate action to ensure
the safety and security of on-board supplies,
carry-on baggage and all checked bags by
screening everything that goes on an airplane.
In addition, the airlines must put a 100%
passenger/baggage match in place immediately.
This will ensure that only the baggage belonging
to passengers who actually board aircraft is
carried on that aircraft and that all other
“unaccompanied” bags are removed from
the aircraft.
*Congress must also ensure that all passengers
and individuals with access to secure areas are
screened and checked.
As a flight attendant, I take pride in my role as
an aviation safety professional, and I am pleased
to have the opportunity to tell you what needs to
be done to make our skies as safe as we know how.
While we are pleased that the carriers have
quickly fortified the cockpit doors, little has
been done to protect passengers and flight
attendants, who remain the first and last line
of defense on the aircraft. We must move
quickly to make the skies safe -- to protect
aviation workers and passengers when they fly.
If we leave just one loophole in the system,
terrorists will exploit it. I urge you to
move swiftly on the adoption of these crucial
security procedures in order to build a truly
secure and safe aviation environment. We
must do everything we can to protect flight
attendants, and all airline employees and
passengers from future terrorist attacks. Restoring
faith in air travel is paramount.
Thank you for allowing me to testify before you,
and I welcome any questions from the Senators.
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