Essay on The Heightening of Airport Security after September 11th

According to Jason Villemez of the PBS News Hour, there were immediate changes to airport security following 9/11. Within 2 months of the attacks, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was passed. This law requires that every single bag is screened at airports andrequires that certain procedures are followed at every airport (Swickard). Before 9/11, scissors, baseball bats, darts, and 4-inch-long blades were allowed, but these are now illegal under the ATSA (O’Connor). The Aviation and Transportation Security Act also created the Transportation Security Administration known as the TSA (Tognotti). Each airport had to supply their own security before 9/11, but with the creation of the TSA, the government supplied security for airports (Villemez). Gabi Logan of USA Today found that the increase in security including baggage checks caused a six percent decrease in the number of passengers. Passengers chose not to travel at all or found a different way to get to their destination. While security in airports was significantly increased, 9/11 also affected millions of Americans involved in the war on terror”.

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.

In Asra Q. Nomani’s article “Airport Security: Let’s Profile Muslims” she acknowledges that, “Data in reports released over the past several months from New York University’s Center for Security and the Law; the Congressional Research Service, and the Rand Corporation reveal that over the past decade not only are many defendants in terrorism cases Muslim, but they trace their national or ethnic identity back to specific countries.” In this article, Nomani asserts her interest of Racial and Religious profiling for passengers boarding among U.S Airports. Opposing this article is Nafees Syed’s article, “Airport Screening for ‘Flying while muslim.’” Syed imparts how offensive and frustrating profiling can be for those who are “randomly selected.” A topic like this is very sensitive to discuss but it 's a concern of many people. Should racial profiling be enforced in U.S airlines? If you contrast the two articles it is evident that Nomani’s article possesses a stronger argument.

Airport security in the post 9/11 era is designed to create the illusion of safety, without actually protecting us from terrorism. It is important to recognize, that the TSA is incredibly ineffective, at preventing prohibited items from getting past its gates. In a recent test at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, undercover federal agents successful snuck in 95 percent of explosive materials, fake weapons and drugs. While this failure rate is certainly alarmingly high it is by no way unique. In a similar, but slightly broader Homeland Security investigation, the TSA failed 67 out of 70 tests conducted by the department’s Red Team across a variety of cities. Furthermore, the layout of security at airports is incredible ineffective. According to renowned security expert, Rafi Sela, “security should happen in rings, so different teams can check each other’s work.” However, in American Airports the only place that security happens is at one checkpoint.

Hypothesis: The events of September 11th has caused racial profiling, a practice that was vilified by many just months ago, to become a common and accepted practice used by the government, airline officials, police agencies, and the American public. Profiling has also become a necessary tool used to prevent further terrorist attacks on the United States.

To begin with airport security has changed extremely since the September 11 attack. It was a normal day for New York City on September 11 when around 8:46 a.m. an United Airline Flight 11 crashed the north tower killing many people on board and in the building (A&E Television Networks). Then around 9:03 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175 crashed on the south tower also killing everyone on board and on the building and leaving many injured (A&E Television Networks). Many people lost family members and the attack left them missing their loved ones and till this day it still causes some effects. Ever since that day airport security has been much secured and the creation of Transportation Security Administration was made (Farecompare.com). TSA also known as

Profiling in our airports, train stations, and borders is a very important step in securing them. Vigilance and surveillance are two important steps in preventing attacks against our country. The United States has “beefed up” security by using the latest technological inventions to search people before they get onto the plane, but they are still able to be “beaten” by criminals. In order to achieve a higher level of security, there must be individual searches by a human instead of just a computer; but, with such a large amount of people flying in planes, taking trains, and crossing our borders, it is un-realistic that the United States would be able to do searches by a human on each and every person. Instead, we must use profiling to help determine who may be carrying something that is illegal with malicious intentions. Michael Tuohey, the airport security agent who checked Muhammed Atta, the leader of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and a companion through the security gates said after the September 11th attack “They had a tie and jacket on. And as I'm looking at them, you know, they're holding their IDs up, and I'm looking at them. It's not nice, but I said, ‘If this doesn't look like two Arab terrorists, I've never seen two Arab terrorists.’” Although he had this gut feeling, he did not search them further because he felt guilty about feeling

Body: Air travel is a fast and convenient way to reach a destination. Even if many passengers may complain of missed flights, delays during the holidays, and the number of carry-ons they are allowed to bring onto the plane, air travel is an important part of quick transportation. One essential part of the airport system is security. Today, security is a major priority that airports must administer strictly. Due to the recent terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, airports along with airlines want their customers to feel safe. An interest in airport security took me to the Tallahassee Regional Airport. Except for the

After the September 11th attacks the United States had major changes to airport security and air travel. At Denver International Airport in Colorado opened in 1995, for security the installed two security checkpoints, since the 9/11 attacks the checkpoints have been gradually expanded to take up almost two-thirds of the level 5 (Bearden). This is a reminder of how much aviations security has changed since 9/11, they have added X-ray machines, metal and explosive detectors, and millimeter body scanner. As Bearden states “I am old enough to remember when boarding an airplane was simple: One walked through an exterior door and took a short hike across the ramp before clambering up a mobile stairway.” Security was first set into place in the late

Madeline Lederer Mr. Jacobs AP US History June 8, 2018 How 9/11 Affected Airport Security In the years leading up to 2001, airport security was drastically different from the way it is today. The airports allowed blades, bats, needles, and scissors through security and onto planes. In addition, personal appearance and demeanor were not taken into account as much, which is a stark contrast from today. Since airport security was run by private companies instead of the government, security varied from airport to airport, with no specific guidelines for each airport.

There has been a lot of enhancements in airport security. “Specific ID required; ID name must match name on ticket” (“research from fare compare”) if you are traveling with a kid you have to have a birth certificate for them and the security guy questions the kid about his or her age who their traveling

Since the 9/11 attacks, security has been a major thing that the U.S has tightened up on airports and international regions across the U.S. Because we don’t have the technology to help stop terrorist attacks in airplanes or other regions, security screening

These incidents show that the Transportation Security Administration is another bureaucratic agency that is incapable of providing proper airport security and has so far gotten lucky that another terrorist attack using airliners has not occurred. In this paper I will illustrate that the TSA is not the best vehicle to provide airport security and will offer some suggestions on how to improve security at airports.

The past two decades have frequently exposed vulnerabilities in The United States of America (USA) airport security measures. The airplane attacks of 2001 and the shooting of a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer in 2013 are events that caused the President to immediately sign bills to amplify airport safety. TSA budget was increased and hundreds of additional employees were hired. Everything is fine as long as the funds are spent for the most advanced technology and programs.

Since the beginning of air travel, airlines have been a common target for terrorism and crime. In 1974, the Air Transportation Security Act was passed mandating the screening of passengers and any carry-on property at U.S. airports to ensure the safety of all passengers. After the terroristic attack against the twin towers, in 2001, there was an increase in the amount of precaution for greater security throughout the United States. As result, the Transportation Security Administration was put in the position of taking over responsibility for airport screening. Many new security measures were implemented, including limiting the number and types of items passengers can carry on board an aircraft, requiring passengers to submit their shoes for X-ray screening, as well as full-body scans and pat downs. Since the new requirement of such extreme security measures, a great controversy as to whether these procedures are appropriate has risen. Many argue that some of the new security measures, such as the full-body scanners and pat downs, are an inconvenience that invades the privacy of travelers while others claim that these measures are a necessity that keeps airline traveling safe.