Inconsistencies in airport security around the world

[davidj]

I've just come back from another trip around the world and I'm partially fascinated and partially concerned with the varying ways each airport and jurisdiction processes pax from landside to airside to aircraft.

It makes me wonder that some processes are essentially a hindrance (it doesn't need to be as such if all airports don't check this way) or an opportunity for improvement (lax security measures).

Either way it either means too much inconvenience or security is too relaxed, both I believe present an opportunity for improvement.

I would have assumed that there would be international standards to follow and some sort of compliance checks/audits and licences that jurisdictions need to abide by (obviously not or it is very poorly maintained and regulated).

Here are some inconsistencies observed:

- Only some xray machine operators will pick up liquids.

- Following a positive metal detection, hand body searches range from a quick hand held scan and gentle pat down (50% body coverage) to more thorough 80%+ body hand scan with fingers going down inside pants bordering genitalia, and scanning of the base of the shoe.

- Some airports require hand scanning and pat down regardless of a negative metal scan.

- Carry on bag xray machine registering pax boarding pass (matches and saves the scan digitally to a pax). Great idea, but found this almost doubling scanning time for how much more benefit?

- Some airports will require paxs to remove shoes, belt and jacket.

- Where I left my shoes and belt on (about 50% of the time), only once did it trigger the metal detector to go off. Obviously there are many detector models, but either many are under powered, or this one was sensitive and was being an inconvenience to pax and security personnel!!

- Some airports will require laptops to be removed from bags. In addition, only some will require paxs to remove laptops from their sleeve.

- Not all airports have random explosives testing.

- Most airports in India require a paper ticket even before letting a pax off the street inside the airport.

- I found most boarding procedures for EU-EU journeys required photo ID to be matched against the ticket at bag drop and at the gate before boarding the aircraft. There was at least one departure where I didn't get asked at all (completely inconsistent). I believe this is airline dependant as at the same airport earlier on a different airline I was asked for ID.

 

[Archipelago]

Belt and shoes (especially shoes) is certainly inconsistent - I always remove belt ahead of approaching security, but leave my shoes on. Lately have refused to remove my lace up shoes (mostly SE Asian airports) as it is a pain in the a$$ to put them back on again (tall and fat ^__^ )
Haven't been asked to remove shoes since then

Anecdote. Flew from a regional airport in Myanmar, then to Yangon (RGN). Then BKK, then HKG.
Going through security at HKG on the return trip - security picked up a pair of surgical scissors in my hand carry. They had been in my hand carry since leaving the farm (was consulting on an Aquaculture farm at the time of the trip)
They had been in my hand carry since I left the farm, and were never once picked up.
Thankfully the HKIA staff had one of their security walk me to my gate, and hand the scissors to the gate crew. They were handed to me again at the door of the aircraft on arrival in to BKK

 

[Forg]

*double-post*

 

[Forg]

LGW caught me out not letting anything in the x-ray trays sit on top of anything else; had to run my stuff through the machine again because I’d done the usual thing I do in Aus airports & put my jacket on top of my laptop.

HKG it was, ahem, interesting to watch how people had gone shopping in the airside booze sellers only to have everything over 100mL confiscated in a secret little security checkpoint inside the aerobridge.

 

[dajop]

One comment about India airports, many now seem to accept electronic copies of itineraries (on phone) to enter airport rather than paper tickets like they used to. Certainly have used electronic versions at DEL, BOM, PNQ, CCU and MAA in recent times.

 

[GSP]

One comment about India airports, many now seem to accept electronic copies of itineraries (on phone) to enter airport rather than paper tickets like they used to. Certainly have used electronic versions at DEL, BOM, PNQ, CCU and MAA in recent times.

Not at HYD, paper required there.

 

[Pushka]

Some want umbrellas out. Others don’t. iPads out IPads not. Liquid bags out liquid bags stay inside. Watches off watches stay on. Shoes get detected sometimes, sometimes not. Scarves off, scarves on. List is endless but these are my main observations.

 

[pauly7]

Some want umbrellas out. Others don’t. iPads out IPads not. Liquid bags out liquid bags stay inside. Watches off watches stay on. Shoes get detected sometimes, sometimes not. Scarves off, scarves on. List is endless but these are my main observations.

LST loves to check an umbrella

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I don't mind inconsistencies! The less inconvenience the better, so if I can leave ipad in the bag... great! If the search after setting off the metal detector is a quick wand... great! Shoes, don't like taking them off so that's good too. I appreciate security taking a common sense approach.

Notable 'pains' - Hong Kong where they seem to identify the most inane things to pull you up on - nail clippers. A pair of tweezers. And UK screening at some airports is getting worse than the USA MAN last year almost everyone was having their carry-on subjected to secondary searches... but again for inane things like checking the volume of LAG bottles, but insisting they had to do a full search at the same time.

ID checking... can't see the point. If security has cleared you then you shouldn't have anything on you to be able to cause harm.

Oh - and security staff not changing their dirty gloves is annoying. Don't expect them to change them after every bag, but when the gloves are visibly dirty it wouldn't hurt to change them (yes, you, Hong Kong!)

