Poor Training at LAX Called Risk to Public
Subcontracting Practices Criticized by Group's Report
Los Angeles Daily News - July 11 2007
By Rick Orlov

A lack of training and adequate oversight of passenger-service workers at Los Angeles International Airport is endangering public health and security, according to a study set to be released today.

In its report, the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy said the airlines subcontract passenger-service operations to private firms with little regard for training or the quality of equipment provided to accommodate disabled passengers.

"The airlines have allowed their contractors to put the security and the health of the public at risk, while failing to provide adequate services to passengers with disabilities," the report said.

LAANE was the group that spearheaded a push a decade ago to require concessionaires at LAX to pay a living wage to their workers. It also is trying to require hotels near LAX to adopt the same pay standard.

"We don't think anyone has brought to light the conditions of these workers or what is going on at Los Angeles International Airport," said Caroline Briones, one of the study's authors.

Briones said the group's study of nearly 300 of the 2,500 LAX service workers shows the airlines have been so concerned with saving money that customer service at LAX now lags behind the nation's other large airports.

The study found that less than 20 percent of the passenger-service workers surveyed have received training to spot false identifications, fewer than 25 percent have been trained to spot suspicious packages or behavior, and less than 10 percent have been trained in terminal evacuation or other emergency procedures.

To control costs, airlines began contracting out such services several years ago. At Tom Bradley International Terminal, seven passenger-service contractors operate simultaneously.

"The airport's size and prominence make it a prime terrorist target," the study said. "However ... efforts to improve airport security and operations at LAX are undermined by the airlines' contracting system."

In addition to security issues, the study said the workers are further hampered - and the public inconvenienced - because of insufficient or broken equipment.

Examples cited included problems with broken or malfunctioning wheelchairs and a lack of training in how to care for the disabled. A complaint over this issue has been filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the report said.

The report recommends that Los Angeles World Airports, which runs LAX, adopt a policy to give it more oversight over the contracts and ensure there is a minimum standard of training of the workers.

Several other airports, including San Francisco and those in Europe, have such a policy.

It also urges that airlines be required to use a competitive bidding process from among a list of preapproved firms and that other regulations be adopted to ensure compliance.

Representatives from several airlines did not return phone calls seeking comment. LAX officials said they would have no comment until today's release of the report. Officials in the office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said they were reviewing the report.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes LAX, said he wants more information on the study to verify its findings.

"LAX is the first stop for many people coming to Los Angeles and they aren't getting a good impression of us with the way they are being greeted by the people who are looking at their IDs or pushing them in a wheelchair," he said. "That's something that has to concern all of us."