The holiday season has long been synonymous with travel, as we -- in the words of that famous holiday carol -- make our way "over the river and through the woods" to see our loved ones. Although the travel can be tedious, costly, and stressful at times, the ability to spend this special time with friends and family makes the journey worthwhile.
In the post 9/11 world, the hurdles we encounter while traveling tend toward long lines, traffic, and security checkpoints rather than rivers and woods, but they still threaten to put a damper on the holiday spirit. Still, most Americans are willing to undergo that inconvenience to spend the holidays with their families. Despite the hassles, this year's holiday travel is poised to set records. According to the American Automobile Association, an estimated 1.62 million Americans will fly over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
For these Americans who are planning to fly this holiday weekend, security and privacy concerns are part of the challenges they can expect to face. Unfortunately, as we have seen from last month's attempted attack on the our air cargo system and the attempted Christmas Day bombing last year, aviation continues to be the target of terrorist plots. In attempting to address this threat and protect travelers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), has recently implemented new screening methods.
These enhanced screening methods have come under intense scrutiny and raised important questions about our need to strike a balance between security and privacy concerns. As someone who flies regularly, I sympathize with travelers who have raised concerns about TSA's new screening methods. Lines at airport checkpoints are often long and the screening process itself is tedious and increasingly intrusive. On the other hand, I am also mindful that the things TSA does are not intended to frustrate travelers, but rather to prevent terrorists from boarding airplanes. That said, I'm certain there's more that TSA can do to improve the screening process and ensure that, as much as possible, the most intrusive screening methods are used on the most high-risk passengers.
One way to do that is to put a greater emphasis on -- and investment in -- recruiting, training and retaining highly-qualified individuals to work as TSA employees, particularly as security screeners. In the nearly 10 years since 9/11, we have been fairly lucky -- as opposed to good -- when it comes to detecting another attack on our airplanes. As much as we have improved aviation security, terrorists' tactics keep getting more sophisticated and innovative.
To effectively protect American travelers, our airports need a layered, multifaceted approach to security that is nimble enough to respond to a variety of threats. Technology is only one layer and can quickly become obsolete, as last month's incident involving sophisticated, undetectable bombs proves. Unlike technology and equipment which often have a short shelf life, well-trained people remain effective for longer periods of time. That is why TSA's screeners must be considered our first line of defense when it comes to protecting our skies. By requiring and investing in highly qualified, well-trained security personnel, we can better utilize our current technology and more effectively protect the lives and cargo flying on our planes every day.
Recognizing that training TSA workers properly is a matter of national security, in September, I introduced the Aviation Security Innovation & Reform Act (AIR) of 2010 along with my colleague Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.). This legislation would improve the safety of American airports by enhancing air passenger screening programs and bolstering state and local law enforcement partnerships to deter terrorism. Our bill would also improve the training of the TSA's screening workforce by ensuring that every Transportation Security Officer receives increased training and must be recertified twice a year to ensure that they are up to date with the latest techniques to identify terrorists and other security threats. Perhaps most importantly, it expands an existing program at TSA to train screeners in behavior detection methods that can be used to spot dangerous individuals. These techniques have been successfully utilized in other countries like Israel that face similar terror threats and could be used in America to make sure as much as possible that only high-risk passengers are subjected to TSA's new enhanced screening methods.
Training TSA workers is one piece of our security puzzle. I also believe that we need to implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations that mandate screening for every passenger bag and all cargo prior to entering the U.S. It is also imperative that American officials work with our foreign partners and major international shipping companies to screen commercial air freight.
Ultimately, the security of Americans as we travel -- whether by train, plane, boat or automobile -- is paramount. This is a challenging, but critical, task that will require us to balance cost, privacy, and security concerns with the ever-changing threat environment. Technology can help in this effort, but at the end of the day, we rely on people to protect us, and we have to make the necessary investments in their training to keep us safe.
Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) is a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.