In response to the Christmas terror attack on Northwest Flight 253 and the resultant calls for enhanced screening of passengers, the U.S. Travel Association wants policymakers to embrace screening techniques that meet a three-part test: strengthen security, balance travelers’ privacy needs and improve traveler facilitation.

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The USTA specifically mentions “whole body imaging” (WBI) and increased use of canine security as examples of promising security measures in need of greater analysis.

Roger Dow, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said that “We must find new screening techniques that strengthen security, protect privacy and reduce wait times and other hassles for travelers.”

Dow added that the entire debate on whole body imaging had so far been focused on the privacy aspect, and the technology has not received the necessary analysis based on its effectiveness, including the security benefits, reduction in wait times and potential for reducing travelers’ hassles at security checkpoints.

And perhaps the most important part of U.S. Travel’s response is their call for Congress to “allocate undesignated stimulus dollars to the immediate deployment of screening techniques.”

The airline industry is already awaiting a federal response for their request for $6.4 billion from the TARP bailout fund, to be spent on aviation infrastructure and upgrades related to the shift from a land-based navigation system to a satellite based one. The Aerospace Industries Association estimates that the funding, if approved, could lead to the creation of 150,000 new jobs.

U.S. Travel’s request for an immediate transfer of stimulus dollars towards deployment of screening techniques would be hard for Congress to ignore or decline under the current circumstances, with the public demanding some action from Congress and the White House.

And if and when Congress grants the fund transfer, it should set the precedent and clear the decks for the $6.4b request from the TARP fund towards NEXTGEN.