Finding cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms used to be frequent fliers top priorities. Now personal security is becoming a serious concern. Full body scanners will start being used as security checks for all passengers heading to the United States from the Netherlands.
Such a scanner might have prevented Umar Abdulmutallab from being able to carry undetected explosives in his underwear onto the Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas day.
According to Dutch Interior Minister Guusje Ter Horst the use of millimeter wave scanners would certainly have helped detect that he had something on his body, but you can never give 100% guarantees.
The 23 year old Nigerian unsuccessfully attempted to detonate explosives on a Northwest flight carrying over 300 passengers.
The U.S. has not previously wanted body scanner used because of privacy concerns. However, the Dutch Minister stated that there is now agreement with US authorities that all possible measures will be used on flights to the U.S.
Body scanners that offer the viewer the ability to look through clothes have been existed for years, but were not employed because of privacy concerns.
40 scanning machines are being used in at least 19 U.S. airports. Now what remains to be seen is if purchases of such machines will increase dramatically.
Of course, terrorist experts have pointed out that even with full body scanners, terrorists who choose to hide explosives inside body parts will still pass undetected unless body cavity searches are conducted.