Travelers Finding Varied Airport Security
DIA Appears To Have Tighter Security
POSTED: 9:41 pm MDT September 23,
2001
UPDATED: 7:47 am MDT September 24,
2001
DENVER -- Since the terrorist attacks on America, airport security has come under scrutiny and airlines began telling passengers to arrive extra early to allow for additional security.But has security been bolstered?
TheDenverChannel.com's Managing Editor, Kim Nguyen, took a home video camera along on a weekend trip. She passed through several airports, including Denver International Airport, to see how security has changed.The results may be surprising to some travelers.At DIA, Nguyen found a new checkpoint that travelers must pass through."They make you show your ticket and your ID," Nguyen said.Those with tickets can proceed to the usual metal detectors. Nguyen's fiancé discovered that the metal detectors are extremely sensitive.
"The metal detector detected his ball-point pen and the little metal part of his sunglasses, and when they did the little metal wand, they made him take off his belt, and they patted down his ankles, legs and his shoulders," Nguyen said.Once on the concourse, passengers don't need to show IDs again. A boarding pass is all that is needed to get on a plane.At the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Nguyen's traveling companion found similar security, but not as tight."He was patted down and (they used) the wand thing, but that didn't detect his ballpoint pen or his sunglasses," she said.Last stop: California and the San Jose airport."San Jose was the most lenient, and I was shocked and surprised," Nguyen said.At both San Jose and Dallas-Fort Worth, there were random bag searches and more police than usual, but really nothing more.
"At San Jose and Dallas you didn't need ID -- you just showed your ticket to get through," she said.Overall, the change in security didn't seem to stand out nearly as much as the change in the overall atmosphere."If felt really sad at the airport because there was this industry that was just going down because there was nobody there," she said.Overall, Nguyen said that she was impressed with security at DIA, but not the other airports. Every flight she was on was only about half full, she said.
| Video |
|
|
"The metal detector detected his ball-point pen and the little metal part of his sunglasses, and when they did the little metal wand, they made him take off his belt, and they patted down his ankles, legs and his shoulders," Nguyen said.Once on the concourse, passengers don't need to show IDs again. A boarding pass is all that is needed to get on a plane.At the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Nguyen's traveling companion found similar security, but not as tight."He was patted down and (they used) the wand thing, but that didn't detect his ballpoint pen or his sunglasses," she said.Last stop: California and the San Jose airport."San Jose was the most lenient, and I was shocked and surprised," Nguyen said.At both San Jose and Dallas-Fort Worth, there were random bag searches and more police than usual, but really nothing more."At San Jose and Dallas you didn't need ID -- you just showed your ticket to get through," she said.Overall, the change in security didn't seem to stand out nearly as much as the change in the overall atmosphere."If felt really sad at the airport because there was this industry that was just going down because there was nobody there," she said.Overall, Nguyen said that she was impressed with security at DIA, but not the other airports. Every flight she was on was only about half full, she said. Copyright 2007 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
