Less Reason to Hate Terrorists

No doubt everyone's been irked by the heightened security requirements at the airport, no thanks in part to the failed Christmas bomber. Experts say the best way to prepare for the new security measures is to pretty much do as you did with the old rules.

That means becoming familiar with rules on what is allowed in carry-on and checked bags. A detailed list of the rules for items like liquids, holiday foods and gifts – don’t wrap them – is available at http://www.changiairport.com/changi/en/airport_guide/departure/safety_n_security/travel_tips.html

And then, when waiting on line at the security checkpoint, use the time to prepare. Here's some travel tips from experts around the world.

“Take your laptop out of your carry-on and hand it to the security officer for clearance, and that makes things go a lot faster,” said Michael Conway, a spokesman for the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

But perhaps the most important piece of advice is not to overreact. Don’t get to the airport hours before your flight. It won’t help, and it may even cause more problems. Some "experts" are saying ‘show up at the airport four hours before your flight' but it's creating an artificial backup.

According to DSP Paul Tay of the Singapore Police Force, the most common mistake was that prohibited items were unintentionally packed.

“The most commonly overlooked prohibited items include toothpaste, cologne, shampoo and even contact lens solution. We usually recommend that you pack personal hygene items into your luggage rather than your handcarry.” 

The stepped-up security will be most obvious on international flights bound for the United States. Passengers will be searched twice: at the main security checkpoint and again at the gate. “TSA requires additional checks of the passengers and cabin baggage,” said Olivier Jankovec, director general of the Airports Council International Europe.

“It is a solution for an emergency like what we are going through, but it cannot be sustainable from an operational point of view on an ongoing basis,” Jankovec said.

It will be up to the pilots on those flights to decide whether to restrict passenger movement or the use of blankets or other items often held on passengers’ laps during the last hour of flight. Some airlines are turning off in-flight audio and video navigation programs that let passengers know the status of the flight.

The TSA also issued a last-minute extension to hundreds of pilots who are authorized to carry firearms under the Federal Flight Deck Officers Program.

One airline captain said that before his flight left a European airport recently, he walked down one aisle of the airplane and back up the other, greeting each passenger.

“I wanted to have a bit of two-way interface about who was on board,” said the pilot, who did not want to be identified because he is not permitted by his airline to speak to the press. “I wanted to see who wanted to make eye contact and see that everyone is acting vaguely normal.”
© 2010 New York Times News Service