每天，美国联邦航空管理局的空中交通组织为 44,000 个航班和 270 万名乘客提供服务。商用航空是一个庞大的行业，对许多生活和行业产生重大的日常影响。尽管航空旅行很重要，但很少有其他消费品行业的信任和安全感如此微妙。
2001 年 9 月 11 日的事件向整整一代人证明了当有恶意的人登上飞机时会发生什么。这些教训在多年后产生了反响，在机场安全领域最为明显，过去比现在轻松得多。它们还会影响幕后发生的事情，以确保乘客安全——尤其是航空公司进行的员工背景调查。
对航空公司和机场工作人员的员工背景调查是深入的。虽然有许多公司由竞争公司控制，但 它们的航空公司和机场背景调查 是相似的。原因是这些背景调查很大程度上取决于 FAA 和运输安全管理局 (TSA) 制定的政策。每个政府机构都有一套不同的要求，机场和航空公司在审查其员工时必须满足这些要求。 例如，TSA 背景调查要求在多个级别（县、 州、 联邦和 FBI）进行刑事搜查、 许可证验证、 社会安全号码验证、 驾驶历史检查等。
这些背景调查多年来一直在发展。2015 年，TSA 发现一名行李搬运工 在航班上走私枪支。事件发生后，该机构加强了对员工背景调查的要求，实施了一项新程序，旨在允许 对人员进行 持续的刑事监控。
背景调查并不是唯一感兴趣的问题。2019 年，联合国推动制定一项全球标准，要求所有机场或航空公司员工在进入机场禁区之前都要接受筛查。联合国提案背后的意图是防止员工通过携带违禁品通过安检并登上飞机来滥用他们的特权。美国立法者反对这一想法，认为这会增加延误和成本，而不会比现有政策提供显着的安全收益。大多数机场的标准是，机场和航空公司员工在进入禁区时随机接受筛查。
即使有员工背景调查和安全要求，危险有时也会从裂缝中溜走。2019 年 9 月，美国航空公司的一名机械师因涉嫌企图在从迈阿密国际机场起飞前一小时破坏客机而被捕。机械师 Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani 现年 60 岁，自 1988 年以来一直在美国航空公司工作。对 Alani 的进一步调查显示，十年前，他被发现对几项“导致美国联邦航空局多次调查的失误。” 美国航空公司错过了纪律处分，因为在违规行为发生时，阿拉尼已经是一名员工。
航空公司和机场的背景调查对于保护每天乘坐飞机的数百万乘客至关重要。虽然机场安全自 9/11 以来一直是优先事项，但这并不意味着今天的系统和政策是完美的。
正如美国航空公司的机械工案例所证明的那样，员工背景调查和监控仍有改进的空间。通过灵活并愿意根据需要更新员工筛查政策，航空公司可以继续为所有人提供更安全的航空旅行。
The events of September 11, 2001 proved to an entire generation what can happen when someone with malicious intent boards a plane. Those lessons reverberate years later, most evident in the realm of airport security, which used to be far more relaxed than it is now. They also impact what occurs behind the scenes to keep passengers safe—particularly regarding the employee background checks that airlines conduct.
Employee background checks for airline and airport workers are in-depth. While there are numerous companies controlled by competing corporations, their airline and airport background checks are similar. The reason is that these background checks are largely dictated by policies laid forth by the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Each government agency has a different set of requirements that airports and airlines must meet when vetting their employees. A TSA background check, for instance, demands criminal searches at multiple levels (county, state, federal, and FBI), license verifications, Social Security Number validations, driving history checks, and more.
These background checks have evolved over the years. In 2015, the TSA discovered that a baggage handler had been smuggling firearms aboard flights. The agency ramped up its employee background check requirements in the wake of that incident, implementing a new process intended to permit ongoing criminal monitoring of personnel.
Background checks aren’t the only matter of interest. In 2019, the United Nations pushed to establish a global standard that would require all airport or airline employees to be screened before entering restricted areas at airports. The intention behind the UN proposal was to prevent employees from abusing their privileges by carrying contraband past security and onto aircraft. U.S. legislators pushed back against the idea, arguing that it would add delays and costs without providing notable security gains over existing policies. It is standard at most airports for airport and airline employees to be screened at random when entering restricted areas.
Even with employee background checks and security requirements in place, dangers sometimes slip through the cracks. In September 2019, an American Airlines mechanic was arrested for allegedly attempting to sabotage a passenger flight an hour before it took off from Miami International Airport. The mechanic—Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani—was 60 years old and had worked for American Airlines since 1988. Further investigation of Alani revealed that he had been fired from a concurrent job with Alaska Airlines a decade earlier after being found responsible for several “missteps that led to multiple FAA investigations.” American Airlines missed that disciplinary action because Alani was already an employee when the offense occurred.
Airline and airport background checks are vital for protecting the millions of passengers who take to the skies each day. While airport security has been a priority since 9/11, that doesn’t mean the systems and policies in place today are perfect.
As the American Airlines mechanic case proves, there is still room for improvement in employee background checks and monitoring. By being flexible and willing to update their employee screening policies as needed, airlines can continue to make air travel safer for all.
