ZZZ - GMG - VEGAS INC 2011-2014

In business travel 'None of these platforms are you going to see flying over anybody's house' Delta running pilot program to curb baggage thefts drones, From page 7 By Richard N. Velotta senior staff writer Delta Air Lines, the second-busiest commercial air carrier at McCarran International Airport, has begun a two-month pilot program to prevent thefts from the airport's baggage claim carousels. A spokeswoman for the Atlantabased airline said Delta would test the effectiveness of the "positive bag match" program before determining whether to continue it and possibly use it at other airports. The representative would not say what prompted the program, which includes cordoning off the two Terminal 1 baggage carousels where Delta passengers claim their bags with employees that check that bag tag numbers match a passenger's claim stub. "At Delta's request, the airport has provided stanchions to cordon off the space around carousels 14 and 16," a McCarran spokesman said. "Delta is footing the costs associated with port and Desert Rock Airstrip in the southern part of the state, and Fallon and Stead in the north. That all represents months of work in itself. But come spring, Hill said, he expects the flights to begin. "And then from there, we'll start to see some real growth after that," he said, though he cautioned: "From a permanent jobs standpoint, that will take a little bit longer." Hill explained that Nevada was reaching out to developers focusing on every industry from agriculture to emergency services to wireless communications. The hope, he said, is that interested companies will "either start here and grow in Nevada or decide to locate here in the state" — and the team would be trying to think outside the box to maximize opportunities for innovation and investment. Though Nevada will still have to compete with five other FAA-designated test areas nationally, state leaders hope that the months ahead will staffing these areas during this trial period." Theft from bags is a cyclical crime of opportunity, airport security experts say. At McCarran, Metro Police partners with the Clark County Aviation Department to prevent thefts with additional security cameras and undercover sting operations. McCarran officials say increased airline staffing in the vicinity of carousels and tag match programs represent another layer of security against thefts. McCarran also uses radio-frequency identification tags that enable personnel to monitor the movement of a suitcase through the airport. Prior to 9/11, a consortium of airlines paid to staff the baggage claim areas with a bag tag matching system. When security check lines lengthened with increased security measures, a majority of airlines voted to discontinue the baggage claim program in favor of increasing staffing at check-ins. yield more room for collaboration. Each site was selected for different qualities, and the FAA determined Nevada's bid "contributes to geographic and climatic diversity." It is the only test site in the West, save for one range location in Oregon that was a part of the University of Alaska's bid. The next closest test locations are in North Dakota and Texas. The FAA's goal is to begin integrating unmanned aerial vehicles into commercial airspace by September 2015. Given that timeline, state organizers hope the local industry will be up and running late this year. But while they hope the state sees the economic benefits of this new opportunity by then, that might be all Nevadans should expect to see of the new backyard drone industry for a while. "None of these platforms are you going to see flying over anybody's house," Hill said. "I doubt if anybody in our urban or our rural areas is even going to see them." VEGASINC.com named "Best Website in Class" by the Nevada Press Association 2013 8 20140113_VI07_F.indd 8 | 13 JANUARY 2014 | 1/9/14 2:55:46 PM

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