Connections 2002

Flight and Airport Security

by Russ Lockwood


To get to Connections, I fly from Newark NJ to Atlanta GA, rent a car, and drive to Montgomery, AL. I could just take another flight between Atlanta and Montgomery, but I usually try to stop at a historic spot on a Saturday. Last year was Fort Benning and the Infantry Museum. This year, I had no plans, but eyed a number of spots. But more on that later.

This was the first time I flew since 9/11/2001. Usually, I would roll up to the airport 45 minutes before departure, go through the metal detectors, get a boarding pass, and head into the plane. Such is not the case today.

A friend of ours is an American Airlines pilot who flies out of Newark. So I asked him about security and any suggestions to make it through easier and faster. He answered: get there a little earlier, be prepared to wait, and don't carry anything metal in your pockets.

I got to the airport two hours in advance of the flight and witnessed first hand the extra measures of security. This was the second day that the FAA has taken over security measures. For the first time, I even carried the letter of invitation, on USAF letterhead, for the conference.

Security Checkpoints

First, even to get to the metal detectors required that you have a ticket and photo ID. This is something new. And they check every detail, including flight times and dates. On a personal note, NJ drivers licenses do not require photos, and anyone who has ever waited in a NJ Department of Motor Vehicles line loathes the idea of interacting with the agency in person. Hence, I have no photo on my license. Fortunately, I have another photo ID to use with the license, and this was acceptable.

Then you get to the metal detectors and they ask you to remove coats and laptops to put on the conveyor belt through the X-ray machine. Furthermore, they require you to empty your pockets into a basket to put on the conveyor belt. Then you step through the metal detector and collect everything at the other end of the conveyor belt. The only metal I had on me was a wristwatch and ring, so I sailed through. I don't know what they were looking for in laptops, but everything came relentlessly out the other end of the X-ray machine.

They also pull items out for a hand check. I saw a couple folks having their carry-on bags searched. I guess I passed the test, even though I had laptop, digital camera, electric shaver, various AC adapters, and so on in my bags. There was only a couple people in front of me, so I went through in about 5 minutes. I can see where this could back up and take an hour if several planeloads of people were trying to make flights.

Then, at the gate, you get the boarding pass by showing the photo ID and ticket, and answering those two questions about pack your own bags and in sight at all times. I have no idea why these are being asked, other than for drugs and the stupid people who really do carry other folks' bags on a flight.

Anyway, when they call your row number, you have to show your photo ID and boarding pass to a "pre-boarding pass checker" (for lack of a better title), then move along and show your boarding pass and photo ID to the actual ticket taker, and then, you might be pulled from the line for a random search of your baggage. Then, and only then, are you allowed on the jetway to get into the plane.

This procedure was identical in Atlanta except there was no check by the "pre-boarding pass checker." However, I did see one Atlanta security official doing residue (explosives, drugs, whatever) checks, whereas there were none at Newark.

I looked for a pattern to the hand searches, but couldn't find one. There were two people conducting the search and they pulled people when they finished with the one they were searching. It's as simple as that. I saw them pull a 50-something businessman, a 60-something grandma, a 15-year-old kid, a 20-something woman, a 30-something man, and a 30-something mom with small baby. They used the wand for metal detection, had the folks take off their shoes to check for fuses and whatnot, hand searched the carry-ons, had them empty their pockets, look through wallets and purses, leaf through books, and generally do a pretty good job of picking and poking around. They were always polite, always asked if they could search (as if anyone would say "no, I resent being treated like a potential terrorist!"), and put everything back as neatly as possible.

What Does It Mean To Me?

I don't know. On the one hand, I am pretty sure I will not be attacked in flight by a madman with a pocket knife or scissors. On the other, there's maybe a 5% chance of catching someone with a bomb in his shoe by hand search. Otherwise, the madman will be able to get on the plane without being checked.

Like most fliers, I am ignorant of the capabilities of most of the gizmos in use. Yes, I understand metal detectors. Yes, I've seen the X-ray machine in action. I suppose it comes down to training. How can you tell that a laptop hard drive is a hard drive and not a package of C-4 wired to the "Delete" key? Will the metal detector detect wiring in a shoe?

On another level, I resent the implication from security that everyone is a potential terrorist, including me. It is sad to see such procedures as hand checking luggage, document examinations, and so on. It reminds me of old war movies where the Gestapo keeps stopping everyone and asking for "papers."

When I arrived in Atlanta and was at the rent a car counter, the person mentioned that I might want to allow extra time for returning the car. No so much the car, but getting through security. She said there was a 4-hour wait one Saturday morning at the metal detectors. I thought that was excessive, perhaps an "urban airport myth," but I wasn't there, so I can't say for certain. I still showed up two and a half hours early, but went through security in about 10 minutes because there were a lot of machines available.

And yet, what are you going to do? You know you can't board without passing all these checks, but I sure wonder whether it really is effective in stopping terrorists from boarding. On the flip side, we'll never know how many terrorists did not attempt to board a flight because of these checks. I don't really worry too much about what comes in via foot traffic through the main terminal as much as what goes on underneath the plane in baggage, maintenance, food preparation, and all those other services zipping in and around the tarmac.

I believe, like most other problems, technology will offer a way out. Full body "X-rays" (without the X-ray side effects and keyed to known chemical agents and metallic compositions) will speed up the process. Like a sci-fi movie, we'll just walk through a tunnel into a separate compartment and presto-beamo, we'll be scanned and passed through in seconds. These compartments will lock if someone is carrying anything suspicious and then shunted to another area for closer inspection.

In the meantime, all I can say is get there a little earlier, be prepared to wait, and don't carry anything metal in your pockets.

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