asks why the politicians aren’t looking past security measures and background checks in response to the tragedy at the SeaTac airport earlier this month.
EARLIER THIS month, Richard “Beebo” Russell, a ramp attendant for Horizon Air, took a commercial airliner from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on a joy ride. This was unprecedented: No non-pilot has ever taken off in a commercial airliner on an unauthorized trip from a U.S. international airport.
Tragically, Russell ended up crashing on an island on Puget Sound after an hour and 15 minutes. He died in the crash. Thankfully, no one else was on board and no one on the ground was hurt.
Because Russell was white, government agencies quickly declared that this wasn’t a “terrorist” event. The news reports focused on two questions: “Why and how did Russell do this?” and “What was wrong with airport security?”
Maria Cantwell, a U.S. senator from Washington state, called for an investigation and new regulations. Airport officials and Horizon promised to make sure this never happens again. In defending themselves, airport and corporate officials note that Russell had passed an extensive background check before he was hired.
As usual, the response of public officials has been to try to ramp up security. But Russell had all his security clearances. He was where he was allowed to be. He had passed all the background checks.
More security will only raise the cost of air travel and provide an opportunity to further scapegoat the vulnerable. It certainly won’t solve the problem.
No politician has used this incident as an opportunity to call for improvement of conditions for workers at SeaTac and other airports. Airline companies want to increase profits as much as possible by lowering wages and working conditions. They are concerned with safety and security issues, but not to the extent of taking action that would cut into their profits.
It will be up to workers at the airports, supported by others acting in solidarity, to organize against the upside-down priorities of the airline companies. Only by raising wages and improving conditions will we lessen the likelihood of tragedies like this one.