Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) was ranked the third best airport in the world by the annual Airport Council International (ACI). It also received the Airport Service Quality Awards for 2011. CSIA was also rated as the second best in India, for airports handling 25-40 million passengers per annum (mmpa).

The survey was conducted across 180 airports in the world. G V Reddy, managing director of Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), said the award showed improvement in service quality at the airport.

“This award is a reaffirmation of our vision to transform CSIA into one of the world’s best airports that consistently delight customers and be the pride of Mumbai. It is gratifying to note that we received this award last year in the 15-25 mppa category and again this year in the 25-40 mppa category,” Reddy said.

The survey, undertaken by ACI, was conducted with passenger feedback on fliers’ experiences from their arrival till departure. CSIA catered to 29.1 million passengers between April 2010 - March 2011, a MIAL spokesperson said.

A new passenger screening program to make check in more convenient for certain travelers is being expanded to 28 more major U.S. airports, the government said Wednesday. There will be no cost to eligible passengers, who would no longer have to remove their shoes and belts before they board flights.

The airports include the three used by hijackers to launch the terror attacks in September 2001: Washington Dulles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Boston's Logan International Airport.

The Transportation Security Administration's program, already in a test phase in seven other airports, is the Obama administration's first attempt at a passenger screening program responsive to frequent complaints that the government is not using common sense when it screens all passengers at airports in the same way. Under the new program, eligible travelers have the option to volunteer more personal information about themselves so that the government can vet them for security purposes before they arrive at airport checkpoints.

"Good, thoughtful, sensible security by its very nature facilitates lawful travel and legitimate commerce," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said.

The program works this way: Participating travelers will walk through a dedicated lane at airport security checkpoints. They will provide the TSA officer with a specially marked boarding pass. A machine will read the barcode, and travelers deemed "low-risk," will likely be allowed to keep on belts, shoes and jackets and leave laptops and liquids in bags when being screened.

Not everyone is eligible to participate in the program, which is already being tested at airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Eligible travelers are some of those who participate in American and Delta airlines' frequent flier programs, as well as travelers in three other trusted traveler programs, which do charge fees to participate. About 336,000 passengers have been screened through the program since the testing began last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

By the end of 2012, the government expects select passengers in frequent flier programs for US Airways, United and Alaska Airlines to be eligible to participate. The program is expected to be operating in Reagan National Airport near Washington, Salt Lake City International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport by the end of March.

"We are pleased to expand this important effort, in collaboration with our airline and airport partners, as we move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more intelligence-driven, risk-based transportation security system," said TSA chief John Pistole.

Pistole has said he hopes to eventually test the program at all airports and with all airlines around the country, but that might take years.

For commuter convenience and enhanced connectivity to the high speed Airport Metro Express Line (AMEL), a multi-level car parking is coming up close to Shivaji Stadium Metro station in central Delhi, officials said on Monday.

To be operational in a month's time, the parking facility will be close to Connaught Place and provide relief to thousands using the metro.

"The new multi-level parking area will come up at Shivaji Stadium Airport Metro station, with a parking capacity of 1,400 cars. It will be operational by the end of this month," said a spokesperson of Reliance Infrastructure, the concessionaire company.

Already, a multi-level car parking is operational at New Delhi Airport Metro station.

"The multi-level parking lot will give additional commuter convenience and connectivity to the airport Metro. These parking lots can be used by non commuters who need to park their cars and enjoy the retail experience at these Metro stations," said the spokesperson.

Currently the AMEL attracts a footfall of 20,000 on an average every day. The metro authorities require more ridership with the opening of car parking facilities.

Built at a cost of Rs.5,700 crore, the 23km Airport Metro Express line has six stations: New Delhi Railway Station, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Aero City, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Dwarka Sector 21.

First level one of the project, to be finished in 2013, will create a new Terminal B south concourse dedicated to regional jet operations

Houston Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston Airport System, in partnership with United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL), today broke ground on the first stage of a three-phase redevelopment project at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Stage one of the plans, to be completed in 2013, will create a new Terminal B south concourse dedicated to regional jet operations.

The $160 million south concourse plan will replace the existing south side flight stations with a new 225,000 square-foot facility to accommodate United's regional aircraft. At nearly four times the size of the existing space, the new concourse will provide a better customer experience, as it will feature modern and expanded gate lounge areas, concessions and restroom facilities.

Travelers will way in the new concourse from the terminal via a 95 foot wide bridge with 13,000 square feet of food, beverage and retail concessions a 500 percent increase in concession space over the current facility. The concourse will feature 28 foot high floor to ceiling glass windows, offering expansive tarmac-views from spacious central passenger lounge areas with durable and modern interior finishes.

