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CQ HOMELAND SECURITY - TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Oct. 21, 2003 - 8:24 p.m.
Luggage Security a Drag? Ship It With Us, a Florida Company Says
By Jeremy Torobin, CQ Staff
It may not be what Nathaniel Heatwole was hoping for, but a Florida company says it has a solution for the government's airport bag-screening woes: Encourage passengers to ship luggage ahead of time, either through the mail or using overnight couriers.
Heatwole is the North Carolina college student who successfully challenged passenger and carry-on luggage security checks, a problem obviously still vexing the Transportation Security Administration.
Currently, all checked luggage is screened prior to loading, and by the end of the year, checked luggage at all but five of the nation's airports will be mechanically screened for explosives prior to loading.
Universal Express, a Boca Raton shipping and logistics company, argues it can save passengers time at the airport, save airlines and the TSA money, enhance security, and create jobs in the transportation industry by helping passengers ship their luggage.
According to a white paper that company executives spent Tuesday pitching to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, airline passengers would still have the option of bringing their bags to the airport if they're willing to pay TSA extra transportation and security fees for each piece of luggage.
"Rather than having to take the baggage through the check-in points and through the security lines, passengers would have a framework of choices for shipping their luggage in advance to reach their destination in time of their arrival at a lower price or carry bags to the airport for transporting by airlines at a premium price," the white paper said.
The company also claims it could help the airlines generate "additional revenue of $4 billion to $11 billion annually" by increasing their capacity to put cargo on passenger jets.
But several lawmakers, particularly Democratic Rep. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, have complained loudly that only a small percentage of cargo on passenger jets is physically inspected.
In any case, Universal Express argues the potential increase in the use of overnight couriers to deliver luggage could generate "$17 billion to $28 billion in new revenue" and a "few hundred thousand" jobs for the transportation industry.
Source: CQ Homeland Security
© 2003 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved
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