James Loy: Changes to airport security rules

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(CNN) -- After September 11, the was a concerted and widely accepted tightening of airport security in the United States. However, some people say the system has gone too far and that some of the rules just plain silly. Some of those rules now changing. CNN anchor Bill Hemmer interviewed Adm. James Loy, the new head of the Transportation Security Administration, about the most recent changes to the system.

HEMMER: In a nutshell, I understand significant rules have been changed. Lay it out for us first at the counter. Two questions that we've all been asked for years now will no longer be asked. Why?

LOY: Bill, I think that rule is under review because we're just concerned as to whether or not it contributes to security or whether fundamentally it contributes to just a queuing of the line there, let alone the hassle for the passengers. So we're taking that aboard and we're going to scrub it real hard and if it does not contribute to security, we're probably going to do away with it.

HEMMER: The two questions, for viewers who are watching and listening: Has anyone unknown to you asked you to carry an item on this flight and the second, have any of the items you're traveling with been out of your immediate control since the time you've packed them? Those are the two questions. Are you finding that they're not effective, sir?

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LOY: Frankly, the evidence is that over the years that we've asked those questions -- and, interestingly, originally there were six questions asked when it was open, when it was started -- we've just found no contribution to security as a result of asking those questions. And in the meantime, we're queuing up the public.

HEMMER: Tell me about this coffee rule. What is it that could be contained in a cup of liquid that might be used as a terroristic threat?

LOY: Well, there's a variety of different things that can be dissolved in liquid that we're concerned about. The challenge, of course, is what else might be on the bottom of any given cup or in a cup itself. But what we are sure of is that the equipment that we have in the magnetometer today can deal with that in terms of cardboard cups or polystyrofoam cups. So we have just changed this rule to be common sense about the guy that is enjoying a cup of coffee or the lady that has a glass of juice in a cardboard cup and let them walk through the Mag and enjoy it on the other side of the checkpoint, as well.

In the meantime, we're focusing on ceramics and metal cups and glass cups and plastic things. Anything like that would still have to go through the X-ray machine.

HEMMER: Does that start today, Admiral?

LOY: It is in effect today. And as a matter of fact, I just chatted with the manager of the security team here at SFO (San Francisco Airport) to make sure that she was having her folks directed to make sure it was in effect today.

HEMMER: What about men's belts, physically taking them off and passing them through the X-ray machine? Number one, does it help? And number two, will that continue?

LOY: It's all about the instinct of the screener at the time. Frankly, most often anything to do with belts or shoes is when you have gone through the magnetometer and alarmed it. Then on the other side of that magnetometer such things should be screened.

But routinely I would not expect people to be taking their belt off and passing them through the X-ray machine, unless it's an unusual belt that provokes a concern on the part of the screener.

HEMMER: I think that's a fair point. And listen, I'm all for the increased security, I must let you know. And I think people across the country have been really patient as they travel. And to the workers, as well, that have stepped up their vigilance. I think it is very important and I don't want to undermine that in any way.

But how much of what is being done right now is all fear management as opposed to truly catching someone who wants to do harm and damage on board an aircraft?

LOY: No, I think your fear management notion is a good one for us to reckon with. But the boss told me, when he asked me to take on this job, that he had two things in mind. He had world class security in mind, but he also had world class customer service in mind, as the goals of what we are up to. And I've sort of added this notion to that that we need that literally from the curb to the cockpit. And that's the effort that we have undertaken.

Opportunities like this also enable us to make sure the traveling public understands the rules so that they can play by them as they approach the checkpoints and not get hassled as a result.