https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/us/delta-passenger-gun.html
Passenger Took Loaded Gun by Accident on Delta Flight to Tokyo, T.S.A. Says
A Transportation Security Administration agent at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta this month. On Jan. 2, a passenger took a loaded gun through a checkpoint at the airport and on a Delta Air Lines flight to Japan, the T.S.A. said.CreditJohn Bazemore/Associated Press
Image
A Transportation Security Administration agent at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta this month. On Jan. 2, a passenger took a loaded gun through a checkpoint at the airport and on a Delta Air Lines flight to Japan, the T.S.A. said.CreditCreditJohn Bazemore/Associated Press
By Matthew Haag
The passenger later discovered the firearm and alerted the authorities, who met the plane when it landed on Jan. 3 in Tokyo, officials said. The gun was taken through a T.S.A. checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Jan. 2, the 11th day of the partial federal government shutdown, as concerns were growing that security agents, who are working without pay, might not show up.
But a T.S.A. spokesman, Michael Bilello, insisted on Monday that the shutdown was not to blame for the security breach and that the gun was undetected because “standard procedures were not followed.” About five percent of T.S.A. employees nationwide did not report to work on the day of the flight, Wednesday, Jan. 2, which was the identical rate of unscheduled absences on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, Mr. Bilello said.
He said the agency did not release staffing rates for individual airports and would not specify what “standard procedures” were not observed. There are 51,000 airport security agents nationwide.
“There was not a staffing issue as some are speculating or alluding to,” Mr. Bilello said in an email on Monday. “T.S.A. will hold those responsible appropriately accountable.”
The identity of the Delta passenger has not been released publicly, and a Delta spokesman on Monday referred questions to the T.S.A.
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The T.S.A. said that 7.6 percent of employees had unscheduled absences on Monday morning, more than double the rate from the year before. The Atlanta airport was one of two airports in the country to implement “contingency plans” on Monday because of absences and other issues.
Across the United States, thousands of guns are confiscated on average every year at airport security or in checked luggage. In 2017, for instance, 3,957 firearms were recovered in carry-on bags at American airports and 84 percent of them were loaded, the T.S.A. said.
More than 290 weapons had been discovered in 2018 through the beginning of November in Atlanta, the busiest airport in the country, according to the Justice Department. That number was an 18-point increase from the total recovered in all of 2017, when the Atlanta airport led the country with the most firearms discovered at 245, the department said.
Travelers with guns without a firearm license will be arrested, the T.S.A. said, while anyone discovered with a gun can also face a fine of up to $13,000 per violation. Mr. Bilello said the Delta passenger had been “fully cooperative with authorities.”
Passenger carries firearm through TSA screening at Atlanta onto Delta flight
By Eric Levenson and Shelby Rose, CNN
Updated 1431 GMT (2231 HKT) January 14, 2019
Now Playing TSA official warns of...
(CNN)A traveler carrying a firearm boarded a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and flew to Tokyo Narita International Airport on January 3, according to a statement from the Transportation Security Administration.
"TSA has determined standard procedures were not followed and a passenger did in fact pass through a standard screening TSA checkpoint with a firearm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on the morning of January 3," the release states.
The passenger had forgotten the firearm was in their carry-on luggage, the TSA said. The incident was not part of a test.
Delta Air Lines also issued a statement to CNN, saying that "upon the customer's disclosure, the airline reported the incident to the TSA."
The security breach came two weeks into the government shutdown, during which TSA agents have been required to work but have not received paychecks. CNN first reported on January 4 -- a day after the breach -- that hundreds of TSA agents from at least four major airports had called in sick.
Unpaid airport screening agents to get a day's pay and $500 bonus during shutdown
However, the TSA dismissed suggestions the government shutdown contributed to the security lapse and said a normal amount of staffers were working that day.
"The perception that this might have occurred as a result of the partial government shutdown would be false," TSA said. "The national unscheduled absence rate of TSA staff on Thursday, January 3, 2019, was 4.8% compared to 6.3% last year, Thursday, January 4, 2018. So in fact, the national call out rate was higher a year ago than this year on that date."
The TSA noted that it will "hold those responsible appropriately accountable."
TSA screeners have struggled to detect weapons even in the absence of a shutdown. In 2015, the acting administrator for the TSA was reassigned after a report found that airport screeners failed to detect explosives and weapons in nearly every test that an undercover team conducted at dozens of airports.
About 51,000 TSA agents are among the 800,000 government employees working without pay or on furlough during the shutdown. The Air Traffic Controllers Union, Aviation Safety Inspectors Union and various other groups and air travel experts have issued statements condemning the various consequences of the shutdown, but the TSA and aviation experts have said flying is still safe.
