Home >  Business

Sunday, September 08, 2002

By Mark Belko, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

It takes two men to carry the white rectangular box that sits at the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport, so heavy are its contents. Inside are a week's worth of objects -- several hundred, at least -- confiscated from travelers. Some are extraordinary because they are so ordinary, so seemingly benign, in so many respects.

	Here are some of hundreds of items confiscated by security at Pittsburgh International Airport in the week ended Tuesday. (Joyce Mendelsohn, Post-Gazette)

Manicuring scissors, dozens of them. Pen knives. Plastic knives more suited for picnics than to mayhem. Small plastic holders for corn on the cob. An apple slicer. Screwdrivers. A 44-piece socket set. Cigarette lighters. A letter opener. Pliers. A child's pencil sharpener. Corkscrews. A cigar cutter. A sewing kit. A toe-nail clipper with I (c) U.S.A. printed on one side.

In the post-Sept. 11 world of airport security, what seemed so commonplace a year ago has the potential to destroy -- even a child's pencil sharpener and a patriotic toe nail clipper

"I know it sounds terrible, but we've got to play worst-case scenario," Chuck Reilly, a screening supervisor for the Transportation Security Administration at Pittsburgh International Airport, said as he scanned the confiscated items spread before him on a table.

But a plastic corn holder?

"You can get that three-quarters of an inch into somebody's neck," he said of the metal, nail-like skewers protruding from the holders.

On the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, perhaps the biggest change for travelers using Pittsburgh International resides at the security checkpoint in the Landside Building.

Private screeners hired by US Airways, long the mainstay at the airport, were replaced late last month by workers employed by the Transportation Security Administration as part of a federal takeover of airport security nationwide.

Since Sept. 11, searches have taken longer, making the waits -- and lines -- longer, sometimes much longer. Travelers are limited to one carry-on bag. No longer are loved ones or friends able to see you off at the gate -- the hugs now take place and the tears shed outside the security checkpoint. Non-ticketed visitors are banned from the boarding terminal.

	Banned from flight Here are some items not permitted past the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport: Scissors with pointed tips corkscrews Mace pepper spray baseball bats box cutters brass knuckles golf clubs hammers hockey sticks knives (any length) pen knives razor blades (if not in cartridge) guns large, heavy tools (such as wrenches and pliers) ice picks martial arts devices portable power drills screwdrivers straight razors swords toy weapons toy transformer robots (form a toy gun) In addition to 66 items specifically banned by the federal government, any object that is "deemed to present a potential threat" may be prohibited, according to the Transportation Security Administration. -- Mark Belko

But perhaps nothing has caused more confusion, or consternation, than what one can and can't bring on board. Razor blades are a no-no. Disposable razors are OK. Corkscrews are out. Tweezers are in.

What's confiscated and not confiscated has been a topic of considerable debate nationwide, fueled in part by news stories of fake guns and bombs getting past security checkpoints in TSA tests while manicure scissors and pencil sharpeners are confiscated.

The latest round came last week when the New York Daily News reported that its reporters were able to smuggle box cutters, razor knives, pepper spray and other dangerous items past security checkpoints at airports in Newark, N.J., Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Portland, Maine, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Santa Barbara, Calif.

"It's very disappointing. It's very discouraging. They're catching small items but not the big ones," said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, a passengers' advocacy group.

To Stempler, confiscating an apple slicer "seems a little over the top." Removing a child's pencil sharpener was "ridiculous."

But not to Reilly. He believes even the most innocent-looking item can create havoc 30,000 feet in the air.

"We've got to be the devil's advocate, so to speak. Safety first," he said.

Take the cigar cutter. By itself, it looks innocuous enough. But pull it apart, Reilly said, and you've got two razor blades that can inflict damage. The same applies to the pencil sharpener, he said.

An air marshal, he added, has a split second to determine whether a toy cap gun, a Power Rangers gun or a plastic knife is the real deal.

By confiscating such items at the checkpoint, as they did at Pittsburgh in the week since federal screeners have been on the job, "we're eliminating the opportunity for something to happen," he said.

"If it can happen, it will," added Robert Blose, the ex-Marine who heads up security for TSA at the airport.

