Comment What is the correct question? (Score 2, Interesting) 992
I've read through almost 500 comments here, and I still don't understand how showing ID at the airport is supposed to help
improve security.
All that the ID would do is make the airlines able to say "We know who all of our passengers are" but that has nothing to do with security! Every single one of the hijackers on Sept 11th passed this sort of ID check. In fact the ID check is so useless that a couple of the hijackers had their visas renewed, six months AFTER they were dead. That shows you just how efficient the government is in even checking the lists it already has.
The real question that the government should be investigating is "Is this person a threat to the safety of the aircraft and the other passengers?" Knowing names isn't much help for that. Checking for any possible weapons is. To do that, the following steps need to be done:
- ALL baggage needs to be checked for the presence of any explosives or other devices that could be a threat to the aircraft itself.
- ALL passengers and carry on luggage must be checked for the presence of weapons or anything that could harm the aircraft or other passengers.
- All aircraft need to be searched before each flight for pre-placed weapons or explosives, or else sealed so that no unauthorized people would have access to the aircraft. aircraft sealed like that would still need to be searched on a regular basis, possibly as part of the routine daily maintenance.
- All airport personnel, both government and civilian need to have regular security checks. I would suggest a background check by the police before they could be hired, and then a physical search before being allowed into the secure area of the airport.
Anyone else see anything I've missed?
All that the ID would do is make the airlines able to say "We know who all of our passengers are" but that has nothing to do with security! Every single one of the hijackers on Sept 11th passed this sort of ID check. In fact the ID check is so useless that a couple of the hijackers had their visas renewed, six months AFTER they were dead. That shows you just how efficient the government is in even checking the lists it already has.
The real question that the government should be investigating is "Is this person a threat to the safety of the aircraft and the other passengers?" Knowing names isn't much help for that. Checking for any possible weapons is. To do that, the following steps need to be done:
- ALL baggage needs to be checked for the presence of any explosives or other devices that could be a threat to the aircraft itself.
- ALL passengers and carry on luggage must be checked for the presence of weapons or anything that could harm the aircraft or other passengers.
- All aircraft need to be searched before each flight for pre-placed weapons or explosives, or else sealed so that no unauthorized people would have access to the aircraft. aircraft sealed like that would still need to be searched on a regular basis, possibly as part of the routine daily maintenance.
- All airport personnel, both government and civilian need to have regular security checks. I would suggest a background check by the police before they could be hired, and then a physical search before being allowed into the secure area of the airport.
Anyone else see anything I've missed?