"Security standards will NOT and have NOT been compromised," said Michael Bilello, TSA assistant administrator for public affairs, on Twitter.
In an attempt to ease the financial pain caused by the government shutdown, the TSA announced Sunday that it would provide a day's pay for those who were on duty the day after the lapse in funding, and also award $500 bonuses for work during the holiday travel season.
"While I realize this is not what you are owed for your hard work ... and what you deserve, I hope these actions alleviate some of the financial hardship many of you are facing," TSA Administrator David Pekoske wrote.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...senger-security-gun-atlanta-tokyo/2568141002/
Delta Air Lines passenger got a gun through security and onto plane in Atlanta
David Oliver, USA TODAY Published 8:31 a.m. ET Jan. 14, 2019 | Updated 11:06 a.m. ET Jan. 14, 2019
An armed passenger apparently was able to board an international flight and the Transportation Security Administration says the government shutdown isn’t to blame. Buzz60
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A Delta passenger managed to take a gun through security in Atlanta and onto a flight to Tokyo on Jan. 2.
The Transportation Security Administration confirmed the incident of the in a statement to USA TODAY. Flight DL295 left Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for Japan's Narita International Airport.
"TSA has determined standard procedures were not followed and a passenger did, in fact, pass through a standard screening TSA checkpoint with a firearm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport," according to the agency. "TSA will hold those responsible appropriately accountable."
Start the day smarter: Get USA TODAY's Daily Briefing in your inbox every morning
TSA rejected the notion that the security breach had to do with people calling out from work amid the government shutdown. (Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren for USA TODAY)
In its statement, TSA rejected the notion that the security breach was related to staff calling out from work amid the government shutdown.
"There was not a staffing issue as some are speculating or alluding to in their articles, it read. "In fact, the national callout percentages were exactly the same" on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, "when there was no shutdown," the TSA added.
More: TSA no-shows? Miami airport to close a terminal early for 3 days amid government shutdown
A source at the airline told ABC News the gun owner filled airline workers in on what occurred upon arriving in Japan. Airline officials then informed the TSA .
"The passenger, who was fully cooperative with authorities, flew from Atlanta to Narita, Japan and was met by Japanese authorities upon landing," the agency continued.
In 2017, 4,000 firearms were reportedly taken at TSA checkpoints, The Washington Post notes.
USA TODAY has reached out to both airports for comment.
Passenger Took Loaded Gun by Accident on Delta Flight to Tokyo, T.S.A. Says
A Transportation Security Administration agent at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta this month. On Jan. 2, a passenger took a loaded gun through a checkpoint at the airport and on a Delta Air Lines flight to Japan, the T.S.A. said.CreditJohn Bazemore/Associated Press
Image
A Transportation Security Administration agent at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta this month. On Jan. 2, a passenger took a loaded gun through a checkpoint at the airport and on a Delta Air Lines flight to Japan, the T.S.A. said.CreditCreditJohn Bazemore/Associated Press
By Matthew Haag
- Jan. 14, 2019
The passenger later discovered the firearm and alerted the authorities, who met the plane when it landed on Jan. 3 in Tokyo, officials said. The gun was taken through a T.S.A. checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Jan. 2, the 11th day of the partial federal government shutdown, as concerns were growing that security agents, who are working without pay, might not show up.
But a T.S.A. spokesman, Michael Bilello, insisted on Monday that the shutdown was not to blame for the security breach and that the gun was undetected because “standard procedures were not followed.” About five percent of T.S.A. employees nationwide did not report to work on the day of the flight, Wednesday, Jan. 2, which was the identical rate of unscheduled absences on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, Mr. Bilello said.
He said the agency did not release staffing rates for individual airports and would not specify what “standard procedures” were not observed. There are 51,000 airport security agents nationwide.
“There was not a staffing issue as some are speculating or alluding to,” Mr. Bilello said in an email on Monday. “T.S.A. will hold those responsible appropriately accountable.”
The identity of the Delta passenger has not been released publicly, and a Delta spokesman on Monday referred questions to the T.S.A.
You have 4 free articles remaining.
Subscribe to The Times
The T.S.A. said that 7.6 percent of employees had unscheduled absences on Monday morning, more than double the rate from the year before. The Atlanta airport was one of two airports in the country to implement “contingency plans” on Monday because of absences and other issues.
Across the United States, thousands of guns are confiscated on average every year at airport security or in checked luggage. In 2017, for instance, 3,957 firearms were recovered in carry-on bags at American airports and 84 percent of them were loaded, the T.S.A. said.
More than 290 weapons had been discovered in 2018 through the beginning of November in Atlanta, the busiest airport in the country, according to the Justice Department. That number was an 18-point increase from the total recovered in all of 2017, when the Atlanta airport led the country with the most firearms discovered at 245, the department said.
