Mandatory security meeting Honolulu

[Everett]

#2705

I received an email yesterday from the badging office informing me as a signatory in the General Aviation area that I was required attend a meeting for signatories regarding a security issue. This was done with 5 days notice (3 business days) and the email indicated that inability to attend would result in TSA and civil penalties. This appeared to go to all signatories as it referenced limited seating was available.

Anybody know what this is all about?

 

 

[Rob Moore]

#2706

No idea.  I am a single signature in a business of one with NO VIOLATIONS.  I emailed back WHY and who is paying for parking–no reply yet (no surprise).

[Patrick E. McNamee]

#2709

Every Airport must have a Security and Badging plan that is approved by the FAA and the TSA. Continued oversight and audits have shown Hawaii to be severely deficient in compliance with regulatory requirements. HNL is a;ways on the edge of shutdown by Federal Regulators over the lack of compliance.

Most of our Department of Transportation Airports Administrators are under educated, poorly trained, inexperienced, and have no oversight for the positions they are assigned to. Just look at the knee-jerk reactions they use when deficiencies are brought to their attention by the regulators.

I believe it is time to break off the Air Carrier Airports in Hawaii to an outside, professional operated Airport Authority scheme used by the vast majority of the airports around the world. Our airports are a total embarrassment!

What are your thoughts and suggestions?

Pat McNamee

GACH – President

[Claudio Friederich]

#2711

The risk with an airport corporation is that it would be airline dominated, and see only to the needs of the heavies, while GA would be the poor stepchild.  But then again, what are we now?  Since we are stuck being a poor stepchild anyway, it would be better to be a poor stepchild in a nice well-run house than in a rat hole where child protective services simply does not have the time to look into, so I guess I would be in favor of our airports being run by just about any entity other than the state government.  It would be better, for that matter, to instead of the state, have no leadership at all at the airports, and just bungle along and see what happens.  Doing nothing for the airports is far better than a leadership that abuses them like the state does.

[H. Gert]

#2716

Two topics here. Let’s start with the mandatory security meeting, which I attended.

It was triggered by an ad hoc audit by TSA, as Pat already suspected. In the first two days TSA discovered just short of 20 violations, most or all on the north ramp and including breaches such as leaving secured doors open for people to slip through, improper use of escort badges and piggybacking. The attendees were issued a four page pamphlet highlighting the most common problems and the potential penalties for individuals and operators, which can be substantial. One of the badging office employees read the text of the pamphlet off a power point presentation, interspersed with comments and questions. I asked that the text be put up on their website so it can be shared with other employees but they insisted that they would only share it with the authorized signatories (presumably to avoid tipping the ‘bad guys’ off to where the holes in the security procedures may be). I trust that at some point all of you authorized signatories will receive this so it can be shared with your crews.

For GA, I think the most significant issues concern the proper use of escort badges or escorting in general. From what I understand, passengers do NOT need an escort badge. Last time I asked for one for my wife, security kept her drivers license which was awkward since we were going to rent a car on Maui for the weekend. The other significant thing I learned is that you are not allowed to escort someone who has a badge but either left it at home or is in the process of replacing it. Don’t ask me how any of this makes sense.

It is incredibly frustrating having to deal with what sometimes appears to be a moving target, being called into a mandatory meeting within one business day and without explanation when most of us have jobs or other things to do. However, it is important that we are seen to make our best effort to comply with federal and state rules and to support safety and security.

BTW DOTA did pay for parking.

A brief comment on the issue of an airport corporation. See this interesting article by senator Lorraine Inouye:

Trouble in paradise: does Hawaii need a new airports authority?

One would hope/expect that an airport corporation would include representation from all stakeholders but more importantly, a corporation would have an easier task of developing and implementing a long-term vision. Many of the issues we experience are the result of election terms.

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