ast Thursday night in Milan, Italy, I was unsure if I would be able to make it back the States. An uncommon snow storm caused train and plane delays all over northern Italy. And, oh yes, there were those bombings in Madrid.
Security in Europe is noticeably different from the States. Even with the increased security checks and the after-effects of the Madrid bombings, I was able to sail right through airport security. In Milan’s Malpensa airport I removed: my coat.
I wasn’t so lucky when traveling to the U.S.
To pass through American security I had to take off my watch, jewelry and keys from my pockets, and remove my shoes, coat, scarf and sweater. And I was fortunate. Other Guilford students flying through domestic airports during spring break suffered the additional baggage and personal searches, had several hour-long waits in customs, or had drug dogs sniff them.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) just passed a recent law mandating international visitors with visas to undergo a screening process of digital fingerprinting and face photography. This will affect the 24 million visitors a year that come into the Unites States. Additionally, this summer all airlines will be required to hand over private information about passengers on every flight. This information would include personal addresses and phone numbers to be compared with government records of wanted terrorists.
This all seems fair to me; it’s just a few extra minutes of my flight spent filling out paperwork instead of watching movies.
At the same time, according to a Jan. 12 Washington Post article, Congress is currently trying to pass a bill that allows those with “trusted traveler status” to breeze through security. This bill would exempt passengers with a record of frequent, safe traveling from secondary personal and baggage checks, while speeding up the security process.
By the TSA starting the selection process of who will or will not be searched, platinum fliers, daily commuters, and those who fly business class will have the luxury of a relaxed screening process.
Now, is this safe? Will this latest form of travel status be akin to racial profiling? Or is this a form of the relaxed security that is prevalent in Europe?
On one flight from London to New York, I sat in business class, speaking with two of the very same men who may be exempt from future security measures. It made me jealous; they will not be harassed for minute jingle-jangles in their pockets. It also made me wonder just how easy it would be for a terrorist under a “trusted traveler” status to slip under the TSA’s radar only to resurface years in the future.
The two businessmen, both Yale graduates, were very intelligent, and more than capable of pulling off an act of terrorism.
As the recent terrorism attacks in Madrid have shown, all it takes is time for the public to lose their caution and settle down into everyday life routines. All it takes is one businessman to be drawn “to the dark side.”
Remember the recent news story of National Guard soldier Ryan G. Anderson, who is being investigated for aiding al-Qaeda intelligence? He would have been among those with “trusted traveler” status.
The only time the threat of terrorism really affects the majority of the American public is when flying within the United States. At every question from the ticketing counter or security line we again develop that feeling of nervousness.
With a bottle of wine in my carry-on in London Heathrow airport, I thought about my mother, a flight attendant, who goes through security hundreds of times a year.
Since 9-11, she no longer carries pointed nail files, tweezers, or miniature scissors and screwdrivers on her key chain. Now if a travel-size screwdriver is a weapon, I wondered, was the bottle of wine in my bag one also?
And why did the TSA recently take knitting needles off the banned luggage list?
My mother believes that since the 9-11 attacks the only people that don’t put up a fuss about toughened airport security are New Yorkers.
She’s probably right. I can’t stand traveling in the United States. With knitting needles and “trusted travelers” it seems too unsafe.