WASHINGTON (CNN) -- November 19, 2001. President Bush went to Washington's Reagan National Airport on November 19 for a signing of the long-awaited aviation security bill into law.

Key aspects of the Aviation Security Bill include:

• Within a year, all screening will be done by federally employed U.S. citizens
• After three years, airports can request that private contractors handle screening
• Federal workers allowed to unionize, but not strike
• Five airports to take part in pilot programs to test security approaches
• Passengers charged fee of $2.50 for each leg of trip, $5 maximum, to cover costs
• Full systems to detect explosives operational by 2003
• New database to allow cross-checking of names on watch lists
• Number of air marshals increased

Under the compromise measure reached last week between congressional negotiators and the White House, workers screening passengers and baggage will become federal employees -- this had been a major sticking point in talks between the Hill and Oval Office.

However, five airports are to participate in a pilot program in which security will be provided by private contractors, to test the effectiveness of that option.

In three years, airports would have the option to decide if they want to continue using federal employees or switch back to private screeners. The airports could use state or local law enforcement to provide security services.

The measure Bush is to sign also calls for stronger cockpit doors on planes and an increased presence of armed federal marshals on flights.

The agreement came just as the peak holiday season gets under way and more than two months after terrorists used U.S. passenger jets to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

The measure would make airport security the responsibility of the newly created Transportation Security Administration in the Department of Transportation.

All security screeners would become federal employees in a transition period lasting one year. But they would not be offered the same civil service protections as other federal employees, according to Rep. John Mica, R-Florida.

Security screeners would undergo criminal background checks and would have to be U.S. citizens.

Ken Quinn, general counsel for the Aviation Security Association, said that at Washington's Dulles International Airport, 72 percent of the current screeners are non-U.S. citizens.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates salaries for security personnel would rise to an average of $35,000 for a screener and $52,000 for supervisors.

The new federal security screening services would be paid for by collecting from airlines what they paid for security services prior to September 11 -- which is estimated to be about $700 million -- and by charging passengers $2.50 per departure or connection.

Other provisions of the measure include:

-- A requirement that all checked baggage be screened by explosive detection devices no later than December 31, 2002. Until then, all checked baggage is to be inspected by other means, including X-ray, positive passenger matching or hand checking.

-- A provision that the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System be used to screen all passengers, instead of just those who check in at the ticket counter.

-- A requirement that flight schools conduct background checks on any foreign national who seeks training to operate aircraft over 12,500 pounds. Flight school employees would also be trained to recognize suspicious activities.

The original Senate bill had called for federal employees to handle security screening at the nation's largest airports. The House bill, supported by Bush, called for federal oversight of security screening with the option of using private contractors to do the work.

"For our airways, there is one supreme priority: security," Bush said.

"The law I will sign should give all Americans greater confidence when they fly," the president said in a signing ceremony at Reagan National Airport accompanied by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.

Referring to the financial hardships air carriers have suffered since September 11, Bush said, "A proud industry has been hit hard, but this nation has seen the dedication of our pilots and flight crews. ... I'm confident this industry will grow and prosper."

Under a compromise measure reached Thursday between congressional negotiators and the White House, as many as 28,000 workers screening passengers and baggage will become federal employees within a year. Five airports are to participate in a pilot program in which private contractors will provide security in a test of that option.

"For the first time, airport security will become a direct federal responsibility -- overseen by a new undersecretary of transportation for security," Bush said. "Additional funds will be provided for federal air marshals. A new team of federal security managers, supervisors, law enforcement officers and screeners will ensure that all passengers and carry-on bags are inspected thoroughly and effectively."

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the compromise bill Friday, hours after the Senate passed the bill on a voice vote.

Bush thanked the House and Senate leadership Monday "for their patience on this issue" and "for working hard to make sure this bill came to fruition."

Within three years, airports will have the option to decide whether they want to continue using federal employees or switch to private screeners. The airports can use state or local law enforcement to provide security services.

The measure that Bush signed also calls for stronger cockpit doors on planes and an increased presence of armed federal marshals on flights.

Passengers are to be charged a fee of $2.50 for each leg of a trip -- with a $5 maximum -- to cover costs. The new federal security screening services also will be paid for by the government charging the airlines what they paid for security services from private contractors before September 11 -- an estimated cost of about $700 million.

The measure makes airport security the responsibility of the newly created Transportation Security Administration in the U.S. Transportation Department.

All security screeners are to become federal employees in a transition period lasting one year. But they will not be offered the same civil service protections as other federal employees, according to U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Florida.

Security screeners are to undergo criminal background checks and will have to be U.S. citizens. Ken Quinn, general counsel for the Aviation Security Association, has said that 72 percent of the current screeners at Washington's Dulles International Airport are non-U.S. citizens.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that salaries for security personnel would rise to an average of $35,000 for a screener and $52,000 for supervisors.

The bill has been signed just as the peak holiday season gets under way and more than two months after terrorists used U.S. passenger jets to attack the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

The law provides "a new commitment to security in the air," Bush said, "and that's good news as Americans travel" to loved ones and friends for Thanksgiving.

The American Automobile Association, or AAA, predicts that 30 million Thanksgiving travelers -- a record 87 percent of those going on a trip of 50 miles or more -- will choose to drive because of fears of flying after the September 11 attacks. The survey was taken before last week's crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in New York, so even more people may consider driving.

The president also mentioned Monday that bus and train travel would be targeted for security upgrades, but he did not offer any details.