Honolulu Airport gaffe
could result in Hawaiian
Air paying fines

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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com

The security breach that shut down Honolulu Airport for two hours Sunday was due to "operator error," not the quality of equipment there, according to state and federal representatives.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Tweet Coleman said that Wackenhut, the private security firm doing screening for Hawaiian Airlines, is conducting an internal investigation of the incident.

On Sunday morning, a screener did not act quickly enough to detain a passenger so his luggage could be searched for what appeared to be a gun.

Authorities determined that there never was an actual gun, that it was a test image to keep screeners on their toes. But the screener's lack of quickness resulted in the whole airport being shut down while passengers were rechecked.

Coleman said a subsequent FAA investigation will take months and could ultimately result in Hawaiian paying up to $11,000 per violation, since the airline is responsible for the actions of its security company.

In the meantime, she said the FAA is being "even more vigilant" about observing screeners who are checking bags at the airport.