Author Description

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 changed forever the way America views its everyday safety, as well as the safety of how we travel. The United States government took swift and dramatic action to change civil aviation security with the passing of the Aviation Transportation and Security Act (ATSA) of 2001. In the months following the attacks, politicians and the media made their viewpoints known while civil aviation security professionals have been unheard. The objective of this thesis is to ascertain the best practices and recommendations of these stakeholders to provide the highest level of security at our nations airports. To gather these data, the researcher conducted on-site interviews of these professionals. The study reveals civil aviation was not adequately prepared for the terrorist attacks of September 11. Congressional mandates of the ATSA have driven government's behavior. The lack of aviation experience of senior leadership and its top-down approach has alienated stakeholders. Other key government issues include funding constraints, potential complacency and conflicts of interest.