05 March 2009

Cathay chief slams passenger security shambles

HONG KONG - Cathay Pacific CEO Tony Tyler has called on the aviation industry to work towards a more efficient and harmonised process of aviation security that can make life easier for the millions of passengers who keep the industry alive.

In a speech to the International Aviation Security Conference, Tyler said that Cathay Pacific is strongly supportive of a move, led by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to accelerate the harmonisation of security standards through one-stop security.

ââ¬ÅâœThe airline industry has been trying to achieve this since 1997 but progress has been painfully slow and sporadic,ââ¬~ he said.

The Cathay chief said there was no suggestion that the industry should relax its guard, ââ¬Åâœbut I strongly believe we have to make a greater effort to tackle some of the long-standing issues that make the security process more difficult and more costly than it should be.

ââ¬ÅâœI have lost count of the number of times customers have complained to me about the ambiguities and lack of consistency they encounter in security requirements in the worldââ¬â¢s airports.

ââ¬ÅâœSome airports require you to take out your laptop, others donââ¬â¢t; some make you remove your shoes, others donââ¬â¢t; some want you to take off your belt; others donââ¬â¢t.

ââ¬ÅâœWhat kind of message does that send to passengers?

ââ¬ÅâœThey are understandably puzzled and frustrated and more than occasionally worried about these inconsistencies.

ââ¬ÅâœTake liquids and gels, as another example. As Giovanni Bisignani of IATA asked pointedly in a recent speech in New York, where is the data that shows that a shampoo bottle is a greater risk than a belt buckle? There is none. Yet we spend millions to limit carry-on liquids.

ââ¬ÅâœThe bizarre array of rules currently in place serves only to confuse and annoy passengers, create unnecessary costs for airlines and caterers and place strain on security staff.ââ¬~

Tyler said that ââ¬Åâœinconsistent and poorly conceivedââ¬~ rules bring the whole security process into ridicule, while imposing unproductive cost onto the airlines and frustrating all concerned ââ¬' passengers in particular.

ââ¬ÅâœThere are solutions waiting out there to iron out all the anomalies. We must find them and implement them,ââ¬~ he said.

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