Airport Security Checks

Factual Questions
21

Powers106 asked:

The swab serves to concentrate the chemicals a lot. Note that they wipe a relatively large area of your handle and zipper; any dust from that entire square foot (or whatever) of luggage is transferred to about one square inch of the swab.

Then they place the dirty swab against a nozzle, which “inhales” a small amount of air through the cloth. The machine detects the presence of chemicals by analyzing the color of the air that comes in.

If you were to put a sensor inside the x-ray box, it simply wouldn’t get the same volume of “luggage dust” to test. The only molecules available in its air sample would be the few that evaporated on their own, and even those would diffuse through the air so much as to be imperceptible.

Powers106 also asks:

I’m told that this is for legal reasons, in the USA at least.

My understanding is that if they ask to search inside your bag, you have the right to refuse. They will then probably hold you in security while they send somebody to get a search warrant. If it turns out that you aren’t carrying anything incriminating after all, you might decide to sue the airline/airport for making you miss your important business meeting.

Disclaimer: The above is my understanding, but I’m not a lawyer by any means. If I’ve got it wrong, I hope that one of our resident legal eagles will correct me.

At this point someone always asks the question, “If you’re not carrying anything illegal, why wouldn’t you let them search your bag?” Well, you might just have an aversion to letting strangers paw through your stuff. Or maybe that bag contains your collection of technicolor vibrators and monkey porn. It doesn’t really matter; since they ask for permission, there are always some people who’ll refuse.

Arnold Winkelried asked:

Usually they will ask a couple of other questions first. (Where was it left unattended, for how long, etc.) If they think it likely that someone has planted a device in the bag without your knowledge, then they will ask for your permission to search it.

Laugh hard; it’s a long way to the bank.

22

I took guinea pigs cross-country once.

They didn’t get X-rayed, but they did cause a bit of a backup at the security check point as the security people tried to decide what they were, whether there was room in the bottom of the carrier to hide anything, whether the cavies would take exception to an attempt to physically search the carrier, and if so what form that exception might take.

Eventually they just handed them back over to me.

23

I think there’s an odd but human phenomenon going on with airport security checks: as the Feds (I’m assuming that’s who sets these things up here in the US) layer on security check after security check, each one individually seems to be taken more and more casually by some airport/airline employees. Like “since there’s all these other checks, they’ll likely catch any problem, so I needn’t be so diligent.”

I’ve been subject/witness to incredible security laxity (laxness?), most of it in the last year.

  1. I went through the metal detector in the Raleigh-Durham Airport and it "beep"ed, but the women security “guards” were so busy chatting, they didn’t even notice. I looked around waiting for someone to stop me, but when they didn’t, I just kept going. However, given that I fly a LOT (3-4x/month) and therefore have a personal interest in good airport security, when I got to the gate, I told the senior gate agent about it and he was very concerned (“we fly, too!”) and took a lot of information about which line, what time, etc. So hopefully something was done about it.

  2. I recently went to the airport and picked up my e-ticket and got on my flight BOTH DIRECTIONS without showing a photo ID. I’d forgotten my photo driver’s license. Just showed them a bunch of other “ID” (NJ temporary drivers permit – no photo, credit cards, Blockbuster’s, etc.) and they let me go. Both times.

  3. When flying one of these econo-cattle airlines recently, the line at the gate to get boarding passes was getting really long and it was getting really close to departure time, so they just told everyone to go straight to the door for “open seating” so I handed someone my ticket and walked on. No one asked for ID, no one asked me the “luggage questions”. They were more concerned about their “on time departure” record than security. Will never fly them again.

  4. I had a pepper spray thing in my computer bag that I’d put in there one night when I was working late and then forgot about it. I had it in my bag for many flights and then one day I was stopped and pulled aside for it and forced to “surrender” it and asked a bunch of questions. The previous “X” times (even at that same airport) no one noticed or said peep. Same thing happened with my Swiss army knife (keep it in my briefcase, often comes in handy – esp. the corkscrew, but has a 3” blade).

I’m in no way a nervous flyer, but I do wish they’d get real/serious/consistent about this stuff.

A few other observations:
Frankfurt and Tel Aviv have the best/most serious security I’ve ever experienced. DO NOT JOKE with these guys EVER!

