The airport hassle, why it could be unnecessary
Colin Hannifin
Contributing Writer
Many challenges face Americans these days. In these hard economic times, people are turning to whatever they can to save money and stretch a dollar. But, even as jobs are harder to come by, there are benefits to be had. Prices of hotels and resorts around the world have dropped as they seek to fill rooms to get some return on their investment. As many experts recommend, traveling during a recession can be a great option to get away. However, many things can still get in the way of travel plans. Not the least of these is the burdensome hassle at airport security put on traveling Americans.
We’ve all heard the stories: standing in lines for hours, having to remove our shoes, being subject to random searches, not being allowed to take but so much liquid on the plane. And the next big step in airport security could be just around the bend: full body scans! But don’t worry, says the Transportation Security Administration, as the agent reviewing the screenings won’t ever see the actual passengers.
What does all this lead to? Safer airlines? Well, perhaps. But it certainly adds to the hassle facing fliers, with the potential to be extremely inconvenient. Just earlier this year on Jan. 3, a man went the wrong way down an exit lane at the Newark Airport and delayed international flights for seven hours, (his crime? Trying to meet his wife as she got off her plane) according the New York Daily News.
Or what about cases like Edward Allen? According to msnbc.com, Edward Allen has difficulty flying because his name appears on the “no-fly” list, and sometimes has to undergo more strenuous screenings for it. It seems almost certain though, that Allen is not a terrorist—he was four at the time. And he’s a long way from being the only kid subject to such mishaps—cases of it are popping up all the time.
Despite all these measures – some seeming borderline ridiculous – our airlines are still not safe. Just on Christmas day, according to CNN.com, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab attempted to blow up a Detroit plane by wiring his underpants with explosives. He only failed because of his own incompetence and actions of civilians around him.
One of the major problems with America’s airline security system is that it is very reactionary. According to an FBI publication on terrorism from 2002-2005, Richard C. Reid attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight in December of 2001 with explosives smuggled aboard in his shoe. The result? Passengers must now take off their shoes in airports.
In 2006, terrorists planned to destroy as many as 10 international flights (as many as three being American) using liquid “of some type” as an explosive (according to BBC News). The reaction? Fliers are now restricted to how much liquid they can take on a plane.
After Abdul Mutallab, I can only assume that we will now have to disrobe for the government, which is looking to be the case—if even virtually.
Without even discussing the ethics of full-body scanners, our method of security seems to be woefully inadequate. While it is impossible to judge the number of attacks prevented by these security measures, it seems that we stay a step behind the terrorists—because we are reacting to the objects of terrorism, not preemptively seeking the people of terrorists.
No, I’m not calling for a greater war on terror. But consider this: Israel deals with much more serious and much more common threats of terrorism. There are people and groups in the area that would love nothing more than to see Israel destroyed forever.
They have much tighter security, too, than do we here. No plane at the Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport has been breached since 2002 when a passenger mistakenly took a handgun on a plane, according to thestar.com. So how do they do it? Surely, they have a more stringent security system than we do here.
Well, yes and no. While we wait hours to be cleared to get on flights, the Israeli security check takes maybe all of half an hour. How do they do it? They don’t focus on means of terrorism – the bombs, the powders, the box cutters (though they check for all this too) – they focus on the people behind the means. From when you first get to an Israel airport, you will be asked questions by well trained professionals who then gage your answer and body language, according to Isaac Yeffet, former head of Security for El Al, (Israeli Airline) in a 2010 interview with CNN.com. Suspicious behavior is noted and reported, and any problems are quickly escalated up the security force’s ranks.
That’s not all, though. Bags are taken and scanned in a central room staffed by professionals and encased with bulletproof glass. If a bag is suspicious, the staff has to evacuate, not the entire airport, and a bomb squad can be called in.
Both of these practices – along with several others – make Israeli airports among the safest in the world. America could – and should – take note, and make changes to our inadequate security system. We worry too much on the technology, and not enough on the psychology. Terrorists will find new ways to beat any technology system we lay before them, but if we can pick them out before they even get to the bag check, how much hassle and time – and lives – could we save?
