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What's New in Airport Security
June 1, 2009 | Permalink
Airport security is a fact of life for most travelers, whether they are true road warriors or just off for their annual vacation. At the same time, we all want to move as quickly as possible through the airport and get on to our destination. Unfortunately, the battle to combine speed and security has hit a bit of a technical speed bump.
“Puffer” machines, glass portals at screening checkpoints, were intended to sniff out all sorts of forbidden items as we walked through. You may have experienced one of these if you went through one of the 37 airports where Transportation Security Agency, or TSA, installed puffers. According to a recent USA Today article, these high-tech sensors were done in by those age-old nemeses: dirt and humidity.
It seems that equipment intended to sniff particles from your clothing was clogged by natural, air-borne dust particles. To date, almost half the machines have been removed with the remainder going some time in the future.
But fear not, airport security remains a high priority for the TSA. The agency has teamed up with the Ad Council to run a national public education campaign focused on their latest program, Secure Flight. The ad campaign launches around Memorial Day; however, TSA has been working on the program for quite a while.
Unlike the dust-clogged “puffers,” which dealt with checkpoint security, the Secure Flight program works on improving the accuracy of the government’s watch list. The watch lists previously maintained by individual airlines will be combined into a single list under TSA. A quick read of TSA’s Top 5 Questions gives a good overview of the program.
What this means for you is that you may be asked to provide some additional information, such as your date of birth and gender. Collecting this information, at least in theory, will reduce the instances of people with similar or identical names from being delayed or denied boarding.
According to the old saying, “Getting there is half the fun.” Road Warrior hopes you enjoy your travel experience as much as you enjoy your spacious, comfortable Extended Stay Hotels' suite.
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