Bert wrote:

It's a little known fact that the NFL was a condition demanded
by the insurance industry of the US gov't as a prerequisite to
continue to provide insurance coverage for the US airline
industry.

How did you come to know this "little known fact?"


http://www.iata.org/pressroom/docume...1-aviation.pdf

The Impact of 9.11 on Airline War Risk Insurance

On September 17 2001, all aviation insurers issued a seven-day notice of
cancellation of the air transport industry’s third party war risk
insurance. This action was unprecedented and threatened the shutdown of
the entire aviation industry.

The private sector quickly returned to the market, but at a considerably
greater cost to airlines—an additional $2 billion in premiums for far
more limited coverage than that provided by some states. Some states
took stop-gap measures to aid airlines during the initial period. For
example, the Federal Aviation Administration continues to provide war
risk insurance to meet US airlines’ needs. This, however, has created
distortions in the commercial marketplace, putting non-US airlines at a
competitive disadvantage.

Efforts by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to
revise the Rome Convention to create a victim compensation fund
concluded in 2009. The revised Convention needs 35 signatories in order
to come into force and to date just eight ICAO member states have signed
it.

As a result, the airline industry remains extremely vulnerable to a
future disruption of cancellation of war risk insurance.

Checkpoint of the Futu

The checkpoint combines two distinct elements: classification of
passengers through risk assessment, and advanced screening technology.
Risk assessment of passengers is a vital step towards focusing on
catching dangerous people not just dangerous items. Passengers
approaching the checkpoint will be directed to one of three lanes,
depending on the information scanned from their passport or ticket.

Known Travelers’, who have registered and completed background checks
with government authorities will have expedited access through known
traveler lanes.

‘Normal’ passengers will be sent through a standard security lane.

‘Enhanced security’ travelers, about whom little advance information is
available or who are on a government checklist, will be sent to a lane
where they are searched more thoroughly. A random element will ensure
that it is impossible to cheat the system.