Increasing Airline Security
Over the past five months, airline and airport security has been in the news almost daily. The events on and since September 11 have completely changed the viewpoints of many Americans, as well as the world, concerning airline security. Between the 18 suicide hijackers to Richard “the shoe bomber” Reid and the many other terrorists that lurk in the world, flying is definitely not as safe as it once was. I strongly believe that security in airports should be much more strict than it is now, even if it infringes on the people’s right to privacy. The last part of that statement is the point of clash for many people because they strongly believe in privacy rights.
Before I get to why there should be stricter airport security, I will define a few the main terms in this debate. First of all, stricter security calls for a more systematic, more careful searching of passengers, bags and airplanes for contraband items, like guns, knifes, explosives and anything that could be used as a weapon. I will go into more detail later about different practices to give airports stricter security. Another crucial part of this debate that perplexes many people is the phrase, “right to privacy.” Rights to privacy can be defined as the right to be left alone without unwarranted intrusion by the government, the media or other institutions or individuals. Article IV of the Bill of Rights states that “the right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated …”
Airline security has always been a very important issue, but the significance has multiplied exponentially since the September 11th terrorist attacks. On that horrific day, ...
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...ace for those airports that do not follow the correct procedure. Depending on the size of the airport, fines should be high enough to make a difference to the owners. For example, an airport in New York City should have a very hefty fine of at least $25,000 per infraction. Smaller airports cannot afford such amounts, so the fines should be tailored to their income.
The funding for these new procedures and equipment has been allowed for in the President’s new budget for the fiscal year. Also, raising ticket prices only a few dollars each would help fund the new equipment. The fines from faulty airports could go into a fund to help pay for more equipment.
Ultimately, I believe that these stricter changes would not only prevent events like those on September 11, but also they would deter would-be terrorists from even trying to breech the security at airports.
As the 19 hijackers made their way through the three East coast airports, on September 11, 2001, planning on executing the world’s worst terrorist attack in history, they test the U.S airport security. At almost every step along the way, airport security posed no challenge to the 19 terrorist hijackers. Not to their ability to purchase tickets, to pass security checkpoints while carrying knives, and other objects that be used as weapons on them. Not one step of airport security posed as a challenge or threat to the terrorist. If airport security was more advanced and carful as it is now, the hijackers would have never made their way on to the
Since 9/11 there have been nine major security changes at airports. The most important changes are the liquid ban, which bans liquids more than 3.4 ounces from being on an airplane and the body-scan machines along with the enhanced pat downs. (Seaney 1)l/ The body scan machines are x-ray machines that scan the person for anything that could be used as a weapon. Enhanced pat downs are violating to some people as they do not like their private areas searched for weapons. But these pat downs are necessary to detect, find, and remove weapons that a TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agent cannot see with their own eyes. The last important change worth mentioning is that all special items including laptops, tablets, E-readers, and all electronic items have to be checked for explosives and other threats. These changes as well as other minor regulations for passengers give the TSA an extra line of defense while screening air travelers.
“What time should we leave? Two hours in advance? Three? Four?” Millions of people ask these questions each year before boarding a plane. Between driving, security, walking to the gate, and getting settled, boarding a plane exhausts travelers. But out of all of these different activities, one frustrates and restrains travelers the most: TSA security. People ask why they need all this security, complain about the inconvenience it causes, and ultimately annoys people to no end. Created after 9/11, Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, nationalized airport security, increased screening duration, and supposedly increases security on flights. However, statistics say these added security measures never come to fruition and potentially cost more lives than they save.
The airport full body scanners “costs about $170,000 a unit” so that shows you that the airports are willing to spend millions of dollars to prevent another attack. These scanners present a three dimensional image of your body so the operator can see what objects are under your clothing. “In Tulsa, people will have to stand facing the scanner and raise their hands. Faces are blurred. In a separate monitoring area, pictures are evaluated.”3 People were complaining that the scanners were revealing to much of their body to the operator so “The TSA no longer uses the backscatter scanners that produced near-naked images of
At many airports across the country, passengers are sharply greeted with the hassle and headache generated by the long security lines. Many travelers complain of the continuing list of rules they have to observe and how they seem to get persistently worse. The government’s solution to the hassle and headache is full-body scanners. The government claims these full-body scanners are faster to go through versus the traditional metal detector, detect weapons and bombs easier, and reduce the stress of the long security lines. In the past, airport security has not been fully successful in protecting the country from terrorists. As a result, many terrorists without being detected are escaping and are free to pursue their assault on America. Having full-body scanners will allow for less time in security, easier detection of terrorists, and will help to protect the United States.
According to BLeonard, if you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear.(“Would the use of full-body scanners at airports be respectful of individual rights”1) “Getting searched is better than the alternative especially for people who refuse the search.”(541Inferno 1) When someone refuses to get searched all that does is draws more attention to them as being a suspect and possibly having something. “What if someone refused to be searched or scanned and they let them on and then BAM they hijacked.”(Are body-scanners respectful of individual rights at airports 2) Even though some people it is very time consuming to go through all of those body scanners and pat-downs, it is actually worth using that time to ensure the outcome. “You cannot put a price on ones life, so to simply spend a couple of privacy rules here [to think] and [you’ll see] there [life] is worth much more than anything else.”(2) As long as you do exactly what the security says you will not take any more time than anyone else that is waiting in line with you. Once you get past security once you will not have to worry about waiting in line anymore. According to NineLester, “Those who want to use the services of airports should realize that the safety of everyone is a to...
