Airport Security: They're Doin' It Wrong

In the midst of the busiest travel season of all, I've been doing a lot of thinking about airport security.

Maybe it's because we just just passed the two-year anniversary of the Underwear Bomber incident that took TSA to a whole new level. Or maybe it's because I had a heinous travel experience last night that included an overheated airport, lots of wasted time and my first "enhanced" pat-down.

Let's say it's the former.

Either way, there has to be a method for better processing air passengers that will ensure their safety while still letting them maintain some amount of privacy and dignity. The enhanced pat-down is not the answer; turns out, it's just as invasive as people have claimed. I couldn't get my face to un-blush for 10 minutes.

Then maybe I should have simply opted for the millimeter wave scanner. But since the jury is still out on the safety (and effectiveness) of these devices, I'll take my chances with Disgruntled TSA Agent No. 422.

So what's the answer? I think trusted traveler programs are a step in the right direction. Heathrow recently installed facial recognition scanners that will verify the identity of member travelers. These additional screening lanes would let frequent travelers breeze through, cutting down on long wait times and stressed-out TSA workers.

Even TSA's new program, PreCheck, seems to be a step in the right direction. It gives airport security agents the kind of information that airlines already collect and store on their frequent fliers, like how they paid for their tickets, their flight history and home addresses. So far, the program includes about 85,000 members between the two airlines that are currently participating, American and Delta.

“What we are trying to do is find that needle in the haystack,” said John S. Pistole, the head of the TSA, when the program launched. “If we can reduce that haystack, it can help us. We have to have a starting point someplace. The intelligence tells us a number of things, but the great likelihood is that a very frequent flier is not going to be a terrorist.”

Obviously, programs like PreCheck aren't the ultimate answer. In fact, some passengers are already raising concerns about the fairness of trusted traveler programs. One argument is that they favor frequent fliers, a group which includes a disproportionate amount of wealthy people. This has some worried that lower-income passengers will be unfairly subjected to more extensive screening.

Until the Total Recall airport screening machine is invented, we may have to make do with our current security theater mess. Oh wait: That thing took full-body, unprotected x-rays. OK, who's got a better idea?

Airlines' Checked-bag Fees: Bad for Security?

Checked-bag fees aren't just a financial hassle--according to the director of the Transportation Security Administration, they may also be compromising the safety of U.S. flights.

John Pistole on Friday explained during a speech that checked-bag fees only encourage passengers to overpack their carry-on bags. Often, he said, these bags are so densely packed that TSA's imaging machines cannot see into them to detect harmful objects.

“It’s harder to inspect what’s in there,” Pistole said. “When you hear about things getting through security, that’s part of the reason why.”

On top of that concern, the U.S. Travel Association earlier this year expressed worry over checked-bag fees' effect on the security screen line. The more passengers with overly packed carry-on bags, the longer the security line--and the less time TSA officers have for screening everyone else.

Tell us what you think: Do the checked-bag fees have an effect on security? Or are they just maddening?

Would Nixing the TSA Help the Deficit?

Here's an interesting bit of trivia for all of you who hate modern airport security: If he were elected president, Rep. Ron Paul's economic plan would include abolishing the Transportation Security Administration, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security that emerged in the wake of 9/11.

Part of Paul's vision to "restore America" to prosperity involves killing several government agencies, including TSA and the departments of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Interior and Education. The cost savings to Americans? One trillion dollars in taxes from the TSA alone.

Paul has been a long-time critic of TSA, claiming that the agency has harrassed passengers, humiliated the elderly and molested children. Instead, airport security should be left to the airlines, he says.

What do you think? Do you trust airlines enough to oversee airport security? Or would you rather stick with TSA?

Airport Facial Recognition System Detects Lying

Image Credit: UK Daily MailWith the 10^th anniversary of 9/11 looming, many people are probably wondering where airport security will go from here.

Although the TSA claims it will be moving away from the most invasive aspects of its screening procedures, it’s unclear what technology they’ll adopt in the future. So, let’s look to Britain to find out what’s next: lie detectors that use facial recognition technology.

Covert lie detectors are being installed at a U.K. airport to detect passengers who are lying to immigration and security officials. The high-definition video and thermal imaging cameras pick up otherwise undetectable facial expressions and changes in a person’s body temperature, which are tell-tale signs of lying. Then, the captured images are compared to a database of photos that illustrate the signs of lying, from a slight eye movement to a quick mouth twitch.

In contrast to conventional lie detectors, these new cameras will catch passengers unaware, so they won’t know they’re being watched or attempt to change their behavior. But the covert nature is also what has British privacy advocates crying foul.

The system, which has a current success rate of 60-70 percent, is still being developed. But it will be used in real-world tests soon.

Perhaps in the future these facial recognition lie detectors will be used in conjunction with the TSA’s new behavior-based security screening methods, which closely resemble Israel’s.

Heathrow Prepares to Install Facial Recognition Scanners

Heathrow, the largest airport in the U.K., will begin installing facial recognition scanners in September to prevent illegal immigration.

The scanners will go in two terminals where international and domestic passengers commingle--an environment that makes it possible for a passenger to bypass the immigration counters.

The facial recognition will prevent, for example, a U.S. passenger from getting a domestic ticket from another passenger in the departure lounge and then flying to Glasgow. Now, the scanners will ensure that each ticketed passenger boards the correct flight.

Passengers' faces will be scanned after they've received their boarding pass and just before they go through security. Then, their faces will be scanned again once they've left the departure lounge and before they board their flight.

Aurora Computer Services, a U.K.-based company created the Aurora Image Recognition system, which uses a camera with an infrared flash. It'll be able to identify a person from about 3 feet away in 4.7 seconds.