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Friday, September 09, 2016

Cuba airport security causes senators to call for pause in U.S.-Cuba flights

Cuba airport security causes senators to call for pause in U.S.-Cuba flights

Last week, regularly-scheduled commercial flights between the U.S. and
Cuba took off for the first time in more than fifty years. Now, a
bipartisan pair of senators has submitted legislation to ground those
planes over what they say are airport security concerns.

Senators Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, and Marco Rubio,
R-Florida, have submitted legislation to that would pause the Cuba-US
routes until an assessment of Cuban aviation safety could be completed.

"With so many serious security threats around the world, it is
irresponsible to leave key aspects of our airport security in the hands
of anti-American, repressive regime in Cuba," Rubio said in a statement.

But the Transportation Security Administration says it has reviewed
operations at eight of the 10 Cuban airports set to provide commercial
flights to and from the U.S. and that all met international standards.

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger, who was to meet with members of
Congress Thursday, told CBS News earlier this summer that his
agency "will ensure that they in fact meet all of those requirements
that we put in place at last points of departure."

Currently, the United States and the Republic of Cuba have an agreement
allowing federal air marshals on board certain passenger flights between
the two nations. But Menendez says it's not enough.

"Cuba is a totalitarian dictatorship that continues to harbor American
hijackers and terrorists as heroes…and remains a strategic ally of some
of the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations," he said. "Every
airport worker is employed directly by the regime, and its airports lack
the technology and security capabilities we've grown to expect in the
United States."

While Cuba, a nation of more than 11 million about 90 miles south of Key
West, Florida, has been largely off limits to the United States for 55
years, it is a major tourist destination from Canada, Europe, Latin
America and Russia. Dozens of international airlines serve Cuba each day.

Scheduled commercial airline service from the U.S. ended in 1961 after
the communist government of Fidel Castro rose to power, and nationalized
foreign assets (many of them belonging to American companies). The
Cuban missile crisis brought the world to brink of nuclear war, after
the Castro regime allowed Russian missiles to be set up, prompting the
ongoing U.S. embargo.

But even before Jetblue flight 387 left Fort Lauderdale with 150
passengers August 31st bound for Cuba, on average 17 charter flights
travel between the U.S. and the island nation daily. The charter
flights have existed for years, and all of the passengers on those
flights passed through Cuban airport security without legislation from
Congress to stop it.

Going through Cuban security
CBS News was on that first commercial flight to Santa Clara, Cuba's
fifth largest city. Our experience was far from a comprehensive review
of airport security. We found it to be similar to screenings at airports
around the world, but with a few quirks.

Upon arrival in Cuba, our bags were x-rayed with equipment resembling
those seen in American airports. Each passenger passed through a
magnetometer. Some were also "wanded" with a handheld metal detector.
Security officers would not allow bottled water past the checkpoint and
held a safety razor (used for shaving) for no clear reason. When asked
why water couldn't enter the terminal, the officer simply said it wasn't
allowed.

Our photojournalist was allowed to keep his water. Prior to heading for
customs, the razor was returned, and we were screened again. At the
Santa Clara airport, we did not see body scanners.

After checking into our return flights and clearing immigration in
Havana, the security checkpoint at Jose Marti International Airport's
Terminal 3, looked a lot like security at many small airports in the
U.S. There were several lanes closed -- and just one screening
passengers. While the line wasn't long, the process was slow. Bags were
x-rayed, passengers passed through metal detectors, and in some cases
were also 'wanded' by a handheld scanner. This terminal appeared to
have one body scanner station.

Our CBS News crew was selected for additional screening, our bags were
emptied and examined. Security officers express particular concern over
several old books we purchased.

The senators' Cuban Airport Security Act follows a similar measure
introduced by Congressman John Katko, R-New York, in July. Earlier in
the summer members of the House Homeland Security Committee were denied
visas to enter Cuba for a trip to examine airport security there.

On the day the senate bill was announced American Airlines began rolling
out its service to Cuba with a flight to Cienfuegos. The Department of
Transportation has authorized up to 110 daily flights from the U.S. to
Cuba on 10 carriers. Flights to the island's capitol city are expected
to begin in November.

Source: Cuba airport security causes senators to call for pause in
U.S.-Cuba flights - CBS News -
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cuba-airport-security-causes-senators-rubio-and-menendez-concern/

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