FAA FINES AMERICAN $536,000 FOR ALLEGED CARGO SECURITY VIOLATIONS

FAA FINES AMERICAN $536,000 FOR ALLEGED CARGO SECURITY VIOLATIONS    The Federal Aviation Administration said it is seeking $536,000 in civil penalties against American Airlines for multiple alleged cargo security violations.
   FAA special agents discovered the alleged violations by American at eight airports nationwide in late October 2000, during a special nationwide assessment of the airline’s compliance with FAA security procedures.
   Inspectors found that American failed to comply with requirements relating to: cargo acceptance, cargo screening, training of screening personnel, and maintenance of training records for cargo acceptance and screening personnel.
   Richard Denhart, manager of cargo marketing communications for American Airlines, said the carrier has enacted measures to prevent future similar occurrences, and added that immediately after the October findings, American began retraining loading personnel.
   “In many cases, we retrained entire stations,” Denhart said. “We are spending countless man-hours and dollars to ensure the safety of aircraft, customers and employees.”