And then there is the stuff that leads one to wonder: what was the traveler thinking, particularly in light of Sept. 11.

Like the box cutter someone tried to bring on board. Or the magazine clip filled with ammunition another brought. Or the vacuum pump to a screen door.

Federal screeners also confiscated two fold-up pruning saws with blades large enough to whack off a limb (a human one), a large steak knife -- an item banned even before Sept. 11 -- and Exacto knives, despite the much publicized arrest, jailing and deportation of a local art student from Lebanon who was found carrying one in his briefcase at the airport last fall.

Blose does not believe any of the travelers carrying the seized items had illicit purposes in mind.

"I don't think those folks had any intent to do harm. Again, it's unthinking, unknowing, and there's probably a small percentage who think the rules don't apply to them or they won't be stopped carrying them through," he said.

Blose has given news media access to items seized at the checkpoint. His goal is to educate travelers on what they can and can't bring on board an airplane. His hope is that the publicity will make travelers think about what they pack, cut down on searches and seizures at the checkpoint and improve customer service.

"If you're ahead of me and have several [prohibited items], it's going to slow me down and others," he said. "It just slows down the process. I think we can all contribute to speeding that up."

He also expects the TSA to review the list of banned items from time to time. Without directly criticizing any of the items that have been banned or seized, he acknowledged that there "has to be some common sense applied to it."

The fact a list of banned items exists is progress. Before Sept. 11, the FAA did not publish a list of prohibited items, which were mainly confined to explosives, guns, and knives with blades four inches in length or longer. "Heavy tools" also were banned, a catch-all category that could cover a range of items.

"In the aftermath of 9/11, people look at every possible implement that can be taken on board and say, 'Can this do damage to someone and something?' and the decision was made [to ban it]," Blose said. " I think if people err, they're going to err on the side of caution."

Susan Johnson of Sewickley found that out only last week when she was prohibited from taking her gold sewing box containing needles and 2 1/2-inch pair of sewing scissors through the security checkpoint.

She was given three options: turn it over, check it at the ticket counter as checked luggage, or pay $2 to mail them back to herself. She chose the latter. She said she wasn't upset about the experience.

"I think they're doing what's right," she said. "I was surprised when I got here and the amount of security I saw. I found it disheartening -- the fact it's needed, it's necessary. It's sad."

Blose, meanwhile, has promised to review the government's decision to ban non-ticketed passengers from the boarding terminal, which contains the airport gates and many of its popular shops and restaurants. He said he will make a decision after consulting with police, vendors, airport officials and others.

"If I have to err and they're very close [calls], I'm going to err on the side of security," he said.

Allegheny County Airport Authority Executive Director Kent George is pushing to get non-passengers access.

"I think it's a ridiculous rule," he said. "They have to go through exactly the same security as the regular passenger does. What difference does it make?"

While the new federal screening force arrived at the airport just ahead of the Sept. 11 anniversary, the airport probably will not make the Dec. 31 Congressional deadline for screening all checked luggage for explosives.

Under the authority's proposal to the TSA, baggage screening for non-US Airways flights should be in place by Dec. 31 using an electronic trace detection system, George said.

But he said full screening for US Airways flights, by far the bulk of the airport's traffic, won't be in place until Feb. 15 to Feb. 20. The authority and its consultant are proposing to install a system tied to US Airways automated baggage system. The TSA has not acted on the authority's proposal or countered with its own recommendations.

Blose, who jumped into airport security after spending 30 years with the Marines, says his goals for the airport are world-class security and world-class customer service.

On the security end, he said Pittsburgh, as a newer airport, is better positioned than some others. But he said there are still challenges to address.

"We have a lot to work on here, quite honestly," he said. "That doesn't mean we're starting at ground zero. The airport has a lot of things in place. The people here have done a very, very good job."

He admits to worrying about security at the airport's perimeter -- the miles and miles of fencing, much of it in heavily wooded areas, that's designed to prevent people and wildlife from getting in. One gap could give terrorists access to ramps, runways, and airplanes.

"That's the stuff that keeps me awake at night," he said.

Back to main article.

Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.