Travelers should expect heightened airport security
By Melissa Mainini
Nov. 24, 2010 1:03 a.m.
As Thanksgiving approaches, thousands of UCLA students will venture to airports to return home for the holiday.
Before passengers can board their planes, they will have to pass through newly increased levels of airport security.
The most noticeable security change that travelers can expect is the recent implementation of advanced imaging technology, or full-body scanners, which are being used in addition to normal security procedures, such as metal detectors. These scanners allow security officers to see if passengers are hiding anything under their clothes.
Airports that have implemented advanced imaging technology will randomly select passengers to go through full-body scans.
Passengers can choose to opt out of the scan and undergo a thorough pat-down instead, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.
At present, 400 full-body scanners are in use at 80 airports around the country, Melendez said.
With Thanksgiving only one day away, controversy has emerged over the safety and privacy of full-body scans.
A nationwide wave of resistance has sprung up as many worry that the technology exposes passengers to harmful amounts of radiation.
Melendez said this is not the case. He said the radiation emitted by these scans is quite minimal.
“TSA would not have put (full-body scans) in place if they were dangerous,” Melendez said. “The amount of radiation a passenger is exposed to from a scan is the same as the amount they experience with a phone call.”
Other than the addition of advanced imaging technology scans, Melendez said travelers should not expect to see major changes to airport security throughout the holiday.
Some students said they oppose the addition of full-body scans.
Jasmine Kaur, a fourth-year history student, said she is not concerned about the full-body scans being a health risk. But Kaur added that she thinks the technology could be an invasion of privacy.
Despite the controversy, a recent CBS survey revealed that 81 percent of Americans support the use of full-body scans.
Among those supporters is Ryan Matthews, a second-year economics student. Matthews said he recently noticed the presence of full-body scans when he flew from LAX to San Jose several weeks ago.
Although Matthews did not go through the scan, he said he believes the scans are a positive addition to airport security, and their use did not seem to slow the security process.
“Nobody likes waiting in lines or going through scans,” he said.
“But if the people that are paid to make airports safe feel that it is necessary, I think it is definitely worth it.”
