Travel over the holidays which was stimulated by the availability of cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages suggest that American are getting used to the new procedures/inconveniences the government deems necessary to combat terrorism. Most travelers are surrendering to full body scans and invasive pat-downs with little fuss. Resignation seems to have replaced fear.
A suspicious package which resulted in a two hour closing of a terminal at Newarks airport, one of the countrys largest, the week before Christmas was met by a shrug by most travelers.
Holiday air travel was up almost 3 percent equal to the increase of the number of people driving. This suggest that American travelers are undeterred by airport security measures implemented after a Nigerian was arrested for trying to blow up a Detroit bound plane on Christmas Day 2009. His plan was to use explosives hidden in his underwear.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) responded by installing 483 full body image scanners at 78 airports, with plans to have over 1,000 in place by the end of 2011. This was followed in late October with new more invasive pat-down procedures during which inspectors touch the inside of passengers legs, groin areas, and along the buttocks.
Initially there appeared to be growing outrage over the more intrusive pat-down procedures. A California man generated a tremendous amount of publicity by telling a security inspector If you touch my junk, I am going to have you arrested.
An attempted boycott of body scanners immediately prior to Thanksgiving never materialized.
A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 64 percent of Americans support the use of scanners. Another survey found that travelers viewed having to remove their shoes when going through security to be more bothersome than the new more aggressive pat-down technique.
In addition to its current screening measures, the TSA uses bomb sniffing dogs, explosive detectors, and behavior detection officers trained to spot suspicious travelers. The agencys Secure Flight Program matches passenger lists with government databases to identify possible terrorists prior to their boarding planes.
The TSA readily admits that no single approach can ensure passenger safety and argues that only by implementing many different security programs and continuing to change them regularly can they hope to be effective in preventing terrorist acts.
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