Impact Of Transportation On 9/11

    On September 11, 2001, Islamic extremists stole four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against the United States. Two of the airplanes were flown into the twin towers in New York City, the third airplane hit the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth airplane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Known as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering the United States to create major changes in their security and terrorism protocols. While everyone agrees that what happened on 9/11 was terrible, many believe that the changes in America’s security protocols are not for the best. How 9/11 affected America’s security protocols was for the worse, it caused: privacy invasion for foreign and American civilians in airports, immigration laws increased out of fear, and discrimination and racism towards Arab civilians.

On September 11, 2001 terrorists apprehended 4 airplanes and committed the most heinous act in American history. They flew two planes into the world trade center, one into the Pentagon, and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania crash killing more than three thousand American citizens. Since 9 /11many things have changed in America in relation to our national security.

The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks forever changed the way our air travel industry operates. It affected the government, the airlines, airports, employees, and passengers alike. There was not as much of a threat of terrorism before 9/11, so airport security was not nearly as thorough, and at times intrusive as it is today. Through the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, the evolving threat of terrorism has not been successful in carrying out another 9/11 style attack.

Before September 11, the Federal Aviation Administration perceived that sabotage was a much greater threat than hijacking. This is because there had been no domestic hijackings in a decade, the commercial aviation system was thought to be more vulnerable to explosives than to weapons, and explosives were perceived as deadlier than hijacking and therefore of greater concern (9/11 Commission, 82). The FAA therefore did not think that a hijacking was even a possibility. There was enough concern of sabotage that a "layered defense system" was implemented where a passenger went through prescreening, check point screening, and onboard security (9/11 Commission, 83). However, these were not effective, as the terrorists on 9/11 were still able to carry out their plan.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 prompted the world to reevaluate and drastically modify airport and airline security. “Four targets had been chosen, all iconic American buildings that would send a clear message of the depth of their hatred for the United States. All four planes crashed, killing all on board—terrorists, crew members, and passengers, along with hundreds who were killed inside the structures, on the ground, and the men and women who ran into collapsing buildings in an effort to try and save others” (Smutz 1). As Jason Villemez said “the decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America” (Villemez 1). Before the attacks, people did not think that large

September 11, 2001 was a milestone in the history of the United States, which experienced a collective shock and trauma that has never been forgotten. In the United States most of all, the entire airline and tourist industry was driven to the edge of bankruptcy and would not have survived at all without a major bailout by the federal government. It was already in poor condition for many years after deregulation in 1978, the September 11th attacks were a Near Death Experience. After that time, the airlines decided that they could never permit another attack like this or they would be driven out of business. As it was, their stock prices collapsed and passenger schedules did not return to pre-September 11th levels for four years. All previous security plans were judged to be useless and inadequate, and were taken out of the hands of private security contractors and turned over to the federal government. New and more restrictive laws like the Patriot Act came into being, and the U.S. launched an all-out war on Al Qaeda that has continued for eleven long years.

Airport security pre 9/11 was very unorganized which is what led to such a cotastrophy. The job of aviation security was largly dealt with by private security firms which led to incunsistency, and the FAA did an inadequarte job at keeping these inconsistencies in check. According to a 1987 FAA test 20% of dangerous items were missed by the airport screeners, and as time went on that percentage worsened “Test data for the 1991 to 1999 period show that the declining trend in detection rates continues.” (GAO, 2001a, p. 6). Due to this lack of organization 5 planes were able to be hijacked on the same day. This act of terrorism made apperant that that the job of aviation protection had to be taken out of the handss of the FAA and be made more of a federal issue. From

The first attempted hijacking of an airplane on US soil happened in July 1961 out of Chico Municipal Airport. From 1961 through 2016 there were about 10 major airline or airport attacks, worldwide. In 1969 a 19- year-old Marine had control of a flight for 6,900 miles, which was the longest lasting hijacking ever. Then in 1988, a bomb a Pan Am Flight 103 killed all 259 on board and an additional 11 bystanders on the ground. In 2011 a suicide bombing in a Moscow airport killed 37, and in 2016 three coordinated suicide bombings in the Brussels airport killed 32. Between 1968 and 1972 hijackers took over a commercial airline every other week on average. The 9/11 attack was the last straw and on November 19, 2001 the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was passed by the 107th Congress allowing President Bush to create the TSA. Its mission is to protect our nation’s transportation

