security checkpoint news stories on Newser

Air Passengers Need Knives and Liquids

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:21:11 CDT

Let passengers carry knives, lighters, and liquids on board flights. In fact, eliminate all banned items, and get rid of baggage fees while you're at it. So argues former TSA chief Kip Hawley, who writes in the Wall Street Journal that "the TSA's mission is to prevent a catastrophic attack...

TSA's New Strategy: Chats With Passengers

Tim Karan — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:31:30 CDT

Get ready to reveal more than just your underwear at airport security checkpoints: TSA officers plan to start chatting up more passengers as part of the screening process. The agency already has "behavior detection officers" at work in airports across the US, but the new strategy calls for more one-on-one...

TSA Body Scan Quick, Modest, Easy

Harry Kimball — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:45:00 CDT

Going through security at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, passengers have the choice of a pat-down or a walk through a full body scanner, and Jon Hilkevitch is going “with the touch-less scan every time.” He took a spin through a checkpoint equipped with the newly installed machines, and “my impression was...

Iraqis Swear by Pricey, Useless Bomb Detectors

Kevin Spak — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:36:54 CST

Go through any checkpoint in Iraq, and someone will probably wave a small, hand-held device over your vehicle. Dubbed the ADE651, it’s supposed to detect bombs. But in reality it’s totally useless, US military and technical experts tell the New York Times , with one retired officer saying it operates “on...

Tension Builds in Bangkok Standoff

Matt Cantor — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:22:43 CST

Police built a huge cordon around Thailand’s main airport today, fueling fears of a confrontation between the government and protesters who have occupied it since Tuesday, the AP reports. Some 2,000 police surrounded demonstrators at Suvarnabhumi airport, where all flights have been grounded, leaving 100,000 tourists stranded. After...

Families, Line Up Here—if You Have Time

Harry Kimball — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:32:53 CST

Airports will allow families to line up in more leisurely security lanes for the coming holiday season, the AP reports. The checkpoints, which have proven popular in tests at 48 US airports, allow slow-moving families to stick together and less seasoned travelers to avoid scrambling for standard Transportation Security Administration...