Airport security how does it work

You simply turned up to the gate and presented your ticket—a little like bus or train travel today. Identity checks for all U. In fact, ID requirements for domestic flights in the U.

But the pooch is on a mission, so best to step back and let it do its job. While the occasional pooch is on the hunt for such illicit substances, they may also be searching for a host of other items, including explosives, live animals, animal manure, organic matter, ivory, currency, blood, and electronic contraband. Sniffer dogs were first used in the s by the U.

S army, to detect German mines in North Africa, and by the s were widely used to detect illegal substances on U. And it seems there is no limit to what the canine nose can detect. The U. While the last few decades have seen ever-tightening airport security, the future of airport security is all about streamlining existing processes and shortening waiting times. At a recent showcase in London , a number of promising technologies were demonstrated to industry experts.

These included a pad which could detect explosives hidden in shoes while travelers were queueing, as well as a more advanced full-body scanner which would eliminate the need for passengers to remove their coats and empty their pockets. With exciting new developments such as these, the future of air travel security is shaping up to be much more efficient, without having to sacrifice safety.

Grace is a freelance writer and digital project manager from New Zealand currently based in Mexico City. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. Please click here to see any active alerts. To help keep travelers safe, airports may use different kinds of screening equipment.

Airport security scanning equipment is used to check carry-on items and checked luggage for items that are not approved for air travel. Some of the equipment used during the screening process can emit low-levels of radiation. Keeping public places, such as airports, safe is a big job. Transportation Security Administration TSA screeners at airports check passengers and personal items for dangerous items such as weapons, chemicals and liquids that are not allowed as carry-on items.

They use screening equipment such as metal detectors, millimeter wave machines, backscatter x-ray and cabinet x-ray machines.

These devices also detect items that may be hidden. The various types of screening equipment used at airports today each have a different screening purpose. Guidelines are in place for using the equipment in order to keep you safe. Metal detectors use magnetic fields to help identify metal objects.

Magnetic fields are produced by the flow of current through wires or electrical devices. Metal detectors create a magnetic field by using a brief pulse of electrical current. The magnetic field will be reflected back to the machine if there are any metal objects present, such as a watch or a belt buckle. The return signal is detected by the machine and a beeping noise is produced to alert the TSA agent.

Walk-through metal detectors use an electro-magnetic coil to create a magnetic field that is disrupted when another piece of metal is introduced, like a gun or a belt buckle, explains Jeff Price, professor of Aviation Management at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and lead author of the textbook, Practical Aviation Security. Millimeter wave machines or full-body scanners have been at most airports since the early s.

Most EDT machines work by heating up the samples and testing the vapors for traces of specific chemicals. Passengers may find themselves being sniffed by working dogs at airports more often than in the past. State and local law enforcement often patrol airports with canines, but, thanks in part to extra funding by Congress in the FY appropriations, the TSA has been expanding its canine teams and stepping up its use of bomb-sniffing dogs at airports.