The attacks on September 11, 2001 changed the United States airport, airplane, immigration, and visa security. Before 9/11 airports were minimally supervised and people could walk their friends and family all the way up to the gate, even if they were not going onto the plane. Two months after 9/11, the United States congress passed the Aviation and Transportation security act which created the Transportation Security Administration. “The new TSA implemented procedures that included stricter guidelines on passenger and luggage screening. Only ticketed passengers could go through security, and an ever-changing array of machinery and procedures were introduced to scan for weapons and destructive items. As new threats were discovered after 9/11, new procedures were introduced, including removing shoes and banning liquids.” (Pbs.org). New security was also implemented on planes themselves. New security on planes involved fortified cockpit doors. Along with this, pilots could register to become a federal flight deck officer, which would allow them to carry a loaded gun on board. These new laws about flying safety were much needed in a time where terrorism became more prevalent. Today it would be much harder for someone to put an airport or airplane in danger because of all the safety regulations. Also, The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act required the

The plane crashes at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania were some of the worst events in U.S. History. The attacks of September 11, 2001 have impacted airports in the United States, and as a result, airport security has evolved significantly over time. Before 9/11, airports had simple security systems that made it easy for people to get through the security checkpoint. Then, a terrorist group named Al-Qaeda decided to fly two planes into each of the Twin Towers. They killed around 3,000 people on that day. (FBI) The terrorists took the lives of innocent people. Our airport security failed to stop them from committing this cruel crime. Ever since 9/11, airport security changed drastically. From now on,

On September 16, President Bush declared: “Never in anybody’s thought process about how to protect America did we ever think that the evil-doers would fly not one, but four commercial aircraft into precious U.S. targets-never” (Griffin 131). 9/11 really impacted the lives of Americans because it hit so close to home. Industries and the government have changed policies and formed new agencies to shield the lives of the people. Airport security has changed tremendously. Cockpits are now locked and can only be unlocked by the pilot inside. New luggage item regulations and bans have been passed such as knives, quantity of liquids, TSA Pat-Downs, and bomb jokes. The TSA or “Transportation Security Act” did not exist until after 9/11. Relatives and friends of fellow New Yorkers worked in the Twin Towers every day. Pedestrians walked by the towers every day and admired them in the city’s skyline. The moment they were gone, along with the people, America changed. The country was quiet and in sorrow. America will never fully recover from this travesty, but it made us stronger as a united

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 prompted the world to reevaluate and drastically modify airport and airline security. “Four targets had been chosen, all iconic American buildings that would send a clear message of the depth of their hatred for the United States. All four planes crashed, killing all on board—terrorists, crew members, and passengers, along with hundreds who were killed inside the structures, on the ground, and the men and women who ran into collapsing buildings in an effort to try and save others” (Smutz 1). As Jason Villemez said “the decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America” (Villemez 1). Before the attacks, people did not think that large scale hostility towards innocent people in

The September 11th attacks have had a profound effect on American history. Often referred to as “9/11”, these attacks were comprised of a group of organized terrorists known as Al-Qaeda. This extreme Islamic group assaulted several landmarks in New York City, Washington D.C, and the state of Pennsylvania. In New York City, two airliner jets were hijacked with passengers aboard and slammed into the World Trade Center. “The next attack resulted in a plane colliding into the Pentagon, government building; the last attack was in Pennsylvania when a plane crashed into a field. In total, 3,000 people died on September 11th, 2001” (History.com Staff). The September 11th-attacks have affected airport security by the new training of flight attendants, the formation of the Transportation Security Administration and new technical advances to keep up with increased terror threats.

September 11, 2001 marked the most horrific day in history for United States of America. The events of this day changed the lives of those residing in America forever. United States was considered somewhat safe, in regards to terrorists’ attacks. However, this all came to a screeching halt when 19 militants known to be a part of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group hijacked four planes for the purpose of destroying targeted areas in the United States. As a result of the deadly attack on the United States, security measures drastically changed. Although, security measures throughout the United States have been in place, extreme caution came into effect. All departments looked at different measures to improve preventing terrorists’ attacks.

Airport security is necessary for the safety and efficiency of airlines today. Attacks involving airlines have been “among the deadliest in terms of human lives and economic impact,” even though relatively few attacks have occurred using airlines compared to other terrorism methods (Szyliowicz, 2011, p.2). Airport Security has been administered using a government-operated system since the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was enacted in 2001. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), now an agency of homeland security, replaced private security measures and personnel with at least 60,000 federal employees (Szyliowicz, 2011). However, privatization may be making a come-back. The following analysis will analyze