Airport Security – Technology & Process

TheGreat No-ID airport challenge makes interesting reading. The key thing that concerns travelers is the huge delay that the system brings in (The other place where delays can be frustrating are at consulates).It is amazing to see the levels of security measures put in place in various airports around the world – very different processes and it is interesting for frequent travelers to find that most of the airport authorities have different standards for checking. The airport operational procedures and security frameworks are understandably different in various nations, but the procedures suck in half the cases. Casual standards for checking mostly centered around against rigorous procedures seem to be the norm across the world. In considerable number of airports around the world, one can see random racial profiling/centered checks in action. It is here more technology can bring in huge difference. Generally speaking, in many cases the primary identity reference keeps changing – for example in the normal immigration process, the primary reference is your passport/visa etc and the boarding pass becomes an equal status checker. In automated immigration checks it is the boarding pass that becomes the primary check(albeit administered in manual means) and the easy immigration pass card becomes a secondary one. More & more technology in various stages in an airport security check mechanism may mean a thorough rejig of the process itself – long wait for immigration clearance, body checks and boarding all can be administered with minimal delay – with non-intrusive technologies. I see that safest countries generally clear security checks faster and like in every other industrial process, its efficiency that matters a lot – technology if administered right can infuse massive doses of efficiency.