1Page 1Security and BHSAmedeo R. OdoniMassachusetts Institute of Technology1.231J/16.781J/ESD.224J Airport Systems 1.231J/16.781J/ESD.224J Airport Systems ––Fall 2007Fall 2007Page 2OutlineOutlineBroad impact of security considerations and issuesSecurity tasksBaggage handling systems (BHS)Hold baggage processingExamples and statisticsCurrent developments2Page 3Increasing Importance of SecurityIncreasing Importance of Security--Related IssuesRelated Issues Over the past 25 years, and especially since 2001, security has become– The most important source of uncertainty in planning for passenger terminal facilities– The fastest-growing cost element at airports Security regulations change rapidly in response to events and airport planners and operators have no choice but to comply with any change mandates Changes may affect not only security processing requirements (facilities, equipment, personnel) but also fundamental aspects of air transport operations (e.g., liquid-explosives scare of 2006 => 20% increase in checked bags) Page 4Costs of SecurityCosts of Security Cost of passenger screening at airport terminals is roughly $6 billion per year (TSA cost plus equipment cost) 1,100 EDS and 6,000 Explosive Trace Detection machines at 429 airports installed in 2002 – 2004! Cost in Europe is roughly $4 billion (similar to US on a per passenger basis) Security processing and “early presentation”requirements also increase the time that passengers allocate to travel Cost of this additional time may be huge; for example: (20 extra minutes per departing passenger)x(500 million passengers)x($0.5 per passenger minute) = $5 billion!3Page 5Who Pays?Who Pays?Passengers and airlines in US pay for roughly 50% of the $6 billion airport security costs through ticket taxes and charges to airlinesGeneral tax funds pay for the remainderUser burden varies widely from country to countryUsers requiring special services often pay extraEuropean Parliament (summer 2006): “Aviation security is a government responsibility; governments should pay for most of the costs, except when special arrangements are sought”– Principle not applied to datePage 6Who Provides the Service?Who Provides the Service?Varies widely according to national law:– Government (special agency like TSA; national Police; national Army)– Airport operator– Subcontractor (“outsourcing”)In all cases, national government retains responsibility for authorizing and monitoring arrangementsLabor issues arising with increasing frequency; can disrupt airport operations4Page 7Centralized Centralized vsvsDecentralized ArrangementsDecentralized Arrangements In centralized arrangements, passengers are screened soon after check-in, typically before entering concessions area In decentralized arrangements, passengers are screened at the entrance of the gate lounges or of the bus gates Advantages and disadvantages to both arrangements– Economies of scale– Effectiveness of screening– “Sterility” of concession areas– Impact on concession revenues– Passenger perceptions of LOSPage 8Major Security TasksMajor Security TasksPassenger and Hand Baggage ScreeningHold Baggage ScreeningAccess ControlBaggage Reconciliation5Page 9What Is What Is ““BestBest””Configuration of Screening Devices?Configuration of Screening Devices?1.99%[=Q1+(1-Q1)*Q2]0.4%[=P1*P2]Declared Safe by Both Detectors1%[=P2]10%[=P1]Declared Safe by First Detector0.01%[= Q1*Q2]13.6% [= P1+(1-P1)*P2]Declared Safe by Either DetectorConditional Probability of Rejecting a Harmless BagConditional Probability of Loading a Dangerous Bag Loading PolicyP = Prob[declare safe, given a dangerous bag]Q = Prob[declare unsafe, given a harmless bag]Two independent detectorsP1 = 0.1, Q1 = 0.01 P2 = 0.04, Q2 = 0.01Source: Prof. A. BarnettPage 10Baggage ReconciliationBaggage Reconciliation Or “Positive Passenger Bag Matching” (PPBM) Assures that passengers and their bags are on same flight Mandatory on international flights and in many countries on domestic flights Optional for domestic flights in US: practiced by all US airlines in 2002, mostly abandoned in beginning of 2003, in favor of EDS But not an “either / or” proposition! Estimated impact on US domestic flights:– ~ 1.5% of departures would be delayed– given a late departure, average delay would be 14 minutes– Cost to airlines and passengers ~ $100 million per year Worthwhile?6Page 11““ExceptionalismExceptionalism””of International Flights to USof International Flights to USSpecial screening requirements– Pre-processing of passengers– Passenger list transmission– CTX 5500, CTX 9000 machine screening is required (must often go through entire BHS)– Sales of duty-free liquor, etcAdditional security charges paidPage 12Baggage Claim (Arriving Passengers)Baggage Claim (Arriving Passengers) Simplest, as a process, part of baggage handling Yet, may be the most important as far as passenger perceptions are concerned Passenger information is critical in shaping perceptions– “Time to first baggage”, etc IATA guidelines: – ~ 0.3 m (~1 ft) of linear frontage per passenger for bag claim devices (wide body: ~ 80 – 120 m; narrow body: ~ 30 – 50 m)– ~ 9 m (or more) between bag claim devices Issue of load distribution for terminals sharing flights subject to or exempt from customs inspection (e.g., extra-Schengen vs. Schengen) Bag claim halls at large terminals may be vast, especially when many long-range flights are involved7Page 13Ongoing DevelopmentsOngoing DevelopmentsVery fast evolution of BHSIncreased sophistication, complexity, automation“Demise” of linear, decentralized terminal concept has given further impetusHuge costs (e.g., Amsterdam system of ~$500 million)Increased role of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies: more reliable than bar code tags, can incorporate a lot of information, cost is rapidly declining) “Big players” entering the fieldPage 14Theoretical vs. Actual PerformanceTheoretical vs. Actual PerformanceThe actual performance and capacity of large and complex BHS often falls far short of the theoretical valuesNumerous technical problems may surface (e.g., unreliable mechanical components, difficulty in reading tags)Flow control problems may also contribute to serious performance