Essay - What Price Safety? A Study of Security Costs at Dfw...

What Price Safety? A Study of Security Costs at DFW

Dallas/Fort Worth *****irport initiated some big changes in 2000, changes that will make air travel safer, easier and more convenient for our customers and make gett*****g around inside the Airport quicker ***** simpler - improvements that will serve the needs of ***** customers well into the 21st Century."

What a difference a ye*****r can make. In 2000, ***** Dallas/Ft. Worth ***** was most concerned with providing "world-class service and amenities." Since declaring their intent in their 2000 Annual Report, which ***** released to the public in early 2001, safety and security issues have come out of the shadows. In the wake ***** September 11, *****, Airport officials, the traveling public, the media, the industry ***** our government have struggled to reassess the role of security and incorporate stricter rules in***** our daily lives.

Im*****tely after ***** events of September *****, ***** *****ficials did an outst**********g job of communicating with the public and transforming itself into a secure ***** re*****ssuring environment for the 61 million travelers passing through it every year. A total of 22 press releases, including 6 addresses from senior management, were issued between ***** 11th and the end of the month. While this pace has declined in recent months, it has not yet returned to ***** rate of two press ***** per month ***** were standard prior to September. The emphasis on frequent and open communications has apparently had a positive effect, *****s travelers are returning ***** Dallas skies in greater numbers than projected. In fact, DFW ***** American Airl*****es *****ly announced the addition ***** 21 nonstop daily flights between April and June 2002.

As important as communication is, it must be backed up w*****h actions to yield these kinds of results. Some of the steps taken by DFW in Septem*****r to improve security *****clude:

Requiring all terminal employees working in secure areas ***** pass through passenger security checkpoints and increased screenings prior to reporting for work.

***** all "airline only" automated entrances.

Suspending employee train *****.

***** all knives/cutting instruments from commercial kitchens and storage areas.

***** the same time it was implementing these and other enhanced security measures, the Airport was adjusting its annual budget. A $4.5 million loss was projected ***** fiscal year 2001, ***** ended September 30. To cover the shortfall, an immediate budget cut of $10 ***** ***** made as part ***** a contingency pl*****. Ongoing c*****pital development *****ans, however, remained in progress and on budget. The ***** is in ***** first stage of a Capital Development Program that ***** projected to cost $2.***** billion and take five years to complete.

Among the capital developments ***** continuing as planned were ***** construction of a new ***** (Terminal D) and an Automated People Mover. ***** D has been referred to as the "Crown Jewel" of ***** Capital ***** Program. This 2 million square-foot terminal with room for 23 wide-body swing gates, 120 ticketing positions, a Federal Customs Inspection Facility capable of processing 2,800 passengers