Philadelphia International Airport

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) continues to maintain the highest levels of safety and security following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Philadelphia was one of the first Airports to re-open on September 12th, meeting and exceeding security directives established by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). PHL flight operations have returned to near normal with the airlines now operating nearly 100% of their scheduled daily service. As the nation attempts to return to normal air travel, PHL continues to work on a daily basis with the FAA to insure that passengers are safe and secure. The Airport has already committed to spend more than $4 million implementing the latest security technologies. Airport employee security initiatives include the re-validation of more than 13,000 badges, insuring that access by employees to secure areas is authorized. Additionally, the Airport has hired 31 additional Philadelphia Police officers, and the Pennsylvania National Guard and Pennsylvania State Police are now stationed at security checkpoints. The Airport is proud of its security record, and we are concerned about recent reports regarding past violations of FAA security requirements by one of the screening companies contracted by the airlines. In 1998, as part of our normal auditing process, PHL notified the FAA about questionable background information regarding Argenbright Security employees. This company was ultimately prosecuted in 2000 for falsifying employment documents. The company was fined and the perpetrators imprisoned. This aggressive approach to security is the standard at PHL. While the Airport and airlines are again operating, passengers should be aware that new security procedures are still in effect.