Had the “scratch and sniff” (wipe the handle, sniff the swab) test for the first time a couple months ago. They told me my bag was selected completely at random (1 in X bags). And that it was for explosives residue. Who knows?

[ramble] If they can detect other things – someone mentioned marijuana smoke – are they then able to act on that? I mean something that might be illegal (here and/or now) but isn’t related to airport security. Are you really consenting to all that kind/level of intrusion (search, etc.) simply because you want (or need, for your job) to fly on a plane? There’s a sign on the highway as you enter Denver’s airport that says, in essence, that simply by being on airport property – i.e. driving up to the curb and dropping someone off – you are automatically consenting to having your person and your property searched. This doesn’t concern me in practice because I’ve nothing to hide, but it does in princple. As mentioned above, I’m as much/more concerned about security as the next person, but I also think there’s a limit.
[/ramble]

24

I don’t think they check for marijuana smoke, exactly because it has nothing to do with airport security. I’m gonna treat that claim as an urban legend, until someone shows me a cite that says otherwise.

To be clear, the chromatograph is probably capable of checking for THC residue. Heck, if they wanted to, they could check for aspirin. But it’s not worth their time or effort to run that sort of scan into an airline checkpot.

Laugh hard; it’s a long way to the bank.

25

I know a way to smuggle sonething onto a plane in Fort Myers. I’m not really going to tell anyone what it is, lest they go off and take a bomb onto a plane or something. But it has to do with Burger King.

26

How often does a plane get blown up anyway?

I’m not exactly worried about some terrorist seeting off a bomb considering the chance of an accidental crash is probably much, much higher.

Really, when was the last time a plane flying from or to North America had a bomb in it?

27

Airport security in this country just plain sucks. These security experts look like they couldn’t manage the drive thru at McDonald’s. I mean for the pay they are given, why should they give two rips if the plane blows up or not?

This incident happened about a year after my father in law had his accident. He is paralyzed from the nipples down. For about 18 months after the accident he had steel rods implanted along his spine to support him because his back couldn’t. Of course the rods are going to set off the scanner.

We were at the airport to see a family member off ( International) and he has to be gone over, obviously, with the hand held device. The security guard asks him to get out of his chair, he just grins at her and says, " I wish I could." The woman keeps on asking and getting the same response. (German mentality ( I swear)is " Why tell them anything when I can drive them away out of sheer frustration." I swear to God, we would still be there today if I didn’t butt in.

I finally said, " He’s paralized from the chest down. He has steel rods in his back that enable him to sit up. I can show you his surgical scars ( visible if I pull the collar of his shirt) The guard doesn’t believe me. This is fine and I understand that she’s just doing her job. She then wants to see his ticket. He has none because he isn’t going anywhere, he’s just here to see his Mother in law off on her flight and she doesn’t speak any english. The guard said something like,
“Since you won’t get out of your chair and we cannot clear you, you will have to leave the area. She ( meaning me) can stay with the passenger.” I shook my head and said, “Look, I don’t speak any German. She’s not My mother In Law. He is paralized, take a pin and stick him anywhere from here down or hit him in the shin, he won’t feel a thing.”

He was cleared and we held up the line for ten minutes.

I agree completely that Frankfurt has extremely tight security standards. There’s something about a security guard walking around with a semi-automatic that makes you really paranoid. Their security checks, usually two or three compared to our one half assed (pardon the pun)search are very thorough and could put a sweat on the brow of the Pope from nerves alone.

Hubby was returning from Frankfurt from a Business trip and his coworker was continuing on northward for more business in Sweden, where english was spoken and hubby’s linguistic skills were not needed. Hubby was sitting in the large waiting area ( you don’t get your gate assignment 4 hours ahead like you do here. It’s usually an hour before.) and he here’s his name over the PA. Reporting to the area he is suppose to, he sees his coworker getting yelled (nose to nose)by the security guy asking what in the hell such and such a thing was in his bag. Problem was, the security guy was only doing it in German and the coworker doesn’t speak any German.

Hubby calmly walked over to the bag in question and explained what the equipment was for and all was right with the world. The Guard looked at the coworked and said in perfect english, " No hard feelings. I’m just making sure you are not a terrorist."