It's no secret that we are fast approaching the tenth anniversary of the event that not only changed the lives of Americans nationwide, but also greatly impacted the ways by which they travel. That dreadful day in September of 2001 will never be forgotten, some people being impacted more than others, as the worst act of terrorism on US soil. As I sit here in seat 6A at 35,000 feet during one of my many travels, having traversed a crowded checkpoint line almost missing my flight, I find myself reflecting over the past ten years and asking - how are we doing?
Aviation security is a tricky business. You want the traveling public to feel safe when they travel, but you do not want them to feel violated by the ways you provide that security. You want terminal facilities to remain the open, airy gateway to your city as they were intended - a place where you can meet loved ones and/or have a relaxing meal before you depart. But that has fallen to the way of x-ray equipment and security checkpoint lines. As new advanced technologies and screening processes continue to evolve for the screening of passengers and baggage, air travel safety will also improve. And with the patience of the traveling public, so will the passenger experience.
Catastrophic events need to be addressed with bold, quick responses. Following the events of September 11, 2001, all commercial air carrier airports were required to screen 100% of the checked baggage making its way onto outbound aircraft by the end of 2002. But, not all facilities had the infrastructure to support the equipment to do this which resulted in oversized equipment being placed in ticket lobbies greatly reducing circulation space and the overall appearance of the facility.
As airports and passengers began to feel the impact of the introduction of this new process, we began to see an increased investment in infrastructure and advances in EDS screening technologies. This equipment has slowly made its way out of the lobbies to behind the ticket counter walls, helping to reclaim the lost circulation space in the lobby. Advances in screening technologies now allow for baggage images to be viewed in 3-D, giving the screener the ability to view all angles of a threat object making it easier to clear as well as easier to identify as a threat. Over the past 10 years, the overall screening process has improved - screening equipment size has significantly decreased, baggage processing speeds have increased and accuracy of x-ray image reads have improved, meaning more baggage makes it through the system faster but not at the expense of security.
The same growing pains have been experienced at the passenger checkpoint. We are too familiar with attempts terrorists have made at passing contraband items through the passenger checkpoint, at times succeeding with explosive devices that failed to detonate. The response from the TSA again was both swift and just, not easily accepted by the traveling public, but effective at addressing security concerns.
As a replacement to the walk through metal detector that only detected metallic items, full body scanning equipment that can identify any contraband item on or in a person’s body, not just metallic, was deployed. The privacy concerns that the public, and some government officials, have voiced with regards to the revealing nature of the x-ray image viewed by screening agents have been heard. Currently, there are airports receiving new software upgrades that eliminate the revealing images of a person's x-rayed body, replacing it with a generic body image that is not gender specific and doesn't reveal any anatomic graphics beneath clothing.
Passengers are required to remove the shoes off of their feet, take computers out of laptop bags for screening and are limited to how much liquid can be carried on - all nuisances during the screening process. However, the same screening technologies utilized for checked baggage have been developed for and are making their way to the checkpoint, allowing for computers to stay in their laptop bags, for liquids to remain in the suitcase (and hopefully in larger liquid quantities) and shoes to remain on the passengers' feet.
In June 2011, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) unveiled its "Checkpoint of the Future" concept which pulls all of this together into a single process. Passengers would pass through a portal, based on low, medium or high risk passenger types. Carry-on baggage and laptops bags remain closed and shoes and coats would remain on the passenger as they pass through the portal. Multiple x-ray sensors would be constantly screening the passenger as they pass through the portal. Any contraband or alarmed items would be brought to the attention of screeners who would meet the passenger at the conclusion of the portal for additional screening. Non-alarmed passengers would continue walking through the portal and towards their departing flight.
These are but a few examples of how security threats in the aviation industry have been addressed with technology and processes. While the initial deployment of technology may cause slight disruptions to passenger travel and airport operations, there has always been a common goal to quickly address the concerns of safe travel. As time passes, technologies and processes are refined with a constant focus on not only improved security, but a better passenger experience. Are we going to return to the pre-September 11, 2001 days of travel and processes? Perhaps we get there, perhaps we don't, but when you take into account what events have transpired over the past ten years and the impacts they have had on the traveling public, I believe the appropriate steps have been taken to increase aviation security. So again, I ask the question "How are we Doing?". I think the answer is pretty darn good.