If You Think Airport Security is Bad . . .
 

. . . then you don't know the half of it. The following is a summary (in my own words, for all of the copyright police out there) of security weaknesses at our nations' airports, based on an article in Sunday's Washington Post. <BR> <BR>Bomb Equipment for Checked Bags Underutilized -- At LaGuardia, a bomb detection device that can scan 350 bags per hour was scanning 17 bags per hour, as hundreds of passengers waited to check in. Same problem found at BWI. The machine at Laguardia costs over $1 million, and 9 minutes elapsed between each piece of luggage scanned. <BR> <BR>Not Enough Bomb Equipment -- There are only 140 bomb detection machines at 47 U.S. airports. On a recent trip to inspect 7 airports, the Transportation Department found that the machines were turned off or not used very much. Airlines do not like the machines because they are expensive to man and are slow. At BWI, 4-5 passengers out of 70 had their baggage scanned. <BR> <BR>Profiling Efforts -- Because the airlines do not scan each piece of checked luggage, they use "profiling" to choose which bags to scan. Decisions are made based on criteria such as whether a passenger bought a one-way ticket or paid in cash. Today, around 10 percent of travelers are chosen for a checked baggage scan, compared with 3-5 percent pre-Sept. 11. <BR> <BR>Baggage Screeners -- There has been little additional training for these employees, many of whom speak little English. At BWI, screeners were observed chatting among themselves. <BR> <BR>Different Standards At The Same Airport -- At BWI, at Southwest, there was a line of 70 passengers waiting and receiving a thorough search of their carry-on items, with a family with young children receiving a 30-minute search of every item. At Delta, there was a similar number of passengers, but only two had their bags searched. At Northwest, only one passenger had her carry-on bag searched, and the screener did not unpack it, but rather groped around inside. <BR> <BR>Bag Match -- There is no system for matching bags to passenger to make sure no unattended luggage flies, except for on international flights and flights out of Reagan National. <BR> <BR>Background Checks for Workers -- The FAA has just started background checks on baggage screeners at the 20 largest airports. At Dulles, the process has been difficult because 80 percent of the security workers are foreign nationals, which makes it more difficult to obtain background information. <BR> <BR>Carry-On Baggage Screening Is Spotty -- In a 30-minute period at LaGuardia, 1 in 4 passengers received a hand-check of their carry-on luggage. At Dulles, it was six people out of 125 who had their bags opened. At BWI, it was 8 out of 80. A man was recently apprehended after walking through airport security with a knife in his shoe. <BR>

People like you will not be happy until every person is strip searched and lines are 250 people long waiting for security at every airport. Instead of arriving at the airport 3 hours before the flight, we will be asked to arrive the day before. <BR> <BR>Total security and the ability of the airlines to survive financially can not exist. There has to be some risk. Why don't we hire a million more cops so there are no crimes committed- because we can not afford to!

I agree with Huh? - don't shoot the messenger. <BR> <BR>I regret to say that I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone started griping about the inconveniences imposed on us since 9/11. <BR> <BR>I would rather stand in line for three hours and get to and from my destination safely, with the knowledge that everyone and everything on board the plane has been reasonably gone over for hidden dangers. Since 9/11 (and even before), it has infuriated me to read stories about slack baggage handlers, unused scanning equipment, and feckless bureaucrats who seem to care more about the limits of their jobs than they do for the saftey of their passengers. (And it doubly infuriates me to hear people complain that they are being inconvenienced by it all.)

I saw part of a special on MSNBC (I think that is correct) on the subject of air port security. Even post September 11, US airport security is still a fools paradise. A man in the report was able to walk onto the flight line and crawl around airplanes, both inside and out, at will. He had no badge or anything authorizing him to be there. There was was one film section that showed him actually crawling under the landing gear! In other scenes, he was inside of a passenger liner, totally unattended. <BR> <BR>The only thing new security has done is to delay customers. Any terrorist who wanted to could stash a box cutter on an airliner and then go through the gats like a normal passenger --- just like September 11. <BR> <BR>Let's face it. We have little effective leadership. We have people with no medical training telling us about anthrax, we have people totally ignorant of security manning the gates, and as a nation we are directionless. <BR> <BR>Bush is NOT going to bomb the Taliban into submission! The Russian tried and air and groud campaign for 10 years and left defeated after a campaign characterized by a Soviet general with the terms blood, lice, dirt, and disease. <BR>We have vastly superior technology, but 100 Delta Force troops are not going to bring the Taliban to its knees with 10 raids. There are too many holes in those mountains for the enemy to hide. <BR>

Give it a rest all you alarmists. <BR>Face facts. There is NO WAY, given current technology, that efficient, highly secure passenger inspections can occur. Just not possible. Can't have it both ways. <BR>If you guys don't want to travel, stay home OK? <BR>But the rest of us live in a world with risks, and realize that that's just the way life is.

