Confusion over security procedures after 9/11 terror attacks
After a decade of changes in the aviation industry, there is still considerable confusion about carry-on luggage and security procedures.
It has now been 10 years since the infamous 9/11 terror attacks in America in 2001. In that time, governments, airports, airlines and international regulatory bodies have imposed a host of rules and regulations.
Many of these have been changed, removed or re-imposed from time to time. To add to the confusion, different countries or zones have different laws.
The Chairman of the Board of Airline Representatives Malaysia, Germal Singh Khera, is pressing for harmonised global standards and consistency in implementation of regulations.
Since the 9/11 terrorists used box cutters they carried on board to hijack the airplanes, today, anything remotely sharp is taken away before passengers can board.
His case is strengthened by the woes of innumerable air travellers who are unwittingly caught in a web of contradictions, inconsistencies and confusion.
Visas
There is great inconsistency in this area. Take, for example, the two zones that seem to be most targeted by mid-air terrorists, namely the United States and Europe. Obtaining a US visa is an extremely complicated and tiring process, and rejections are commonplace even for high-ranking officials of government departments or government-linked companies.
In a typical instance last year, visa applications were rejected or delayed until approval was pointless for several Malaysia Airlines engineers and Malaysia Airports officials heading to the Boeing plant in Seattle on official duty!
At the other extreme, no visas or even passports are required for travel within the borderless Schengen Area currently covering about 25 European countries.
Gone are the happy days when Malaysian tourists could collect the passport stamps of eight or nine European countries in a single package tour!
Unbelievably, once inside the Schengen Area – which covers a population of over 400 million people and an area of over 4.3 million sq km, anyone can travel freely without any travel documents or being subject to any border checks.
Carry-on liquids
Since the foiled liquid-explosive plot in 2006 (see Twin impacts on page 2), passengers cannot carry more than a very small amount of liquids or gels past security screening checkpoints or onto aircraft – no greater than 3 ounces past security screening – and even then, containers must be placed in a clear plastic bag and sent through screening separately.
This restriction covers beverages, lotions, hair-care products, cosmetics, toiletries and other liquids or gels.
Again, this is extremely contradictory because anyone can buy these products at the airport shops after passing through immigration and security-checks!
To add to the confusion, some governments, airports and airlines allow passengers to carry on board anything in airport duty-free bags with corresponding receipts, while others confiscate liquids and gels newly-purchased before boarding!
A distraught young Malaysian journalist had her prized snowfall globe souvenir confiscated before boarding the aircraft at Beijing Airport, even though she had just purchased it outside the departure lounge, while at London’s Heathrow Airport, a distinguished-looking European professor had his newly-acquired bottle of duty-free gin taken away very coldly.
In both cases, neither intense pleading nor careful explanations made a difference.
Sharp instruments
Box-cutter knives were used in the 9/11 attacks because they were not considered weapons at the time! The hijackers were able to carry these knives past airport security because any knife with a blade up to 100mm (or four inches) long was permitted in those days.
While these lethal box-cutters qualified as “menacing weapons” under Hazardous Materials guidelines, they were also considered “trade tools” by some airlines. The dual status of these blades caused much confusion for security personnel who tended to be lax for fear of legal action or protests by passengers.
However, America’s Federal Aviation Authority rules placed into effect two days after 9/11 now prohibit any type of knife in secured airport areas and on airplanes. This procedure is followed by most airports around the world.
There still remains some vagueness about items like small scissors and needles in sewing kits, razor blades for shaving, large corset pins, and even office items like staplers and letter openers. Some security screening-points allow them and some do not.
An embarrassed visiting airline official had a lot of explaining to do at the airport in Kathmandu in Nepal when he tried to board his flight carrying a souvenir with very sharp edges in his briefcase. I found out later that he surprisingly did not have any problems at a prominent international airport in a third country where he caught his onward flight, even though that airport had more sophisticated technology and stricter screening processes.
Security screening
Security checks and checkpoint screening at airports have been significantly tightened all over the world since 9/11.
New technology has been introduced, with new x-ray machines, concealed surveillance cameras, biometric identification equipment, infra-red scanners, computerised passport databases, magnetometers, portable chemical analysis laboratories, holographic security pass tags, metal detectors and gas chromatography being just some of the advances in the last decade.
Uniformed and well-armed soldiers, plainclothes security personnel and policeman with guard dogs are used in some airports as a physical deterrent.
Physical body-checks have also increased greatly as a result of 9/11. Passengers are thoroughly checked with a hand-held metal detector, and many are patted down as well.
Security personnel at airports are also better trained to perform searches, especially when a passenger is asked to step into a full-search area.
Widely considered intrusive, insulting and obnoxious, full body searches are nevertheless necessary, and could at some point save hundreds of lives. There is, however, considerable controversy about who gets called aside, and why, with critics accusing authorities of racial profiling. This confusion has never been adequately answered, with some places giving a stereotyped “just random checks” answer.
Cockpit access
As an aviation writer, I used to relish being invited into the cockpit to get a pilot’s eye-view of the journey. This was a privilege also accorded to an elite group of passengers, including VVIPs and special children. That practice is gone, probably never to return.
The cockpit is now forbidden territory to all except invited cabin crew on duty. Cockpit doors on many aircraft are now reinforced, bullet proof and double-locked to prevent unauthorized access. This is not only mandated by several US government agencies, but also rigorously implemented by most airlines on all their flights.
In yet another perplexing contradiction, several smaller turbo-prop aircraft don’t even have cabin doors, with typical examples being the seaplanes being used in Canada, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and other low-traffic remote areas.
Cabin class sectioning
Once again, there is some contradiction in this issue. There is a tremendous price difference between coach (or economy) class, business class and first class. The physical amenities in each section differ considerably as well, with the front-end sections having individual shell cubicles and even lie-flat stretch beds on some aircraft.
To heighten the exclusivity of the two front-end sections, curtains are used to seal off these areas and enhance privacy. On that fateful Sept 11 in 2001, curtains were used to partition the first class cabin from the main cabin. The hijackers were all conveniently sealed off in the first class section so the passengers and crew in the main cabin were mostly unaware of what was going on until it was too late.
Since then, most airlines are supposed to have eliminated the curtains, as they pose a security risk. However, on the countless flights I have taken all over the world with various airlines, curtains were almost always present to section-off the business class and first class areas from what is disdainfully termed “cattle class” or “rakyat rows”.
They are only tied open during take off and landing, with some airlines even having their cabin crew quickly lower the curtains again once the aircraft has landed and docked. Such contradictions in safety and security are puzzling, indeed.
Onboard security
This is something most passengers will never see. For one thing, the hardware is almost always very well concealed. Some commercial aeroplanes are equipped with CCTV cameras, so the pilots can monitor cabin activity. For another, the on-board security often involves trained personnel who are good at remaining quite unnoticeable.
Some airlines have specially trained pilots who have the option of carrying a gun. In some US sectors, air marshals have been placed on flights to improve security.
Most cabin crew also have added training modules that cover mid-air terrorism. Passengers are safely cocooned during their flights, with a relaxed atmosphere being maintained with discreet and subtle but vigilant on-board security.
With all these contradictions, confusion, and carrying-on by different authorities, air travellers would be better off practising the simple maxim of “better safe than sorry”. Pack all dubious items in your check-in luggage, and carry your passport, air ticket and boarding pass with you at all times.
When confronted with the endless queues, tedious formalities and intrusive checks, just smile to yourself and remember that it really is better to be safe than sorry!
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