Harveys Lake Borough will to use speed minder signs in attempt to slow traffic around lake

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Events Listings: April 15 to 21, 2016

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is pushing for passage of a major airline bill that would upgrade safety at airports across the country and would require a second barrier to protect cockpits on all new commercial aircraft.</p><p>Casey, D-Scranton, discussed the FAA Re-authorization Act, being debated in the Senate this week, during a teleconference Thursday from Washington D.C.</p><p>Casey said the bill contains &#8220;vital amendments to add commonsense security measures&#8221; to make air travel safer for Americans and visitors.</p><p>The measure to add the second barrier was introduced by Casey and his Pennsylvania colleague, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville.</p><p>&#8220;I would like to have it on every aircraft right now,&#8221; Casey said. &#8220;The barrier prevents anyone from getting to the flight deck when the cockpit door is open.&#8221;</p><p>Casey said on some flights, a refreshment cart is used to block the door.</p><p>&#8220;But that certainly is not effective security protocol,&#8221; Casey said.</p><p>Casey said since Sept. 11, 2001, there have been 51 hijacking attempts around the world.</p><p>Following the September 2001 terrorist attacks, Casey said Congress required commercial aircraft cockpit doors be reinforced. However, on long flights when pilots open the cockpit door for a bathroom break or to get food, the flight deck could be vulnerable.</p><p>The Casey-Toomey amendment would require a cage-like wire mesh barrier to be in place between the passenger cabin and the cockpit door when the main cockpit door is opened, Casey said.</p><p>Other security measures included in the bill are provisions to beef up security in check-in and baggage claim areas and more bomb-sniffing canines in light of terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium, last month.</p><p>According to an Associated Press story about the FAA bill, Airlines for America, the industry group, said it should be up to airlines and not the federal government, to add barriers on planes.</p><p>&#8220;Airlines already use a variety of measures and tactics to ensure the area around the flight deck door is secure,&#8221; the trade group said in the AP story. &#8220;Some U.S. airlines have determined that secondary cockpit barriers are appropriate on certain types of aircraft, which is why we believe the decision on whether to install these systems should remain with individual airlines.&#8221;</p><p>Casey said the average cost to install the second barrier is estimated at between $3,500-$5,000 and some have already been installed on United Airlines planes.</p><p>The senate debated the bill Thursday. Casey said the senate voted 94-4 on a procedural vote to move the bill forward.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m calling on Congress to get this legislation to the president&#8217;s desk as soon as possible,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We need to bolster security at airports and on airplanes themselves.&#8221;</p><p>The amendment offered to install the additional cockpit barrier is known as The Saracini Aviation Act of 2016 &#8212; named after Bucks County resident Captain Victor Saracini who piloted United Flight 175 when it was hijacked by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center.</p><p>The amendment also would increase funding for law enforcement training in the event of an active shooter situation.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Casey </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_bobcasey42415.jpg</photo0><caption0>Casey </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Sen. Robert Casey looks to beef up security at airports and on planes