And the answer to all this is . . . ? <BR>I'm waiting. Acutually, I've been waiting, yet all I've heard is people moaning and groaning. <BR>Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.

I am really surprised to hear there is no bag matching going on in the US. <BR>When you check in at the airport, and leave your luggage, is your name not printed on the flight tag? <BR> <BR>My husband is a pilot in Italy, and they do not let bags go uncounted. <BR>Our names our on the flight tag, and they are counted when the are put on the plane. If the number of bags do not match up to the number of passengers, they will take them all off and make everyone go claim their bag. <BR>They know exactly who got on the plane and who did not and whether that person sent luggage on board. <BR>Even for one bag over or under, they make everyone get off and get their bags. <BR>When a bag has missed its flight (like when they get lost) and has to be sent on a later flight, that bag has to be double screened and that is why you will always get you luggage with that security tape on it, so that the pilots are sure that bag has been controlled. <BR>Otherwise, the pilots will not take your bag. <BR>They asked my husband to carry a bag like this before and he made them go screen it again before he would take it. <BR>

I really do think the biggest threat now is bombs, not hijackers. I read the article Ka-Boom summarized, and it is a frightful state of affairs. And I can only assume that if things are this bad at Laguardia, Dulles and BWI, it must be a total joke at smaller airports. <BR> <BR>So what to do? In the article, the experts agreed that, in an age of suicide bombers, the only way to make sure someone doesn't put a bomb on a plane is to bomb-screen each bag with high-tech equipment. That means we have to reform security from the ground up. Cosmetic band-aid solutions are doing nothing to improve security but are giving us 3-hour lines, which is the worst of both worlds. <BR> <BR>There have been a few times when this country has decided something was important, so we decided to just do it, and it worked. Manned space flight is just one example. It's time to throw out the current system and start pretty much from scratch. It will take 5-10 years of hard work and expense, but at least the skies will be safer for our children. <BR>

Cindy: I would have thought the same thing as you about the smaller airports, but I have learned it is not true. <BR>My mom does this job, and she tells me all about it. <BR>Yes, she is at a regional airport but the security is a lot better that what I keep hearing about at our international ones. <BR>My mom also has a really tough boss that is always in sight and watching to see that everyone is doing their job. <BR>She said that her boss even fights with the head of the national guard over who is doing the best job. One thinks their method is better than the other. <BR>Of course the national guard has the authority over her. <BR>Though I hear this lady (my moms boss) is not a nice person, I wish we had her at one of our international airports, or that at least others would start working like she does. <BR>Implement some of our small city methods. <BR>Why can't we have a public uproar over this? Can't we do something to help make things better? I hate just talking about it, I'd like to be able to do more than write letters. <BR>

OK, Daughter, fair enough. There is one regional airport that takes security seriously. :-) <BR> <BR>But I'd say your mom is only as good as the equipment she has. If her airport doesn't have enough bomb machines to screen all of the checked bags, then your mom diligence (bless her) won't prevent a bomb on a plane. And as soon as she gets a new supervisor who isn't motivated, well, look out. <BR> <BR>If I hear one more person throw up their hands and say "We can't, can't, can't do anything about security," I'll just scream. Can you imagine if a prison warden said, "Well, you know, these prisoners are really clever and motivated, and we can't guarantee someone won't defeat security, so why bother with all of these annoying bars and alarms?" Good grief!

We ought to take some lessons from ElAl. Until we get our act together, all Middle Eastern travelers should be gone over with a fine tooth comb. Or even like China who refuses to fly and Middle Eastern passengers now. <BR>The security should be directed at those individuals rather than wasting time with 70 year old women from Iowa. <BR>Also every piece of luggage should go through a detector without fail. <BR>Any idiot can just check in luggage on a domestic flight and not even board the plane. Disgraceful.

ronnie, <BR>that makes sense. lets discriminate the middle easterners because they must ALL be terrorists or potential terrorists. While we're at it, lets profile those white people too. Look what they did in Oklahoma and those whiteys in the Waco. How about the blacks since they tend to carry guns too. I mean look at how they reacted during the LA riots. And those Asians. Hell, if Japan can sneak up on America in WWII, what do you think the Koreans can do. Yeah that's it. Profile everybody. <BR> <BR> <BR>What an idiot.

Oh I forgot the Hispanics. Those sneaky mexicans trying to cross the border in Cali and Texas. They're probably trying to sneak box cutters on planes these days too.