Travelers with guns without a firearm license will be arrested, the T.S.A. said, while anyone discovered with a gun can also face a fine of up to $13,000 per violation. Mr. Bilello said the Delta passenger had been “fully cooperative with authorities.”
Passenger carries firearm through TSA screening at Atlanta onto Delta flight
By Eric Levenson and Shelby Rose, CNN
Updated 1431 GMT (2231 HKT) January 14, 2019
Now Playing TSA official warns of...
(CNN)A traveler carrying a firearm boarded a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and flew to Tokyo Narita International Airport on January 3, according to a statement from the Transportation Security Administration.
"TSA has determined standard procedures were not followed and a passenger did in fact pass through a standard screening TSA checkpoint with a firearm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on the morning of January 3," the release states.
The passenger had forgotten the firearm was in their carry-on luggage, the TSA said. The incident was not part of a test.
Delta Air Lines also issued a statement to CNN, saying that "upon the customer's disclosure, the airline reported the incident to the TSA."
The security breach came two weeks into the government shutdown, during which TSA agents have been required to work but have not received paychecks. CNN first reported on January 4 -- a day after the breach -- that hundreds of TSA agents from at least four major airports had called in sick.
Unpaid airport screening agents to get a day's pay and $500 bonus during shutdown
However, the TSA dismissed suggestions the government shutdown contributed to the security lapse and said a normal amount of staffers were working that day.
"The perception that this might have occurred as a result of the partial government shutdown would be false," TSA said. "The national unscheduled absence rate of TSA staff on Thursday, January 3, 2019, was 4.8% compared to 6.3% last year, Thursday, January 4, 2018. So in fact, the national call out rate was higher a year ago than this year on that date."
The TSA noted that it will "hold those responsible appropriately accountable."
TSA screeners have struggled to detect weapons even in the absence of a shutdown. In 2015, the acting administrator for the TSA was reassigned after a report found that airport screeners failed to detect explosives and weapons in nearly every test that an undercover team conducted at dozens of airports.
About 51,000 TSA agents are among the 800,000 government employees working without pay or on furlough during the shutdown. The Air Traffic Controllers Union, Aviation Safety Inspectors Union and various other groups and air travel experts have issued statements condemning the various consequences of the shutdown, but the TSA and aviation experts have said flying is still safe.
"Security standards will NOT and have NOT been compromised," said Michael Bilello, TSA assistant administrator for public affairs, on Twitter.
In an attempt to ease the financial pain caused by the government shutdown, the TSA announced Sunday that it would provide a day's pay for those who were on duty the day after the lapse in funding, and also award $500 bonuses for work during the holiday travel season.
"While I realize this is not what you are owed for your hard work ... and what you deserve, I hope these actions alleviate some of the financial hardship many of you are facing," TSA Administrator David Pekoske wrote.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...senger-security-gun-atlanta-tokyo/2568141002/
Delta Air Lines passenger got a gun through security and onto plane in Atlanta
David Oliver, USA TODAY Published 8:31 a.m. ET Jan. 14, 2019 | Updated 11:06 a.m. ET Jan. 14, 2019
An armed passenger apparently was able to board an international flight and the Transportation Security Administration says the government shutdown isn’t to blame. Buzz60
CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
A Delta passenger managed to take a gun through security in Atlanta and onto a flight to Tokyo on Jan. 2.
The Transportation Security Administration confirmed the incident of the in a statement to USA TODAY. Flight DL295 left Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for Japan's Narita International Airport.
"TSA has determined standard procedures were not followed and a passenger did, in fact, pass through a standard screening TSA checkpoint with a firearm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport," according to the agency. "TSA will hold those responsible appropriately accountable."
Start the day smarter: Get USA TODAY's Daily Briefing in your inbox every morning
TSA rejected the notion that the security breach had to do with people calling out from work amid the government shutdown. (Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren for USA TODAY)
In its statement, TSA rejected the notion that the security breach was related to staff calling out from work amid the government shutdown.
"There was not a staffing issue as some are speculating or alluding to in their articles, it read. "In fact, the national callout percentages were exactly the same" on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, "when there was no shutdown," the TSA added.
More: TSA no-shows? Miami airport to close a terminal early for 3 days amid government shutdown
A source at the airline told ABC News the gun owner filled airline workers in on what occurred upon arriving in Japan. Airline officials then informed the TSA .
"The passenger, who was fully cooperative with authorities, flew from Atlanta to Narita, Japan and was met by Japanese authorities upon landing," the agency continued.
In 2017, 4,000 firearms were reportedly taken at TSA checkpoints, The Washington Post notes.
USA TODAY has reached out to both airports for comment.
