The Practical Impacts After September 11 Terrorist Attack

In the article, How We've Changed Since 9/11, by Jennie Wood stated that ever since September 11 terrorist attack, the most obvious changes Americans have faced have been at the airport. Traveler must check in at least two hours in advance before their departure. There are restrictions on what passengers can bring. Anything that is liquid has to be a certain size and need to be placed in clear, sealed bags. No food or bottled water is allowed through security check. Passengers are selected at random for more intense screenings. You cannot protect against every single thing unless you want no freedom. Therefore this emphasis on freedom in the USA that has led to the latest round of highly-publicised controversy over airport screening procedures. TSA's aim to replace all passenger-screening units with advanced imaging technology (AIT) equipment. These machines use either backscatter X-ray or millimetre-wave technology to provide a graphic image of a passenger's body beneath clothing, which can detect both metallic and non-metallic threats, including weapons and explosives. Passengers who object to the machines on privacy grounds can opt for an enhanced pat-down instead, although this can be much more intrusive. I experienced a pat-down in the airport last summer and nothing were left untouched. It was very uncomfortable. In the article, Eleven Years After 9/11, Flying is safe, Routine, and Annoying, according to Daniel Gross (2012), “Eleven years after the attacks, air travel in the U.S. has pretty much reverted to what it was pre 9/11: a pain in the ass.” I completely agree with Gross. I had witnessed unnecessary actions in the airport. My grandma was pulled in because she was wearing too much jewelry for intense screening mean while there was a man dressed in all black wearing sunglasses indoor without being questioned. If you asked anyone, he would be more suspicious. Sometimes I wondered about airport’s security if it is actually secure and reliable. For example, what is the point of going through all these tightening security in airports when recently a Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was hijacked? Also, why are people are allowed to lighters and matches but not infant’s milk or baby’s milk bottles? Many things about airport’s security are very questionable. Sometimes it does not many any sense. In the article, After 9/11: airports ‘wasting billions’ on needless security checks for passengers, Dan Milmo’s article (2011) stated the following:
Airports are wasting billions of pounds on unnecessary security checks for travellers who pose no threat to planes, according to the airline industry's global body, amid growing support for an airport-screening regime that gives preferential treatment to low-risk passengers.... We need to find a better way of doing it. Apart from the cost, we are putting our customers through an immensely complicated and, most of the time, unnecessary, hassle. And airports are creaking at the seams to find the space and capacity to deal with this.
I do agree that airports are wasting time and money on unnecessary security checks. I am sure we have a higher chance in getting killed from car accidents then getting killed on a plane. Also why do airports need advanced imaging technology (AIT) equipment if we get intense pat-downs anyway? I saw some people who went through the whole body x-ray scanner machine thing at the security check but then still get a pat-down anyway, so is that machine reliable in the first place? Those people did not have anything on them even after the pat-downs. These types of actions at airport’s security checks are unnecessary when they can use those time for better use such as checking for suspicious travelers instead of travelers who pose no threat to planes.

References 1. Kenny Charles. (2012 November 18). Airport Security Is Killing Us. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com 2. Gross Daniel. (2012 September 11). Eleven Years After 9/11, Flying Is Safe, Routine, and Annoying. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com 3. Milmo Dan. (2011 September 7). After 9/11: airports ‘wasting billions’ on needless security checks for passengers. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com 4. Wood Jennie. (2013 October). How We’ve Change Since 9/11. Retrieved from https://www.teachervision.com 5. Tierney John. (2014 March 23). At Airports, a Misplaced Faith in Body Language. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

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