Hmm, Don't think ranting at people is the answer, or putting all those of middle eastern descent onto one plane. Because then Cat Stevens will be on the plane, ha ha. Extremists come in all shapes and colors as Oklahoma City showed us. Let's not just blame muslims. <BR>Don't leave security to the airlines, because they don't seem to have the funds or the desire to do it properly. Make it a government function and train people right (and give them a pay raise so they give a rats about screening). <BR> At Frankfurt, you go down to the tarmac and point out your luggage before it is loaded onto the plane. It's time consuming but seemed to help. In Venezuela, my luggage was searched 3 times for drugs before I got on the plane and I was quizzed, as was every other passenger. Maybe it's time to look at El Al and try to emulate them.

The pro-Profiling crowd is so totally lost. The point is that a terrorist can sneak something into the bag of an unwitting grandmother. Then the plane blows up, even you strip searched every olive-skinned person who boarded or checked luggage. <BR> <BR>Wake up, folks. Race-based security is no security

Jay, <BR>Its bleeding hearts like yourself why we are even in this position to begin with. Having over 3 million people in this country with expired visas. God forbid lets not profile anyone here, there are only lives at stake! <BR>I hope on your next flight you are seated with a few Middle Easterners, and worry if the lax security even checked their carry on bag. <BR>I'll be more comfortable seating next to the 70 year old woman from Iowa thank you!

I'm not sure profiling individuals is the cure all. But frankly, I'm taking my first flight tomorrow since the disaster and it would sure make me feel a lot more at ease!

Bob & Rob (how cute), <BR>I'm sure the Taliban appreciate my comments as much as they appreciate the fear and paranoia that they have successfully instilled in minds like yours and the fact that they can cause an injustice in the treatment of middle eastern "looking" individuals. That's part of their plan. And some of us are fools enough to fall for it. Why don't we round up all 'middle eastern looking' people and put them into 'working camps' somewhere in the west coast? and to be really sure, we'll take them there by bus.

FYI, the terrorists are adept at using computers you know, why don't you just tell them which airports to use?

Folks, I'm scared of truckbombs and other single-incident attacks by copycat groups or groups who would like to point the finger away from them. Groups like the Klan, militias that believe Terry Nichols was right, etc. <BR> <BR>And while we focus on bombs, diseases, etc, just remember our republic was brought down with a box cutter -- a knife -- a razor blade. We are screening for toenail clippers, forgawdsakes! What defines a knife? Before bording, you could file the edge of your credit cards to a blade-like sharpness. <BR> <BR>Just ranting... no, I don't have the answers either...

Jay, <BR> <BR>We are presently at war with individuals with no regard for human life, even their own. Many are presently situated in over 60 countries including the US. There goal is to kill innocent people and disrupt our way of life. While you are concerned about racially profiling these poor individuls, I prefer to stay alive and hopefully use all means possible to prevent another disaster like the one we had on 9-11. <BR>

Surely decent security and profits don’t have to be mutually exclusive? I don’t know much about El-Al and whether it has any kind of state subsidy, but certainly in Europe tight security has been the norm for a long time. New airlines seem to pop up all the time in Britain, so obviously there must be profits to be made even with the bag counting, scanning of all luggage, metal detectors etc etc. <BR> <BR>Everyone’s luggage should be scanned and everyone should be put through a metal detector turned up to the highest sensitivity, then searched at the slightest bleep. <BR> <BR>But I agree with a previous poster that it’s bombs put on planes by people with access to them from outside the terminals that we’ve got more to worry about now rather than terrorists with box cutters. Much of the effort must be concentrated here. After all we witnessed on Sept. 11, the previous rules of the hijack game have changed. If anyone started causing a disturbance on a plane wielding knives etc do you seriously think everyone would just sit there? I'd be among the first to jump on them. <BR> <BR>Kate <BR>

John and Bob are morons.<BR><BR>The terrorists are not. It obviously took some smarts to pull off the first attack. So they KNOW now that police, etc. will be extra vigilant around men who have Middle Eastern features. Consequently, they are going to use that 70-year-old grandmother-looking type or a young white frat boy-type to pull off the next attack.<BR><BR>USE YOUR HEADS! Look at how other terrorist groups operate. For example, the IRA knows the physical stereotype that the British police and Army are alert to. So their bombings and attacks are performed by the people you'd least expect.<BR>

I laugh every time I read these threads on security and flying. There is no more security than prior to 911, just longer iines. However, living in a country where murders are a common accordance, along with rapes, drive by shottings, etc, I can't help but wonder what everyone is thinking? Do you expect Bush or anyone else to protect you from yourselves? That's absurd. So many complaining about anthrax but not getting a flu shot. But then a flu shot paralzes some. So what to do? I wish all of you who are complaining will just stay home so the flights aren't so full. And those great deals are disappearing as more and more people fly. So go ahead and make everyone afraid again so I can get those deals and not have to be on such full flights.