LAX Passenger Safety Questioned
Los Angeles Business Journal - July 12 2007
By Richard Clough

Los Angeles International Airport compromises the safety, security and health of passengers, because of an inefficient contracting system for passenger services, according to a new study.

The survey of 275 passenger service workers by the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy released today finds that the vast majority of the airport’s security personnel have inadequate training and insufficient oversight.

Less than a quarter of the security workers in the airport have received training on conducting plane searches, and even fewer have been trained to identify fake identification documents. In the event of an emergency, only one in ten workers have been trained to handle evacuation and emergency procedures, according to the survey.

“Instead of a trained, experienced and professional workforce, many passenger service workers are unprepared for major emergencies,” the report says. “In order to improve security and service quality at its airports, Los Angeles World Airports should increase its oversight of service contractors that operate on airport property.”

The survey notes other airports around the country have similar problems, and points to San Francisco International Airport as a model. In 2000, the Bay Area airport implemented a certification program that maintains enforceable standards for all of the airport’s workers.

LAX has about 2,500 passenger service workers, with jobs ranging from security screener to janitor to cabin cleaner.

The problem, according to the report, is that airlines select the passenger service contractors, typically those offering the lowest prices. As a result, the contracted companies pay workers little and often provide overlapping services, resulting in an inefficient and poorly managed system.

In response to the survey, Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that oversees LAX and three other local airports, said it is already in the process of developing standards for companies that handle baggage at the airport. It is expected to be considered by airport commissioners later this year.

“An airport task force has been developing standards for airline ground handling companies wishing to do business at LAX,” the agency said in a prepared statement.