FAA- Female travelers report being groped

The Federal Aviation Administration and state officials have received dozens of complaints from female travelers who say male airport security screeners groped them under the guise of random body searches.

The FAA received complaints from 18 women who said they were traveling alone when they were singled out for pat-down searches, then groped or fondled by male agents, spokesman Jerry Snyder said.

The complaints were made from Oct. 11 through Jan. 31. Security procedures at airports have been heightened since Sept. 11.

Current policy allows women passengers to request female screeners, but no federal law requires airlines to provide an employee of the same sex to conduct searches.

The complaints are being forwarded to the airlines, which are responsible for any disciplinary decisions, Snyder said. He did not identify the airlines involved in the complaints, nor give further detail on the alleged incidents.

At least 35 women have contacted Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano about being improperly touched during pat-down searches, said spokeswoman Pati Urias. None has filed a criminal complaint.

Jim Sabourin, vice president of Tempe-based America West Airlines, said the airline always follows federal procedures for searching passengers. Some complaints involved America West passengers, Napolitano said.

"The issue the attorney general claims to be a proponent of is much larger than any one airline," Sabourin said.

Passengers of Alaska and United Airlines also contacted the attorney general's office about being groped during searches, Napolitano said. An Alaska Airlines official would not comment on any complaints, and United did not return calls Thursday.