Comprehensive Aircraft Ground Security and Search Procedures

Aircraft Ramp Security and Monitoring Protocols

• Aircraft Ground Security Responsibilities:

  • An aircraft parked on a ramp must be either secured or monitored at all times.
  • Aircraft ground security is primarily the responsibility of the station.
  • Flight crew members have a responsibility to remain aware of the aircraft status and ensure it is not left in a condition that creates potential security risks or results in financial penalties for the airline or crew members.
  • If a crew is unable to secure an aircraft, one crew member or authorized station personnel must remain physically present at the aircraft until it is fully monitored and secured.
  • Any questions regarding aircraft ground security must be directed to the station Ground Security Coordinator (GSC).

• Securing Parked Aircraft:

  • Aircraft parked without a jetway in the boarding position: The crew must close all aircraft doors prior to leaving the aircraft.
  • Aircraft parked with a jetway in the boarding position: The crew must confirm that the jetway is locked and that all aircraft doors located outside the jetway are closed.

• Aircraft Monitoring Standards:

  • Monitoring must be performed by personnel who have been trained to carry out this specific responsibility.
  • Approved methods for aircraft monitoring (as approved by the Transportation Security Administration - TSA) include:
  • Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring.
  • Police patrols.
  • Other station-specific monitoring means approved by the TSA.
  • Station personnel accomplish aircraft monitoring.
  • Flight crews should contact the GSC if they have questions regarding aircraft security or observe suspicious activity.

Aircraft Security Search Requirements and Conditions

• General TSA Search Mandate:

  • Prior to passenger boarding, the TSA requires that the aircraft be searched for:
  • Suspicious, dangerous, or potentially deadly items.
  • Items listed on the TSA prohibited items list.
  • Indications of or actual tampering with the aircraft.
  • Unauthorized access to the aircraft.
  • An aircraft security search is required for the first scheduled departure at the beginning of each calendar day.

• Remain Overnight (RON) Aircraft Search Rules:

  • For Remain Overnight (RON) aircraft, the security search may occur between arrival at the RON station and the next day's departure.
  • This exception is permitted provided the aircraft has already been serviced, closed, and secured until the following day's flight.

• Mandates and Exceptions for Security Searches:

  • Weather, Maintenance, or ATC Delays: No visual inspection or first-flight-of-the-day search is required or necessary for domestic aircraft delayed by weather, maintenance, or Air Traffic Control (ATC) ground holds departing after midnight on a flight or series of flights.
  • Unsecured Hangars: A security search is required when an aircraft returns to service from an unsecured hangar.
  • Endeavor Air secured hangars are excluded from this requirement if the aircraft has been attended continuously after exiting the hangar.
  • International Flights: A security search is required for all departures and arrivals between the United States and non-US locations.
  • Exception: This requirement does not apply to aircraft already searched that calendar day in the United States or Canada that will continue service between the United States and Canada.
  • Unattended Aircraft or Security Incidents: A search is required for any unattended aircraft or following a security-related incident, as determined by the Inflight Security Coordinator (ISC), Ground Security Coordinator (GSC), Operations Control Center (OCC), or TSA.

Search Execution, Roles, and Documentation

• Personnel Performing Searches:

  • Aircraft Customer Services normally conducts the search of the passenger cabin and cargo areas of the aircraft.
  • Maintenance personnel may inspect the passenger cabin and cargo areas if Airport Customer Services personnel are unavailable.
  • Search inspections may be conducted concurrently with cabin servicing operations, such as cabin cleaning or catering servicing.

• Documentation and Verification:

  • An Aircraft Search Inspection Checklist is left in the flight deck to indicate that the cabin and cargo areas have been inspected.
  • For the first flight of the day security search, Endeavor Air uses the latest Delta Air Lines Aircraft Search Inspection Checklist form.
  • The First Flight of the Day Aircraft Search Checklist provided to the crew by station personnel validates that the aircraft has been secured, monitored, and/or attended.
  • If the search checklist is unavailable, the flight crew may accept verbal assurance from the station GSC that the search has been completed.
  • Flight crew members are responsible for ensuring normal preflight duties are accomplished; no special preflight procedures are addressed for an aircraft security search.

