SEATAC – A Pierce County boy who got in trouble last year when he stole a car, got caught, then snuck onto a flight from SeaTac to Phoenix to San Antonio is back in the news again after being arrested after trying to board another flight Tuesday.

The Transportation Security Administration claims that Semaj Booker was captured at a gate at SeaTac Airport after he failed to show a boarding pass.

Surveillance video shows Booker passed through the central checkpoint security area without any problems, but it’s still not clear how he managed to get through without a boarding pass. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it became a requirement to have a ticket when passing through security.

A TSA spokesperson says Booker was trying to board a Southwest Airlines flight, but it’s not immediately clear where he was trying to go or where in the airport he was finally caught.

The boy is back in his mother’s custody. A Tacoma Police spokesperson says his mother reported him missing at 3 a.m.

The TSA says it believes checks and balances are place to make the airport secure, but it will be reviewing security protocol.

In January 2007, then 9-year-old Semaj Booker got through airport security, boarded another Southwest Airlines flight by passing himself off as a 12-year-old whose mother was waiting for him in the boarding area. His information matched a paid ticketless reservation for the flight so agents gave him a boarding pass.

The boy’s mother said then he disliked the Lakewood neighborhood where the family lived and wanted to be with his grandfather in Dallas.

Before his odyssey last year, Booker was arrested after leading police on chase on Highway 512 at speeds up to 90 mph, finally ending in a crash. Once he was released back to his family, he ran away for his cross-country trip until his capture in Texas.

He was charged with car theft, attempting to elude a pursing police vehicle and driving without a license.

SOURCE:

• KING-TV

UPDATE: Yesterday we received an email from Perry Cooper, the Media Officer for SeaTac Airport.

In it he offers the following corrections on the story:

The errors in the current story refer to the first paragraph which states a van was able to get on the runway, that is far from correct.  The area in question is the general aviation area on the far west side of the airport directly opposite the main terminal. For most people this is considered the private/charter area.

The situation was the gentleman was allowed inside the security gate in order to pick up a VIP, in this case a military General. As mentioned, all procedures were followed and he was allowed inside the gate to await the arrival of the VIP. His concern was, from where he was, he could step on the gas and get to the runway, which is about 3/4’s of a mile away.

Finally, this is an addition to federal regulations which apply to all general aviation airports in the country. Sea-Tac has now added an additional procedure in addition to the federal regulations.  

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AS PREVIOUSLY (and apparently erroneously) REPORTED:

SEATAC – After an incident we reported on earlier where a man was able to drive his van onto the tarmac without being searched or checked, security procedures at SeaTac Airport have been tightened.

The incident happened several days ago in an area reserved for corporate jets. At that time, there were no local or federal requirements to check IDs or screen vehicles at the entrance to the corporate terminal.

Chris Clodfelter said he was waved onto a runway on the terminal’s south side without question, and said he could’ve gotten away with anything.

“There was no security,” he said. “And we’re in a running vehicle on an apron at Seattle International Airport and could be out on the active runway in less than 60 seconds.”

After the incident, security officials took a look at their procedures, said Sea-Tac spokeswoman Terri Anne Betancourt.

On Monday officials changed policies, and they no longer allow any vehicles on the tarmac, Betancourt said. Passengers now have their ID checked at the corporate gate and have to park their vehicle outside, then walk in.

Even before the procedures were tightened, airport officials said Clodfelter was watched the entire time he was on the runway.

There also said there has never been a security lapse in this part of the terminal, officials said.

SOURCE:

• KOMO News

SEATAC – Congestion at Sea-Tac Airport may ease soon due to a new high-tech parking system put in place recently.

The new system monitors traffic conditions through cameras and uses signs to help visitors find open parking spaces.

And it’s just in time, as over 109,000 passengers are expected to go through the airport today, the busiest day of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Previously, many passengers got stuck in a seemingly endless loop, circling the six floors of the parking garage looking for a place to park.

This new system utilizes 88 cameras to monitor traffic in the garage. These cameras are linked to 80 new signs that direct drivers to floors and rows with available parking spaces.

Once on a floor, a sign will indicate how many spaces are available to the left or right, said the Port of Seattle today. More signs will indicate how many spaces are available within each four-row section.

Friday will be the busiest day of the holiday weekend, but today also has been busy with a projected 105,000 passengers. For the rest of the weekend, Saturday is expected to have 85,000 passengers; Sunday, 75,000 passengers; and Monday, 87,000.

These projected numbers put the weekend in the top third of the airport’s busiest days. The busiest days are during the height of the summer travel season in mid-August.

For more information on parking and other Sea-Tac tips, go to www.portseattle.org/seatac.

Danny Westneat of The Seattle Times has an interesting column about a recent, unusual security breach at SeaTac Airport.

This one did not involve any fluids over four ounces however; rather, it’s a story about a van driven right onto the tarmac by a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army named Greg Alderete.

An excerpt:

So when he realized he had driven a van onto a runway tarmac at Sea-Tac airport — and that no one had asked his name, checked his ID or searched his vehicle — well, he just about lost it.

“I was appalled,” Alderete says. “If you go in the airport’s front door, they take away your tube of toothpaste. But the back door? That’s the weakest security of any critical facility I’ve ever seen.”

“We were sitting there, the engine idling, nobody around, when all of a sudden I realized: We’re out on the goddamn runway,” Alderete recalled. “We’re in a gassed-up, seven-passenger van, and no one really knows who we are. We have an unobstructed path to the main runways, the commercial gates, the whole place. It was unbelievable.”

Full story here.

SEATAC – Nw u cn uz txt msgs 2 chk flts @ c-tc!

In other words…now you can use text messages to check flights at Sea-Tac!

The new service, implemented by the Port of Seattle, allows travelers the convenience of checking their flight information on their cell phones.

It uses a simple text message request that returns updated flight information back to the user’s phone via text message and is compatible with most cell phone brands.

Users get real-time flight information including current departure or arrival times, gate numbers, and additional flight status updates.

Here’s how it works:

• Text “FlySEA” (359732)
• Text the name of your airline and flight number. For example: Alaska 1234
• Within seconds, you’ll receive the latest real-time information, including the flight number, departure or arrival time, gate number and flight status
• Cell phone updates are a one-time, passenger activated service
• In order to receive another update you must text the address again
• Your cell phone carrier’s standard rates apply

For those interested in receiving e-mail notifications for real-time flight status, customers must sign up for the free service on the Port of Seattle’s Web site.