The evolution of airport security would evolve over time just as airline safety. There would be a series of unfortunate events that would affect the way all airports operated. Prior to these events passengers would simply show up with their luggage and ticket and get on the plane, no screening or baggage checks were conducted. The FAA and the Federal Government had taken many steps by passing numerous pieces of legislation to address aircraft safety to reduce the number of accidents; however aircraft security was never addressed in all previously passed legislation. As the number of air travelers increased year by year, so did the potential for crimes against the airlines. These crimes included aircraft bombing and hijackings.
Supporters of this act claim that most of the changes suggested by “The Patriot Act” are not new offers, only modest changes to the existing law. For example; interference with an airline crew has been illegal since Kennedy was President (Sales, Nathan A...
Before the dreaded day of September 11, 2001, a person or persons flying could be escorted to their gate by family members and loved ones. The thought that a gun would or could be brought on board of an airplane and used as a means to hijack an airplane never crossed a passenger’s mind. Isaac Yeffet said, “After Lockerbie, everyone thought; now we’ve learned the lesson of how to be proactive instead of being reactive. Unfortunately, September 11 came and we know the result. Thousands of people lost their lives. Security totally failed, not at one airport, at three different airports around the country.” Due to the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the United States government decided airport security needed to be updated and become more stringent. These updates included a formation of TSA and Sky Marshalls, tighter security measures, and policy changes.
Before 9/11 the security of the airports was just simply go through a metal detector to see who had guns or could be a possible hijacker, there wasn’t much importance to it. There wasn’t much requirment to what you needed to have or show to fly and this is how Al-Qaeda, a terrorist group, took advantage to hijack the plane with the most fuel. Security back then wasn’t really enforced as it is now ever since the 9/11 attack happened a lot of things changed in the airport security to try and avoid another nightmare for America.
Prior to September 11th, 2001, airport security was a breeze. You gathered your things you wanted to bring on your trip/vacation/whatever it may be, and that was it. You boarded the plane and you were on your way to your destination. All that was required of you was to show proper identification. Unfortunately, nobody thought to intensify this process until these horrific events occurred. Four passenger planes were taken over by a total of 19 hijackers, all of whom brought sharp objects on the plane in order to take control. This proved to be relatively simple due to the pilots not being permitted to carry a firearm at this time. On this tragic day, 2,977 civilians lost their lives. To ensure something remotely similar to this never happens
Chuck Goodwin explains, “TSA, which stands for Transportation Security Administration, is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for screening all travelers and their luggage, as well as the screening of all air and rail transportation in the US.” Many travelers know of the them for their increased presence in all airports in the U.S and other major American airports worldwide. After the terrorist attack that took place in September 2001, President Bush and his advisors implemented The Patriot Act. Tracey DiLascio explains, “The Patriot Act is complex, but its major provisions act to improve coordination and communication between government intelligence agencies, removing unwieldy and unnecessary legal barriers between different federal offices and allowing vital investigations to proceed with greater ease and efficiency.” Their idea was to ensure that all intelligence agencies would communicate in a way that would keep America safe. “Steps to prevent events of the scale of those that took place at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, began to fall into place almost immediately...The first outline of a proposal for what would eventually become the USA Patriot Act was drafted just days after the attacks.” (DiLascio) Due to past terrorist attacks, the TSA has implemented security measures in the airports they occupy. “Following September 11, 2001, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created to strengthen the security of the nation’s transportation systems and ensure the freedom of movement for people and commerce.” (TSA website) These measures include full body scanners and pat downs.
The United States spends billions on transportation safety to prevent terrorist or any type of attack on American citizens. Airport security are one of the major problems that the government faces, and the solution is the TSA, also known as the Transportation Security Administration. Passengers believe the TSA is effective in abolishing problems such as terrorism, however, this is not the case. Airport security is not effectively protecting the passengers which is shown through the negligence and violations of the TSA employees, ineffective profiling techniques used by the TSA, and unqualified workers that are placed to protect citizens.
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 prompted the world to reevaluate and drastically modify airport and airline security. “Four targets had been chosen, all iconic American buildings that would send a clear message of the depth of their hatred for the United States. All four planes crashed, killing all on board—terrorists, crew members, and passengers, along with hundreds who were killed inside the structures, on the ground, and the men and women who ran into collapsing buildings in an effort to try and save others” (Smutz 1). As Jason Villemez said “the decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America” (Villemez 1). Before the attacks, people did not think that large scale hostility towards innocent people in our country was remotely possible. Ever since that fateful moment, citizens in America are on their toes every day worrying about another attack happening. United States citizens have had to adapt and change in response to this fear of further terrorist assault on our country. One of the ways they have adapted is by changing their means of security concerning airline travel.
Does the thought of going through airport security make you want to jump off a bridge? Some people may think that security in airports is either too strict, or it is not enforced enough. Airport security has certainly developed over time, both in terms of more technology, and in terms of increased security. It has had a lot of reasons to step up, both with terrorist attacks, and with other incidents, such as the way that explosive technology has evolved. The topic of airport security is a big debate: is it too strict or not strict enough? It is important that people know and understand both sides of this important issue.