Airport security repercussions due to the September 11 attacks

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After the September 11 attacks, there was an immediate call to action regarding the state of aviation security measures as the hijackers involved in 9/11 were able to successfully pass through security and take command of the plane. The existing security measures flagged more than half of the 19 hijackers in 9/11; however, they were cleared to board the plane because their bags were not found to contain any explosives. [1] In the months and years following September 11, 2001, security at many airports worldwide were reformed to deter similar terrorist plots. [2] [3] [1] [4]

Contents

Changes in airport security

Prior to September 11, 2001, airport screening was provided in the U.S. by private security companies contracted by the airline or airport. In November 2001, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was introduced to take over all of the security functions of the country's airports. [2] The TSA increased the number of security agents employed from 16,200 to 56,000 and increased their compensation. In addition, they reformed the training for these agents. Prior to 9/11, the security staff was generally undertrained with a reported training time of 12 hours prior to 9/11; afterwards, this training was increased to more than 100 hours. [3] They also implemented verification tests of the training by projecting images of banned objects on machines to see if workers would be able to identify them. [1] The actual process of security screening was revised as well after 9/11. Passenger pre-checks became standard [1] and the percent of baggage screened for explosives increased from an approximate 5% to 100%. [3] In some countries, for example, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, there were no or only random security checks for domestic flights in 2001 and before. [5] On or quickly after September 11, decisions were made to introduce full security checks there. It was immediately implemented where possible, [5] but took one to two years to implement everywhere since terminals were often not prepared with room for it. The TSA also introduced changes on the airplanes themselves, including bulletproof and locked cockpit doors and air marshals which became standard on commercial passenger aircraft. [6] [7]

Increased security on aircraft

Cockpit doors on many aircraft are reinforced and bulletproof to prevent unauthorized access. [8] Passengers are now prohibited from entering the cockpit during flight. Some aircraft are also equipped with CCTV cameras, so the pilots can monitor cabin activity. Pilots are now allowed to carry firearms, but they must be trained and licensed. In the U.S., more air marshals have been placed on flights to improve security.

Increased security screening

On September 11, hijackers Khalid al-Mihdhar, Majed Moqed, and Nawaf al-Hazmi all set off the metal detector. Despite being scanned with a hand-held detector, the hijackers were passed through. Security camera footage later showed some hijackers had what appeared to be box cutters clipped to their back pockets. [9] Box cutters and similar small knives were allowed onboard certain aircraft at the time.

Airport checkpoint screening has been significantly tightened since 2001, and security personnel are more thoroughly trained to detect weapons or explosives. In addition to standard metal detectors, many U.S. airports now employ full-body scanning machines, in which passengers are screened with millimeter wave technology to check for potential hidden weapons or explosives on their persons.[ citation needed ] Initially, early body scanners provoked quite a bit of controversy because the images produced by the machines were deemed graphic and intrusive. Many considered this an invasion of personal privacy, as TSA screeners were essentially shown an image of each passenger's naked body. Newer body scanners have since been introduced which do not produce an image, but rather alert TSA screeners of areas on the body where an unknown item or substance may be hidden. A TSA security screener then inspects the indicated area(s) manually. [10]

Identification checks

On September 11, some hijackers lacked proper identification, yet they were allowed to board due to being on domestic aircraft. After 9/11, all passengers 18 years or older in the United States must now have valid government-issued photo ID in order to fly. Airports may check the ID of any passenger (and staff member) at any time to ensure the details on the ID match those on the printed boarding pass. Only under exceptional circumstances may an individual fly without a valid ID. If approved for flying without an ID, the individual will be subject to extra screening of their person and their carry-on items.[ citation needed ] TSA does not have the capability to conduct background checks on passengers at checkpoints. Sensitive areas in airports, including airport ramps and operational spaces, are restricted from the general public. Called a SIDA (Security Identification Display Area) in the U.S., these spaces require special qualifications to enter. Non-passengers can also no longer meet passengers at their gate inside the terminal, but rather must wait on the other side of the TSA security check. [11] [12]

A European Union regulation demanded airlines make sure that the individual boarding the aircraft is the same individual who checked in his or her luggage; [13] this was implemented by verifying an individual's identification both at luggage check-in and when boarding.

Some countries also fingerprint travellers or use retina and iris scanning to help detect potential criminals, although this is predominantly in relation to detection of immigration violations by inbound passengers rather than security checking of outbound passengers. [14]

Criticism

With regard to the 2015 Germanwings flight 9525 crash incident, a suicide by pilot where the captain was unable to regain access to the flight deck, some have stated that security features added to commercial airliners after 9/11 actually work against the safety of such planes. [15]

Lawsuit

In 2003, John Gilmore sued United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, arguing that requiring passengers to show identification before boarding domestic flights is tantamount to an internal passport, and is unconstitutional. [16] [17] Gilmore lost the case, known as Gilmore v. Gonzales , and an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied.

