It’s a convenience and a burden at the same time.
Transportation Security Administration agents say the crew members-only
security line at airports can be a contribution to
the smuggling incidents of late.
It’s a flaw in the system, they say.
While it does help speed up the process at security checkpoints, critics
say flight crews should be screened like every other passenger.
Their revelations come in the wake of an incident earlier this month in
which four crew members were accused
of smuggling drug money.
The special crew lanes were created
in 2011 under an initiative now called the Known Crewmember Program. But former
and current TSA agents told Business Insider it sometimes can pose a bigger
risk than the general flying public themselves. Those recently arrested include
four flight attendants accused of smuggling $8 million in drug money.
"It stands to reason that
this (smuggling by flight attendants) is commonly done," Dennis Ring, a
lawyer who represented a convicted flight attendant, said.
"Crew know exactly what they
are doing," said one agent who was granted anonymity.
Said another: "I truly do
think KCM should be eliminated. Time and time again, we have seen that the crew
members get so much 'trust' just because they're crew and they're the ones
doing the illegal shit.”
An Airlines for America
spokesperson said "the safety and security of our passengers and crews is
the top priority of U.S. airlines. … (The program) is a TSA-approved program
that has been in successful operation for 12 years. … Transportation Security
Officers conduct security screening for prohibited items at airport checkpoints
and checked baggage screening. If they find something suspicious, such as items
that could be illegally transported, they alert local law enforcement, who in
turn works with our criminal investigators in our investigative division and
other federal partners."
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