 

[Dec1971]

Totally agree with this post. The inconsistency is terrible. Its the tablets/laptops that gets me. Some clearer signage would make life easier. Mind you some people wouldn't be ready for the security check no matter how much signage was put in front of them.

 

[drron]

I always take off my belt and shoes even if things like TSA pre check unless I see you can go through a body scanner.As I have a knee replacement I know they will just send me back to take them off anyway.though at MCY they have at times sent me back anyway.
Sometimes the pat down is intrusive,usually OK but in Burma when i said a knee replacement none done at all.
Then silly things such as at DPO.One day don't even have to take aerosols out of the carry on.Next time with same staff they are confiscated.

 

[Pushka]

I don't mind inconsistencies! The less inconvenience the better, so if I can leave ipad in the bag... great! If the search after setting off the metal detector is a quick wand... great! Shoes, don't like taking them off so that's good too. I appreciate security taking a common sense approach.

Notable 'pains' - Hong Kong where they seem to identify the most inane things to pull you up on - nail clippers. A pair of tweezers. And UK screening at some airports is getting worse than the USA MAN last year almost everyone was having their carry-on subjected to secondary searches... but again for inane things like checking the volume of LAG bottles, but insisting they had to do a full search at the same time.

ID checking... can't see the point. If security has cleared you then you shouldn't have anything on you to be able to cause harm.

Oh - and security staff not changing their dirty gloves is annoying. Don't expect them to change them after every bag, but when the gloves are visibly dirty it wouldn't hurt to change them (yes, you, Hong Kong!)

But it’s those inconsistencies that give the irrits. If you’ve not had to show your iPad previously then you get to the scanner thinking you have got all your gear out properly. So at the last minute security person says IPads out and suddenly you become one of THOSE people who starts pulling out junk at the last minute, annoying not just yourself but the waiting queue.

Annoyingly in transit in Doha this month, at the entrance to the scanner the guy said to just pull out liquids. Obviously we’d flown from Europe and were already screened there and we’d stayed clean. So the bags go through the scanner. There was a security person past the scanner who then pulled out everything. They weren’t looking for anything suspicious they just decided they would and with no explanation. Had to repack my entire carry on. MrP, nada.

And the security pat down I received in Split 2 seeks earlier was nothing short of offensive. More like a grope. How they can do that in full vision of everyone else is disgusting.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But it’s those inconsistencies that give the irrits. If you’ve not had to show your iPad previously then you get to the scanner thinking you have got all your gear out properly. So at the last minute security person says IPads out and suddenly you become one of THOSE people who starts pulling out junk at the last minute, annoying not just yourself but the waiting queue.

I guess there is that, but my bag is pretty much packed so anything that might need to come out can do so easily. I have my LAG bag, and the ipad is right under that. I ask the screening assistant at the lead up to the x-ray if ipads need to come out. I don't zip up my bag back up at security checkpoints anymore, so taking anything out is just lifting the top.

 

[Pushka]

I guess there is that, but my bag is pretty much packed so anything that might need to come out can do so easily. I have my LAG bag, and the ipad is right under that. I ask the screening assistant at the lead up to the x-ray if ipads need to come out. I don't zip up my bag back up at security checkpoints anymore, so taking anything out is just lifting the top.

Yes, I did exactly that in Doha - asked the screening guy in front what had to come out and I complied. At the other end the security person said everything had to come out and she proceeded to unpack my bag.

 

[Happy Trails]

It's not so much inconsistency, but an elaborate and coordinated plan to keep the evil-doers guessing.
Apparently.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes, I did exactly that in Doha - asked the screening guy in front what had to come out and I complied. At the other end the security person said everything had to come out and she proceeded to unpack my bag.

yes, that is annoying. But in those circumstances - USA excluded! (although there's not usually inconsistency there) - I mention it to the supervisor. It's shouldn't be hard to get consistency between the person at the front of the machine and the person behind. If they're being lazy that's for the supervisor to deal with.

 

[Forg]

I guess there is that, but my bag is pretty much packed so anything that might need to come out can do so easily.

Us less-frequenters get caught-out by the inconsistencies; it didn’t even occur to me that blue-coloured socks weren’t allowed to stay in my carry-on during scanning, and were no signs to tell me (I assume each airport thinks the way they do it is standard) ...

 

[UP4014]

Cancun, waived through the metal detector while starting to remove my steel cap boots. No alarm.

Johannesburg, excess liquids (water bottle) identified in hand luggage. Security told me I couldn't take it then handed me the bottle once I was airside telling me to put it in the bin.

Lima, I don't remember even putting my hand luggage through an x ray machine out bound but did on arrival. Maybe they were checking to see if their brother in law needed to sell me a weapon.

 

[Austman]

For me it's sometimes the shocked attitude of security staff at my questions that's a bit surprising.

I know the processes and requirements really do vary around the world. But staff don't seem to be aware.

When I ask - liquids out or in? Or shoes off or on? Or separate box for iphone, jacket? They sometimes reply "of course you must always do ..."

Except you don't always have to do it at other airports!

 

[Himeno]

Prior to the terminal rebuild, CBR had 2 checkpoints. The QF checkpoint wanted umbrellas out, the VA checkpoint didn't. Now there is just the one checkpoint (and another upstairs for international) and they don't care about umbrellas.