Privacy Issues

Air security and restrictions after the September, 2001 terrorist attacks have helped prevent further attacks from happening, but many Americans have issues with their privacy when traveling. The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS), was first implemented in the late 1990's by the FFA. CAPPS flagged 6 of the 19 terrorists that were part of the attacks in 2001. The concern with CAPPS was that it also flagged 65,000 other passengers that day. Many Americans viewed this as a threat to their privacy and their information. CAPPS II was created post 9/11 and was created for the same purpose of preventing terrorist attacks and ensuring the safety of Americans. Many Americans had issues with CAPPS II because they believe that it racially and politically profiled passengers. [18] In 2004, the TSA was delayed in testing and developing CAPPS II because they could not obtain passenger data because of privacy concerns. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. Dating from the earliest of hijackings, most cases involve the pilot being forced to fly according to the hijacker's demands. There have also been incidents where the hijackers have overpowered the flight crew, made unauthorized entry into the cockpit and flown them into buildings – most notably in the September 11 attacks – and in several cases, planes have been hijacked by the official pilot or co-pilot; e.g., Ethiopian Airlines Flight 702.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation Security Administration</span> United States federal government agency

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has authority over the security of transportation systems within, and connecting to the United States. It was created as a response to the September 11 attacks to improve airport security procedures and consolidate air travel security under a combined federal law enforcement and regulatory agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Reid</span> British terrorist jailed in a US federal prison

Richard Colvin Reid, also known as the Shoe Bomber, is the perpetrator of the failed shoe bombing attempt on a transatlantic flight in 2001. Born to a father who was a career criminal, Reid converted to Islam as a young man in prison after years as a petty criminal. Later he became radicalized and went to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he trained and became a member of al-Qaeda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air France Flight 8969</span> 1994 aircraft hijacking

Air France Flight 8969 was an Air France flight that was hijacked on 24 December 1994 by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA) at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers. The terrorists murdered three passengers and their intention was either to detonate the aircraft over the Eiffel Tower or the Tour Montparnasse in Paris. When the aircraft reached Marseille, the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a counter-terror unit of the French National Gendarmerie, stormed the plane and killed all four hijackers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airport security</span> Measures to prevent crime at an airport

Airport security includes the techniques and methods used in an attempt to protect passengers, staff, aircraft, and airport property from malicious harm, crime, terrorism, and other threats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Airlines Flight 63 (2001)</span> Failed act of terrorism

On December 22, 2001, a failed shoe bombing attempt occurred aboard American Airlines Flight 63. The aircraft, a Boeing 767-300ER with 197 passengers and crew aboard, was flying from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, to Miami International Airport in the U.S. state of Florida.

The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS) is a counter-terrorism system in place in the United States air travel industry that matches passenger information with other data sources. The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) maintains a watchlist, pursuant to 49 USC § 114 (h)(2), of "individuals known to pose, or suspected of posing, a risk of air piracy or terrorism or a threat to airline or passenger safety." The list is used to pre-emptively identify terrorists attempting to buy airline tickets or board aircraft traveling in the United States, and to mitigate perceived threats.

The No Fly List, maintained by the United States federal government's Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), is one of several lists included in algorithmic rulesets used by government agencies and airlines to decide who to allow to board airline flights. The TSC's No Fly List is a list of people who are prohibited from boarding commercial aircraft for travel within, into, or out of the United States. This list has also been used to divert aircraft away from U.S. airspace that do not have start- or end-point destinations within the United States. The number of people on the list rises and falls according to threat and intelligence reporting. There were reportedly 16,000 names on the list in 2011, 21,000 in 2012, and 47,000 in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Registered Traveler</span>

A registered traveler is a person qualified through an airline passenger security assessment system in the United States air travel industry. Such programs were initially tested in 2005. Registered traveler programs are currently in operation in various airports around the country and are administered by TTAC, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) office responsible for Secure Flight, the replacement for the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS) and the canceled CAPPS II counter-terrorism system.

Security theater is the practice of implementing security measures that are considered to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to achieve it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boarding pass</span> Document provided to an air-travel passenger functioning as a ticket.

