U.S. Finds Security Lacking at Athens

Travelers buying plane tickets to Athens or arriving at Hellinikon International Airport in the Greek capital are being notified that the U.S. government has found fault with security measures there.

Although the Department of Transportation would not release any details last week, a U.S. official in Athens told the Reuter news agency that concern centers on checkpoint screening procedures at the airport. Such procedures usually include searches of luggage and passengers.

Transportation Secretary Federico Pena said in a written statement that U.S. carriers that fly direct to Athens, and Olympic Airways--the only foreign carrier offering direct service between the U.S. and Athens--have beefed up their security “to counter the deficiencies at the airport.”

Security at Hellinikon has come under fire before. In 1985, after the high jacking of a TWA flight from Athens to Rome, the U.S. warned travelers to avoid the airport, saying its security was lax, but lifted the advisory a short time later.