“These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” These were the words of President Bush at approximately 8:30 pm on the night of September 11, 2001. This day marked the turning point in our nation’s attention to airport security. The TSA, with whom we associate airport security measures, was created from the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) passed on November 19, 2001. This administration is now part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), created in November 2002, which deals with threats to the security of our nation.
According to the timeline of September 11th, chronicled on CNN.com, the terrorists aboard the four hijacked planes were “armed only with knives.” With the creation of the TSA, regulations regarding baggage and other security measures have been enacted to better protect airline passengers. These rules have evolved into extremely advanced protocols for monitoring air safety. One of the first acts of the TSA was to ensure that all checked luggage was screened for explosive materials. These screening processes have come to include fairly invasive strategies that are hoped to limit the threat of terrorism in the air.
Everyone who has flown in the past year has experienced these inconvenient measures. We should be asking ourselves… Should I really have to take off my shoes, belt and jacket while going through the metal detector? Does having only 3 oz. of liquids or less really protect me while on a flight? Do heavier screenings for passengers really keep the terrorists off of flights? Are we safer now in-flight than before September 11th? The government believes the answer to all of these questions is YES! By examining the safety measures taken to protect air passengers, especially those invoved in international flight, we can see how strong relationships with other countries are paramount to making air travel safe.