Changes in airport and airplane security following 9/11

Some may say that the morning of September 11, 2001 was the darkest day America had ever seen. On a seemingly regular morning in New York City, a group of terrorists hijacked four passenger jets and proceeded to crash two two into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one into The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and the fourth was believed to be intended to crash into either The United States Capitol Building, or the White House. Both located in Washington, D.C, but crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers aboard that flight attempted to take control of the aircraft.

Following the events of 9/11 questions were raised about the effectiveness of airport security at the time, because of the fact that all 19 hijackers were able to board the aircrafts unnoticed. Since the attacks, airport security all around the globe have been increased to lower the risk of any similar event happening again. The following changes in airport security were put into effect after 9/11:

Improvements to Security on Aircraft

-cockpit doors are strengthened and bullet-proof to prevent unauthorized access

-some planes have security cameras installed so that the pilots can monitor the cabin

-pilots have an option to carry a gun, but have to be trained to use it

- in the US, more air marshals have been placed onto flights to improve security

Improvements to Security Screening

-airport check point security has been greatly tightened since 2001

-many passengers are patted down and checked with a metal detector

-security personnel are also trained better to perform searches

Identification Checks

-on September 11, some hijackers didn’t have proper ID, yet were able to board

-all passengers 18 years or older must now have valid identification issued by the        government to be allowed to fly

-airports are allowed check the ID of any passenger at any time to ensure that the details on the ID match those on the printed boarding pass

The issue of invasion of privacy involving airport pat-downs and full body scanners has sparked controversy over the fact that these security measures have become “far too intrusive” and an “invasion of privacy” as some passengers might say. Although some may disagree with me, in my personal opinion I think that these extra security measures are key in ensuring the safety of all airplanes, passengers, and all around the plane. I don’t see a problem regarding the pat-downs and body scanners as long as it makes certain that there will never be another terrorist attack involving an airplane ever again.

Ultimately, the aftermath of 9/11 has greatly motivated airports and airplanes to take extra security precautions, as countries all around the globe are wanting to prevent another event like 9/11 from ever happening. I believe that even though airport pat-downs and/or the full body scanners could pose an invasion of privacy for some individuals, it is necessary to be 110% sure whether or not someone could be a threat innocent people, so that acts of terrorism can be prevented.

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