Mineta: 'Higher standards' for new screeners

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(CNN) -- Airports across the United States have just one day left to meet the first major deadline for new measures to improve security. As of Tuesday, federal passenger screeners -- employees of the Transportation Security Administration -- must be in place in all airports. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta spoke with CNN's Bill Hemmer about how this change will affect travelers and air safety.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, Mr. Secretary. Good morning.

NORM MINETA, TRANSPORTATION SECY.: Good morning, Bill. Thanks for having me on.

HEMMER: It is our pleasure to welcome you to AMERICAN MORNING once again.

What will a traveler notice at more than 400 airports across the country with these TSA employees now under the rule of the federal government?

MINETA: First of all, what we are trying to do is provide world class security and world class customer service, and so the new TSA screeners are getting 44 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of on-the-job training. So what they are being subjected to, I guess you might say, are higher standards in terms of what we expect of them.

So you will find uniformity in terms of how they -- how passengers are going to be screened, whether you're in New York, Miami, Grand Rapids, Michigan, wherever. And I think this kind of increased level of security will be seen by everybody, but they will also see courtesy, respect and dignity for the passenger.

HEMMER: And on that point, no system is perfect, and I think you would admit that as well. But knowing they are better experienced, they are better trained, is the word you used, how will travelers right now notice a difference in terms of their safety?

MINETA: I think in terms of safety, they will find that the screeners are much more thorough in terms of what they are looking for, how they open the bags and treat the passengers. They will be much more thorough. And at the same time, being courteous in doing their duties.

HEMMER: Mr. Secretary, would you admit that nothing is for certain, though? Even though we have more experienced workers here, they are under the federal guidelines of the government, they've been well-trained, do you admit nothing is perfect, though, for the system?

MINETA: Absolutely. When you have 750 million passengers a year going through the airports, and you have 1.1 billion bags going through the airports, going on to airplanes, there is going to be, let's say, 1 percent or 2 percent, or where you have problems. But when you think of the enormity of the job that they're doing, it's a very, very small percentage in terms of quality control and the extent of how good they are doing their job.

HEMMER: I think there's another critical element we have to talk about, and that is not just what a passenger sees going through the X-ray machines, but what is happening behind the scenes when it comes to employer security, people with access to airplanes. What can you tell us today, based on assurances and changes in the system that have now been enacted to make sure that that area is safe as well?

MINETA: All of those employees who have access to secured areas have to have fingerprints and background checks, and what we are working on, we call a TWIC, transfer worker identification card, that would make sure that everyone going through into secured areas had to have the proper credentials to get through. And then Congress then put a prohibition on us using any Department of Transportation funds to go forward with that program. But we'd like to do that program and, frankly, also, evolve that into a registered travel program.

HEMMER: Best-case scenario, by when would the program be in place?

MINETA: We hope by -- once the limitation is taken off, we hope to have something in the late spring, early summertime period.

HEMMER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Norm Mineta, in D.C., head of the Department of Transportation. Good to see you again.

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