• Inflight Threat and Suspicious Item Protocols:

  • If a flight attendant finds a suspicious item or suspects an item has been tampered with, they must report it directly to the ISC.
  • When a credible threat, sabotage, or other unlawful interference is suspected during a flight, the Pilot in Command (PIC) may direct flight attendants to conduct a search of cabin areas for suspicious items, such as concealed weapons, explosives, or other dangerous devices.

Cabin and Cargo Inspection Locations

• Specific Areas Included in Security Search:
  • All compartments containing emergency equipment.
  • All carts, Atlas containers, and galley compartments, including physical spaces located behind carts and Atlas containers.
  • All passenger bag stowage locations, including wardrobe closets, overhead bins, and under-seat stowage spaces.
  • Lavatories, including all accessible compartments such as spaces under the sink and the trash compartment.

TSA Random Inspections and Aircraft Door Sealing

• TSA Random Visual Inspections:

  • At locations within the United States, the TSA is tasked with conducting random visual inspections of the aircraft cabin prior to passenger boarding.
  • Once a TSA visual inspection has begun, passengers must not be allowed to board the aircraft until directed by the TSA.
  • If a crew member boards an aircraft and encounters an unrecognized individual, they must challenge the individual and verify appropriate identification.
  • Once a TSA agent identifies themselves and their purpose, they must be allowed to complete the search.

• Aircraft Door Sealing Protocols:

  • An aircraft sealing procedure may be implemented at the discretion of the station.
  • If aircraft doors are sealed upon arrival, flight attendants must not disturb the seals.
  • Station personnel or the flight crew must check, remove, and log the seal numbers before the door can be opened.
  • Jet Bridge Exception: A security seal is not required on a passenger boarding door if a jet bridge is attached and the jet bridge doors are equipped with locks prohibiting unauthorized entry from the terminal or ramp.
  • Continuous Monitoring Exception: Door seals are not required if the aircraft has been continually monitored by Aircraft Customer Services personnel since the security inspection was completed.
  • Delta Air Lines Standard Procedure: Delta's standard procedure is to accomplish the inspection in the morning and not utilize door seals.
  • General Seal Program Rules:
  • Not all stations participate in a seal program.
  • Stations are not required to provide a seal log to the crew.
  • An aircraft may alternatively be monitored, secured, and attended following standard ground security policies.
  • If in doubt regarding seal or security status, personnel should contact the GSC or their designee.

TSA Security Strategy, Threat Reporting, and Screening Operations

• TSA Security Mission and Strategy:

  • The transportation security mission and security measures begin long before passengers arrive at the airport.
  • TSA works closely with intelligence and law enforcement communities to share information.
  • TSA continuously adjusts screening processes and procedures to meet evolving threats and achieve maximum transportation security.

• Suspicious Activity Reporting Protocols:

  • TSA counts on aircraft crews, ground crews, and the traveling public to report suspicious activities ("If you see something, say something").
  • Reportable activities include:
  • Unattended bags or packages.
  • Individuals in possession of a threatening item.
  • Persons attempting to enter a restricted area.
  • Similar suspicious activities at airports, train stations, bus stops, and ports.
  • Suspicious activity must be reported immediately to a person of authority and to local law enforcement by calling 911.

• Passenger and Baggage Screening:

  • Passenger and baggage screening is part of TSA's layered approach to security to ensure flight safety on the ground and in the air.
  • Checked Baggage: TSA personnel screen all checked baggage from passengers upon check-in before bags are loaded onto the aircraft.
  • Checkpoint Screening: TSA screens all passengers along with all carry-on bags at security checkpoints in every United States airport to prevent prohibited items and threats from entering the airport sterile area.

Passenger Positive Bag Match (PPBM) Requirements

• Overview of PPBM:

  • Passenger Positive Bag Match (PPBM) is a security measure implemented by the TSA requiring air carriers to match checked baggage with its corresponding onboard passenger.

• International PPBM Mandate:

  • For international flights, 100% PPBM is strictly required.
  • All checked bags must be matched to a passenger who is on board the aircraft.
  • If a passenger is not on board for any reason, their baggage must be located in the cargo compartment and removed from the flight.

• Domestic PPBM Mandate:

  • For domestic flights, bags that have been screened by TSA-approved screening do not need to be removed if the corresponding passenger is not on board.