Enlarge By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY Lufthansa unveils its first Airbus A380 at Frankfurt International Airport last week. The first three routes its A380s will fly will be from Frankfurt to Tokyo, Beijing and Johannesburg. A Transportation Security Administration program to screen passengers at airports based on their behavior missed at least 16 people later linked to terror plots, according to a government report released last week. The program — dubbed Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques — began testing in October 2003 to identify those who pose a risk to aviation security by focusing on behavior and appearance. But the program was introduced without valid "scientific basis" and still faces operational challenges, says the report by the Government Accountability Office. "A scientific consensus does not exist on whether behavior-detection principles can be reliably used for counterterrorism purposes," the report says. The program employs 3,000 officers at 161 airports nationwide and costs $212 million annually. It's requesting $20 million more for 2011. "TSA strongly believes that behavior detection is a vital layer in its aviation security strategy," wrote Jerald Levine, director of the Homeland Security Department's GAO liaison office, in a response. The report says TSA is failing to fully use "the resources it has available to systematically collect and analyze the information obtained by (officers) on passengers who may pose a threat." For example, the TSA generally does not check all law enforcement and intelligence databases available to identify persons referred by officers. Using these resources would help TSA better "connect the dots," the report concludes. The GAO recommends that independent experts review TSA's methodology to ensure "a rigorous, scientific validation" of the program. •The airport gun bill controversy in Georgia has now gone federal. Worried that a recent Georgia bill that allows guns at Atlanta Hartsfield may spread to other states, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., introduced legislation last week that would tighten federal oversight of firearms at airports. The bill in Georgia, which has been approved by the state Legislature and is awaiting Gov. Sonny Perdue's signature, permits the carrying of firearms in parts of the airport that are not controlled by the federal government, including ticket counters and baggage claim areas. Lautenberg's Firearm-Free Airports Act calls for banning individuals from carrying firearms into U.S. commercial airports. "In the post-9/11 world, it simply defies common sense that it would be legal to carry a gun into an airport," Lautenberg says. Lautenberg's measure would make an exception for law enforcement, security personnel and military personnel on active duty. Passengers would still be allowed to check unloaded firearms in a locked case in their luggage. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has also questioned Georgia's bill. Allowing guns at airports is "very worrisome," he testified at a congressional hearing earlier this month. •Car rental customers at Chicago O'Hare will soon likely be paying more. Mayor Richard Daley and airport officials are proposing a new "customer facility charge" of $6 to $8 per transaction to finance a consolidated rental car garage. The facility, whose cost has been estimated at $393 million, would house all rental companies under one roof, eliminating the need for multiple fleets of shuttles. City officials hope to open the facility in 2013. Car rental customers at O'Hare currently pay $2.75 per transaction and an 8% tax. •Average domestic airfares in the fourth quarter of 2009 fell 7.4% from a year-earlier period to $319, says the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. It was the largest year-to-year decline since 2001. Huntsville, Ala., had the highest average fares in the fourth quarter, at $492. Atlantic City had the lowest, at $190. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more TOP TRAVEL STORIES Most read Most e-mailed TOP TRAVEL STORIES Most read Most e-mailed

