Agents Use Questions to Spot Suspicious Passengers

When the Department of Homeland Security raised the nation's threat level to severe for U.S.-bound flights originating in England, Global Security Associates responded.

The Mineola-based agency normally has about 170 security agents on duty at 15 international and domestic airlines at John F. Kennedy and Washington Dulles international airports, but quickly increased its on-duty roster to 230 at the request of the airlines.

"Requests came from existing clients who needed additional personnel and a number of companies who are not clients but also needed an increase in personnel," said Victor Anderes, vice president of emergency response planning at GSA.

GSA agents don't carry weapons, but use a series of questions to determine if a passenger is a threat. The passenger interview process - some might call it profiling - was developed by GSA Chief Executive William McGuire while he was employed by Virgin Atlantic Airlines.

The system, based on a technique favored by Israeli airline El Al, helped capture two suspected associates of 9/11 hijackers who attempted to flee the U.S. after the 2001 attacks.

"It's an interview process during check-in, and we're looking for answers - body language, any nervousness displayed by the passenger," McGuire said. "We're looking for the needle in the haystack, the one bad guy among 30,000 to 40,000 people who travel through JFK each day. "

Personnel are trained to pick out red flags that lead them to other lines of questioning. If passengers respond incorrectly, or suspiciously, they are asked to join the security team and Port Authority police for further questioning.

McGuire wouldn't reveal if his team has brought in any suspects during the current alert, but said "GSA's performance is judged on failures, not success. "

Doug Carr, vice president of Safety & Regulation at the National Business Aviation Association, said it may be too early to tell how the heightened security will affect future protocols for commercial flights or the companies of the NBAA, which own or operate their own aircraft.

"But we are in a focused mode that the aviation industry is secure, and making sure that aviation is an unattractive terrorism target," Carr said.

The NBAA, Carr noted, is ahead of the curve on security standards.

"Companies like the security that ownership brings, and companies (such as GSA) that provide evaluations on security can strengthen this mandate," he said.

"The private jet industry polices itself," McGuire added. "Money is not an issue. These people need to fly, and if private planes get grounded, their businesses will suffer. "

In the last few years, the level of security for private planes has greatly increased, said Carr.

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