Kitty Felde
Entries from March 12, 2010
All security is not created equal
Why is there such a difference in the level of security measures taken at airports around the world?
At LAX, some days you get stopped at the entrance while officers look for potential car bombs under your car. At Baltimore's Thurgood Marshall Airport, you can park your car outside the baggage claim area, run in to find your loved one, and return many minutes later to find the car has NOT been towed; it hasn't even gotten a ticket.
Reagan/National is the closest airport to the Capitol and the White House, just down the street from the Pentagon. It was closed down for months after 9/11. But these days, airport personnel are relaxed, with no visible signs of intensified security measures. At London's Gatwick Airport, I spotted a dozen officers carrying assault weapons, wearing riot gear, walking bomb-sniffing dogs. At Holland's Schipol Airport, I got the usual questions about whether you packed your own bags and did you accept any item from a stranger. But then I was quizzed at length about electronic equipment. Had I had my cellphone repaired? Lent it to a stranger? They were worried that even a cellphone could contain a bomb or triggering device.
I assume there are all sorts of security precautions going on behind the scenes. But fliers certainly notice a difference in the atmosphere of security from airport to airport.
Which airport makes you feel most secure?
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