The presidents of several ASTA chapters have called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-New York) and Gov. Chris Christie (R-New Jersey) to open an independent investigation into an incident that occurred on Aug. 14 at New York JFK, specifically calling out the lack of communication that night.
That evening, something caused panic in the airport, and there were reports of gunfire (it was later determined that no shots had been fired). It resulted in the evacuation of several terminals. One possible cause offered was Jamaican Usain Bolt's Olympic victory and the related celebrations within the terminals.
In a letter from ASTA chapter presidents Jerry Mack (Long Island), Ralph Vasami (New York City) and Jack Hirleman (New Jersey, also representing upstate New York) to the governors, they described the scene at the airport as "an hours-long stretch of mass panic, stampedes and other unsafe and unacceptable conditions.
"We believe this episode revealed how poorly trained our Port Authority, Transportation Security Administration and airline staff are in dealing with these types of situations," they wrote. "Travelers reported no communication at all for hours from anyone in a position of authority; some airline staff reacted inappropriately by abandoning their posts; panicked security guards with no walkie-talkies or other means to know what was going on; and other unprofessional responses."
They called this a "major opportunity to learn from the mistakes and plan for the future in one of the largest airports in America," and requested an independent investigation into what happened that night.
According to published reports, Cuomo has called for a review of the airport's security procedures, but ASTA's chapter presidents are specifically asking for an independent investigation.
ASTA is not alone in asking for further fact-seeking. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has asked the Department of Homeland Security to open a formal investigation.
"Keeping our citizens safe is job No. 1, and the feds, which are involved in airport security all across the nation, have the ability to sift through the agency medley like the one JFK's security involves; we must use them to get to the bottom of how and why this chaos unfolded and ensure it's fixed," Schumer said in a statement.