Thousands of inconvenienced air travelers may not like delayed or canceled flights while mechanics go over aircraft systems, but passenger safety should come first.
The real question is how it came to be that potentially dangerous conditions have been allowed to develop on aircraft.
Cancellations are likely to spread to other carriers as federal regulators step up their scrutiny of aircraft inspections, after revelations of lenient enforcement have surfaced.
The Clarion-Ledger reported in 2006 that luggage screeners were routinely tipped off about security tests at Jackson-Evers International Airport in its series “9-11: 5 Years Later.” But after TSA officials tried to cover up these and other lapses, a review by Homeland Security confirmed federal officials cheated on the tests and did not take enough care regarding firearms aboard flights.
House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, Mississippi’s 2nd District U.S. representative, has called the TSA to account, but the TSA has done nothing but try to stonewall or delay action, despite congressional inquiry.
Magnolia Tribune
