Canada to USA baggage rescreening foolishness
Wording in aviation security regulations requires that baggage checked and screened in Canada be rescreened when it is transfered to another flight in the USA.
Passengers from Canada have their passports checked and complete immigration procedures in Canada. They also have their luggage screened according to the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules with TSA personnel assigned in Canada. However, even with that federally-approved and supervised screening, the luggage must be taken off flights arriving from Canada and rescreened before being being put on any connecting flights in the USA.
According to a report by Air Transport World
Nearly 6 million bags annually coming into the US on transborder flights from Canada have to be rescreened even though in many cases the bags were screened by top-flight equipment at major Canadian airports just a couple of hours previously and also were examined by US CBP. Airports Council International-North America estimates that as many as 100,000 of those bags are misplaced annually and “conservatively” pegs the figure TSA and airlines spend each year in additional labor costs to meet the requirement at $10 million.
It would seem that Congress could fix the “wording” in question to allow luggage the same freedom of movement when it arrives from Canada as it allows passengers.
According to the Air Transport World report, “…since 2003, US regulators have been bedeviled by a clause in aviation security legislation passed in 2001 that requires checked bags on “flights and flight segments originating in the US” to be screened “before boarding and [screening] shall be carried out by a federal employee.”
Here is the Catch 22 — Though the luggage has already been screened by a federal employee in Canada, because the continuing flight originates in the US, it must be rescreened. Passengers, on the other hand, once screened in Canada do not require rescreening.
Seems liike common sense should prevail, however, “(TSA) has been unable to figure out how to reconcile this language.”
Looks like here is another place where the airline industry and our government overseers could use a little leadership.
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