Airport Security and Leadership

Travel today has become much more difficult than in past years. Travelers must allow for more time to enter the airport and to go through airport screening. Airports today are faced with the daunting task of operating a business while always keeping screeners alert of any suspicious activity. The September 11th tragedy will forever be etched into the minds of many of us. As a result, airport security is faced daily with the difficult task in trying to detect individuals armed with deadly devices in hopes to ward off terrorists from repeating September 11th events. It is becoming increasingly difficult with technological advances being made every day. This is making their jobs nearly impossible at times. Recently this was put to the test at the Tampa International Airport when a screener failed the check when a covert tester strapped a fake bomb to his back. The tester claimed his metal knee caused the metal detector to go off and the screener did not pursue it. The reason they stated was that screeners may be vulnerable towards travelers with handicaps and sometimes not willing to perform unobtrusive searches. The screeners are typically shocked that they have failed the test. The good news is that the TSA pulls such screeners off the line and they are put through training before allowed back on the lines. The emphasis is not on individual failures, but on the system as a whole. Therefore, I gladly plan for more time to travel. I grab a good book, while keeping thoughts in the back of my mind, knowing it is better than the alternative.