It is obvious that certain items should not be carried onto an airplane such as guns, explosives, knives, dangerous chemicals, and other things that may potentially be dangerous to travelers. Unfortunately, other measures that are still in place seem to be unnecessary and limit greatly what cannot be carried on to an airplane. For example, it does not seem dangerous to allow people to carry their own water onto a plane yet people are still required to carry liquids in 4 ounce containers excluded a few exceptions, water not being one of them. The list of items that are allowed or prohibited to be carried on a plane is in constant flux and seems to be changing all of the time. The effect of this security measure makes it very difficult and annoying for passengers to figure out what they are allowed to take with them on the airplane and slows security lines down when passengers must remove certain items from their carry on and either have them checked with their luggage or have them thrown away. This can be very frustrating for travelers. Other interesting problems with limiting carry on items is the banning of certain items while other similar items are permitted, making what can be carried on even more confusing for travelers. For example, according the Transportation Security Administration's website, items such as knives, razors, box cutters, and other sharp objects are prohibited, but on the same list it clearly states “Scissors - metal with pointed tips and blades shorter than four inches” (TSA) are permissible. Metal scissors with pointed tips regardless of their size could easily be used as an offensive weapon in the right hands. If scissors are allowed are allowed, then why not allow knitting needles? The TSA ought to come with an easy to comprehend static set of rules that makes sense and allows passengers more freedom in what they can carry on while limiting items that are truly dangerous.
Some inefficiency is to be expected when dealing with any sort of business, but it should not be due to confusing rules and poorly or under trained security officials. For example, random checking is probably the most inefficient aspect of modern airport security. In no way should people be racially profiled or stereotyped, but pulling children, elderly, or even adults out of line randomly is probably the least efficient way to keep travelers secure. A middle-aged man traveling with his four children and wife is almost certainly not planning any sort of deadly action during a flight. People traveling one way with no luggage on the other hand might warrant more scrutiny. By pulling people aside for random security checks, the efficiency and movement of security lines drops drastically. Also, by making people take off jackets and shoes as well as hooded sweatshirts, the amount of time in line increases greatly. Also due to the ever changing rules of what can be carried on a plane, people have to pull out certain items and dig through their bags either by request of security officers or for fear of having certain items thrown away which also effects the efficiency of security at Airports. Once again, with better rules, people would have the ability to move through security lines more efficiently.
The worst part about airport security measures is that they do not actually achieve what they attempt to prevent. Independent studies have shown that although not all the time, the items that the security groups attempt to prevent from getting through do. These items include guns and knives. This is probably the most disturbing aspect of modern security protocol when flying. Many potentially dangerous items such as guns and sharp objects pass through security checks without being detected. According to an article by Mimi Hall “Guns and knives, along with box cutters like those used by the Sept. 11 hijackers, slipped past screeners in recent airport security tests by undercover agents”(Hall). If the screeners can't even keep guns out, reforms to the security systems must be made. Passengers are led to believe that with strict security measures, all is well, but in reality unreliable security screeners may be putting us into more danger by allowing dangerous items through checkpoints.
There will always be a need for airport security. People should be able to feel safe when they travel. That being said, security checkpoints need to be reformed. The TSA needs to come up with a practical list of what can and cannot be brought onto a plane to help with the confusion and limits of what you can or cannot carry on a plane. By doing so they would allow travel to be more comfortable and less confusing. Security checkpoints must become more efficient so that long waits in line or hassle by security agents can be avoided as much as possible. Finally, security checkpoints and screeners need to be more reliable in keeping items that are truly dangerous like knives and guns from getting past security and even better onto a plane. By solving these problems, going through security checkpoints at airports would be a lot more tolerable.
Works Cited
Mimi Hall. "Weapons still getting past airport screeners." USA Today (n.d.). Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Univ of Alaska Fairbanks Rasmuson and BioSciences Libraries, Fairbanks, AK. 23 Mar. 2009
"TSA: Prohibited Items." Transportation Security Administration. 25 Mar. 2009
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