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Airport security still lax
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July 22, 1996: 8:51 p.m. ET
Airline industry is reluctant to invest in new technology
From Correspondent Katharine Barrett
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - As the threat of terrorism once again hangs over the United States, many people are once again asking, "How could it happen here?"
Some critics have charged that U.S. airlines and federal regulators have not put enough time or money into airport security systems. Several public companies have products that they are eager to promote as answers to these security concerns.
After the devastation of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, aviation authorities vowed to find better technology to detect plastic explosives. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) helped a California company, Invision Technologies, develop a luggage scanner that utilizes medical CAT scan technology. According to Steve Wolff of Invision Technologies, this device is the only one of its kind approved by the FAA because it can detect all materials capable of disabling an airplane. (179K WAV) or (179K AIF)
Invision's CTX 5000 began testing this spring at airports in San Francisco and Atlanta. The FAA paid for the million dollar machines and Delta and United Airlines have funded the installation and maintenance.
Overall, however, the industry has been cautious in committing money to new technology. Ticket prices would inevitably have to be raised to pay for technological improvements in security, and airlines fear that higher prices would reduce the number of passengers. In addition, there are concerns that today's bomb detector might be rendered obsolete by next year.
Jeffrey Robins, an analyst at Gruntal & Co., said that all parties want new airport security equipment, but nobody wants to pay for it. (229K WAV) or (229K AIFF)
Massachusetts-based Thermedics has a cheaper bomb-sniffer, the Egis system, which is now in use in Europe. However, this system is only certified for carry-on electronics equipment in the United States. Each Egis machine costs less than $200,000.
Analysts say airlines could easily pass along their security costs to passengers. In light of recent events, the flying public seems willing to pay more for greater peace of mind. 
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