DENVER -- The Federal Aviation Administration discovered nearly 1,000 security lapses by Colorado airports and airlines operating in the state from 1990 to 2000, records show.

Those lapses range from guns and explosives slipped through checkpoints by inspectors to improper record keeping, 7NEWS reported.

The FAA recommended fines in 198, or 46 percent, of the 433 cases in which some form of penalty was levied, according to an Associated Press analysis of agency enforcement records.

Security Lapses 11 Airports With The Most Mistakes

The agency recommended about $1.2 million in fines, which could have been reduced substantially in negotiations. FAA officials will not release the amounts collected and refused to comment in detail on the data, saying that could compromise security.

While it has not been determined that lax screening played any role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the deadly hijackings have refocused attention on security at the nation's airports.

"There's no other sector I can think of where the business is responsible for the security of Americans on such a scale," said Joe Szyliowicz, a University of Denver professor of international studies.

Nationally, the government found 19,532 security lapses at airports in the last decade, and recommended fines totaling $28.5 million in about one-quarter of the cases.

While the records show lapses in the system, they don't allow an overall assessment of how effective the screening really is. For example, there's no way to count a weapon that a passenger actually slips through.

At Denver International Airport, the state's largest and the sixth-busiest in the nation last year, the FAA found 391 violations by air carriers and 65 by the airport. DIA was ranked the airport 11th worst airport nationally in terms of the most security lapses.

United Airlines has a hub at Denver's airport and is responsible for about 67 percent of its passenger traffic. It contracts with another company to provide security for its concourses.

"We are in full compliance with all security directives and we've always worked closely with the FAA to ensure that," said United spokeswoman Jenna Ludgate. "If there ever were violations, the FAA notified us immediately and we corrected them."

She could not provide specific information about the violations alleged by the FAA.

Denver airport spokesman Chuck Cannon said he could not provide specific information. He emphasized that the public has reason to be confident about airline security.

"During that period (1995-2000), we had probably 125 million passengers, 125 million meeters and greeters plus thousands of employees going through the security screening every day," Cannon said. "When you run that number, it's infinitesimally small, which indicates our folks are doing a pretty good job."

Until Sept. 11, no one had attempted to hijack an airliner in the United States since 1991.

"The argument has been that if you leave security to the airlines, they will be concerned with maintaining a high level because they want nothing to happen which might damage them," said Szyliowicz, who has written numerous articles on airport security.

"But in reality, what's happened is that they've been concerned with the immediate bottom line."

A June 2000 report by the General Accounting Office found that the nation's airport security workers are paid at or barely above minimum wage and have minimal benefits, and turnover rates average 125 percent at major airports.

Aviation consultant Mike Boyd of Evergreen blamed the FAA's oversight for what he called a lack in airport security nationwide.

"When they find a security violation, a real one like when a test gun gets through, there's a fine or a slap on the hand," he said. "In Europe, someone gets fired or the airport gets shut down."

Operations at DIA were 84 percent of normal Tuesday with 1,224 flights compared with 1,444 last year.

In all, the FAA found 3,569 security violations at Colorado airports, including 2,558 violations committed by passengers and other people. Airports and air carriers were cited for at least 943.

The analysis indicated the FAA took some form of enforcement action in 1,168 cases.

Forty-seven penalties, including fines totaling $16,200 and warnings, were recommended against airports; and 386 penalties, including fines totaling about $1 million, were recommended against air carriers.

There is a proposal to pat down all travelers headed through security at DIA, 7NEWS reported. Travelers had mixed reactions to the idea.

"Some people got away with a lot more than they should have so I think at this point you got to do whatever you can to prevent that again," traveler Brandy Hedgecoke said.

"I think being patted down is going way too far. I think that I would be hesitant to fly and probably choose to drive," traveler Chris Davis said.

"We can't rely on people to be honest so therefore whatever it takes for everyone to do what they need to do and go on with their life and feel safe," traveler Jessica Bashor said.

Passengers that spoke to 7NEWS said that there was visibly more security going to the gates and officers seemed more alert when doing their searches. But no one we ran into Wednesday morning was patted down or searched very thoroughly.

Additional Resources:

• Denver International Airport
• Federal Aviation Administration