Home Border Cooperation Key Border Documents and What's New? CATSA And TSA Working Together To Improve Airport Security

CATSA And TSA Working Together To Improve Airport Security

Air security is not something around which you can place boundaries. It requires cooperation on the part of various stakeholders. With this in mind, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has made every effort to maintain good communication and information exchange with its U.S. counterpart, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It is for this reason that Mark Duncan, CATSA's Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer and Tom Hodge, Director of Projects and Coordination travelled to Washington, D.C., in July 2004.

While CATSA has developed its own extensive training program and standard operating procedures, being aware of practices at U.S. screening checkpoints is important. One procedure that differs from Canadian screening checkpoints lies in the role of the greeter. In addition to welcoming travellers, the greeter at a U.S. checkpoint prepares passengers waiting in line for screening by directing them to remove items (e.g. coins, jewelry, coats, change from pockets) that will pass through the X-ray machine. Passengers will move through the checkpoint more quickly if they are prepared for the screening process. "Sharing this type of information can help improve our own security practices," said Mr. Duncan.

Fourteen per cent of the flights out of Canadian airports are transborder. Because so many Canadians are flying to the U.S. and vice versa, it is important for CATSA to have a good relationship with TSA. Susan Williams, TSA's Representative to Canada, is CATSA's contact person with TSA and was present in Washington when Mr. Duncan and Mr. Hodge visited. "As partners in North American security, the U.S. and Canada will continue productive exchanges on areas of mutual concern, to encourage alignment and consistency in the security requirements of our two countries, and to promote the safety and security of the global air transportation system," said Ms. Williams.

One item on the agenda during the trip to Washington was the Registered Traveller Program, which began July 7 at Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport. The three-month pilot project required participants to give their names, contact information, birth dates and biometric identifiers, which included fingerprints and iris scans. The information was matched against law enforcement and intelligence databases. Participants must still undergo the same screening procedure at the checkpoint, but as a registered traveller, they generally avoid the secondary searches that affect some travellers. "CATSA is working with Transport Canada to explore similar projects in Canada," says Mr. Duncan.

To maintain on-going cooperation with TSA are necessary for CATSA to effectively carry out our air security mandate. Because terrorism and other threats to travellers have no boundaries, air security providers must also place no limits on their cooperation.

CATSA would like to thank Ms. Williams for her input to this article. This article was first published in CATSA News (August 2004). For a full copy of the newsletter, please click here.