A boarding pass or boarding card is a document provided by an airline during airport check-in, giving a passenger permission to enter the restricted area of an airport and to board the airplane for a particular flight. At a minimum, it identifies the passenger, the flight number, the date, and scheduled time for departure. A boarding pass may also indicate details of the perks a passenger is entitled to and is thus presented at the entrance of such facilities to show eligibility.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secondary Security Screening Selection</span> Airport security measure in the United States

Secondary Security Screening Selection or Secondary Security Screening Selectee, known by its initials SSSS, is an airport security measure in the United States which selects passengers for additional inspection. People from certain countries are subject to it by default. The passengers may be known as Selectee, Automatic Selectee or the Selectee list. The size and contents of the list fluctuates and is a secret, although the Transportation Security Administration has stated there are tens of thousands of names on it.

Passenger Protect, commonly referred to as the Canadian no-fly list, is the Canadian government initiative to identify individuals who may be an "immediate threat to aviation security" and prevent them from boarding a flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Airlines Flight 11</span> 9/11 hijacked passenger flight

American Airlines Flight 11 was a domestic passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijacked airliner was deliberately crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex in New York City, killing everyone aboard the flight and resulting in the deaths of more than one thousand people in the top 18 stories of the skyscraper in addition to causing the demise of numerous others below the trapped floors, making it not only the deadliest of the four suicide attacks executed that morning in terms of both plane and ground fatalities, but also the single deadliest act of terrorism in human history and the deadliest plane crash of all time. The aircraft involved, a Boeing 767-223ER with 92 passengers and crew, was flying American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental service from Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts to Los Angeles International Airport in California.

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Airport privacy involves the right of personal privacy for passengers when it comes to screening procedures, surveillance, and personal data being stored at airports. This practice intertwines airport security measures and privacy specifically the advancement of security measures following the 9/11 attacks in the United States and other global terrorist attacks. Several terrorist attacks, such as 9/11, have led airports all over the world to look to the advancement of new technology such as body and baggage screening, detection dogs, facial recognition, and the use of biometrics in electronic passports. Amidst the introduction of new technology and security measures in airports and the growing rates of travelers there has been a rise of risk and concern in privacy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Elias, Bart (2005-03-30). Aviation Security-Related Findings and Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Defense Technical Information Center. OCLC   227897515.
  2. 1 2 Seidenstat, Paul (May 2004). "Terrorism, Airport Security, and the Private Sector". Review of Policy Research. 21 (3): 275–291. doi:10.1111/j.1541-1338.2004.00075.x.
  3. 1 2 3 Klenka, Michal (2019-02-09). "Major incidents that shaped aviation security". Journal of Transportation Security. 12 (1–2): 39–56. doi:10.1007/s12198-019-00201-2. ISSN   1938-7741. S2CID   169783581.
  4. ↑ "Toward Risk-Based Aviation Security Policy". OECD/ITF Joint Transport Research Centre Discussion Papers. 2008-11-01. doi: 10.1787/228687543564 . hdl:10419/68797. ISSN   2070-8270.
  5. 1 2 Höjd säkerhet på flyget Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine (di.se 12 sep 2001) (Swedish)
  6. ↑ "Transportation Security Timeline | Transportation Security Administration". www.tsa.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  7. ↑ Phillip A. Karber (2001–2002). Re-constructing Global Aviation in an Era of the Civil Aircraft as a Weapon of Destruction. OCLC   779182727.
  8. ↑ "Jet cockpit doors nearly impossible to open by intruders". Thestar.com. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-13. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "The 9/11 Commission Report" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  10. ↑ "Guns..." PMP | PMP-Magazine.com. 2019-08-06. Archived from the original on 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  11. ↑ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/non-travelers-can-now-meet-friends-and-family-at-the-gate-at-this-california-airport-180981059/
  12. ↑ "SIDA and AOA Badge Identification Requirements | Montrose County - Official Website". www.montrosecounty.net. Archived from the original on 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  13. ↑ "Regulation (EC) No 2320/2002 ... common rules in the field of civil aviation security".
  14. ↑ "75,000 arrested at airport last year after undergoing iris scan". Archived from the original on 2018-02-14. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  15. ↑ Yu, Yijun (26 March 2015). "Germanwings flight 4U9525: a victim of the deadlock between safety and security demands". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 2015-04-29. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  16. ↑ Julia Scheeres, "Judge to Hear Air ID Challenge" Archived 2012-10-20 at the Wayback Machine , Wired News , 2003-01-18
  17. ↑ Ryan Singel, "Flight ID Fight Revived" Archived 2013-06-17 at the Wayback Machine , Wired News, 2004-08-16
  18. ↑ Sidel, Mark (2004). More Secure Less Free?. The University of Michigan Press. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "AVIATION SECURITY Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System Faces Significant Implementation Challenges" (PDF). gao.gov. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
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