"As I noted in my inaugural address, producing jobs for Houstonians is my number one job for the next two years," said Mayor Parker. "Stage one of this billion-dollar investment with United is the first delivery on that promise. We celebrate the boost to our local economy that will result from this investment. Houston will thrive as our global gateway expands to include more flights and greater access to business connections all over the world."

"Houston is our largest center and a vital international gateway in United's network," said Pete McDonald, United's executive vice president and chief operations officer. "This investment in the Houston hub will let us to accommodate more customers and more aircraft types, provide new amenities for travelers and improve efficiencies for the new United."

Plans for future phases of the $1 billion redevelopment project include redevelopment of the central Terminal-B lobby and baggage claim areas, a new international-capable north concourse for mainline and regional jets, a new Terminal B Federal Inspections Services (FIS) facility and infrastructure advance.

The total three-phase redevelopment project is intended over the next seven to 10 years, based on demand.

The project's design incorporates energy efficient techniques using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard.

The Houston Airport System is partnering with United on the project and the new construction will be an important investment in the local economy by creating many jobs.

President Barack Obama signed a bill into law yesterday to streamline airport screening procedures for service members and their families traveling on official orders.

The Risk-based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act gives the Transportation Security Administration six months to develop and implement a plan to expedite screening services for service members on orders and in uniform and, “to the extent possible, any accompanying family member.”

The act, in part, calls for the agency to establish standard guidelines for the screening of military uniform items, such as combat boots.

In a statement released today, agency officials said they’re in the process of reviewing options for these new procedures in consultation with the Defense Department.

Even before this law, the agency had several measures in place to aid troops through the screening process. For example, troops in uniform with a military identification card aren’t required to remove their boots or shoes unless they set off an alarm, according to the agency’s website.

The agency also seeks to accommodate family members. Families who would like to accompany a deploying service member to the boarding gate or greet them upon their return may receive passes to enter the secure area of the airport, the site said. Family members, agency officials advise, should contact their air carrier representative at the airport for local procedures.

The agency also expedites the screening process for Honor Flight veterans, and partners with the Defense Department to expedite screening for wounded warriors and their families. The Honor Flight Network organization transports veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit their war memorials.

Also aimed at expediting screening procedures, the agency is testing a new program at the airport in Monterey, Calif. In mid-November, troops traveling out of Monterey Peninsula Airport began presenting their DOD identification to a document checker for card-reader scanning.

The pilot program is designed to test the technology to verify service members’ status. If successful, it could pave the way for service members to be included in the agency’s expedited screening program, agency officials said, enabling them to use special lanes at participating airports to pass more quickly through airport security. These expedited procedures could involve not having to remove their shoes, belt and jackets or their laptops from bags

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking for monitor the levels of radiation that its employees are exposed to from X-ray technology, as well as airport body scanners, a document from the agency says.

In the document, the TSA said it plans to begin performing radiation measurements using personal dosimeters, which are devices worn on the body that calculate a person's exposure to radiation, at certain airports. Such devices are used by people who work near sources of radiation such as hospital and nuclear power-plant employees.

"The measurements will assist the TSA in find out if the Transportation Security Officers (TSO) at selected federalized airports are exposed to ionizing radiation above minimum detectable levels, and whether any measured radiation doses approach or exceed the threshold where personnel dosimeter monitoring is necessary by [Department of Homeland Security]/TSA policy," according to the document, which was posted on a government website.

The purpose of the document, called "asking for information," is to discover and collect information on vendors that could supply personal dosimeters to the TSA.
Personal dosimeters measure accurately how much radiation a person receives, so the levels can be compared with the limits set by the government.

Experts today show surprise that such devices, which are needed by law for anyone who works with radiation, were not already used by airport screeners.

"I wouldn’t dream of them not having that already," said Dr. Nagy Elsayyad, a radiation oncologist at the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine. "They really should have some form of monitoring tool," Elsayyad said.

"By any possible definition, they are radiation workers," said David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Airport screening and radiation

Some of the airport body scanners, recognized as backscatter scanners, emit X-rays which bounce off the body to create an image. There are about 250 such scanners in use in the United States.

Michael McCarthy, a spokesman for TSA, said personal dosimeters are not at present used by TSA employees because the level of radiation they are exposed to "is well below the minimum threshold where personal dosimeters would be needed."
The actual levels of radiation exposure to airport security workers should be look into, he said. Elsayyad said the plan to start using personal dosimeters should be recommended.

Gray area

The body scanners produce about 0.15 microsieverts of radiation per scan. This dose is equivalent to the radiation a human being would be exposed to in two minutes of flying in an airplane, the TSA said.

The health effects of such small radiation doses are still unsure. "We're sort of in this very big gray area," said Dr. Jacqueline Williams, a radiation expert at the University of Rochester in New York. Though Williams said in a previous interview the effects to an individual passenger are probably negligible.