Increased aviation security at Australian airports

[nutwood]

Personally, I'm a bit perplexed at all the increased attention on Domestic terminal security. Even this recent incident was allegedly targeting an international flight, so unless there's some other intelligence which they are not disclosing regarding an increased threat or intention to target Domestic flights, I don't understand the need to introduce International-style security restrictions to our Domestic terminals, such as preventing non-travelling public to enter secure areas and introducing International-style LAGS restrictions.

I'm undecided whether to be cynical about the recent scare or to consider it as some very clever use of media. Disrupt the flow of domestic passengers and the message will be shouted from the roof tops. Any others out there with a mincer full of PE might get the hint that they shouldn't bother.
The big question out of all this is the transfer of the materials into Australia. There's some implications there that I'm not delving into on a public forum.

 

[drron]

Don't they line up opposite Qantas upstairs?

I did say coming into ADL.And the good news is up the escalator and you are virtually at the QP.

 

[fairbasa]

ADL seems normal currently.

Also for those who don't know ADL - ALL flights international and domestic for all carriers pass through the one security gate in one long sometimes snaking queue. So any changes to domestic security will always impact similarly on international departures.

Have they introduced a priority line at ADL yet?

 

[Pushka]

Have they introduced a priority line at ADL yet?

Nope. Not as yet and unlikely.

 

[eastwest101]

I find it hard to agree that 'the annual cost of screening' (at each of the 45 locations) would be $750,000.' Two security staff per shift (and two shifts per day) that are shared between airlines even with on costs does not equal $750,000pa. At some of the 45 airports, Rex would be the only operator but it might only operate one flight a day, so presumably all an airport would need would be one staff member to operate the machine(s) and screen passengers. There is also the question as to who would pay the capital and operating costs of the equipment.

At quite a majority of airports that Rex serves they are the only operator so roll out of security screening at these ports would either have to be paid for by some sort of government or would be passed onto Rex passengers via the ticket price of a Rex flight, and remember this is a per pax charge on a typical once or twice daily Rex service, say with average load factors of 65% that's only between 70-90 sold tickets (pax) per day to spread the cost of security screening over, as opposed to say ADL for instance which may see 4000-6000 pax per day through security screening. And that's before you take into account the high capital cost of acquiring all the equipment, reconfiguring the interior of over 50 regional airports and the cost of training and staffing.

This would make a large number of Rex services instantly uneconomic, and airservices would cease to a majority of the 54 destinations that Rex serves. I don't know a state, federal or local politician in Australia who would want to touch that with a 10ft barge pole.

If they were going to do it - it would have to be federally funded and would take years to implement, but there are problems with that because you would instantly be in the territory where QF, JQ,VA and TT (plus all the international airlines who serve Australian airports) would be asking why their passengers should have to pay for security screening wheras Rex would get a 'free ride' - so to speak.

If they are going to do it - there will have to be a 'reasonable' threshold of number of pax to justify security screening, nothing to do with aircraft size or weight but number of seats or pax. The result of this would be an example such that security screening is uneconomic in Birdsville or Broken Hill but may be economic in say Albury or Mildura for instance. An unintended consequence of this would be that certain markets may cease to grow as there is an inbuilt disincentive to expand capacity and frequency for regional ports, and an incentive for Rex to limit capacity to just stay under the 'threshold' of security screeing.

 

[whughes3]

Another interesting article today:

Photo ID checks for domestic passengers are literally a waste of time

 

[ozflier]

Coming thru BNE international security on saturday, I noticed that the explosive residue tester did not test some Muslim looking family going thru but concentrated on white Australian families and Chinese tourists.
In a pleasant manner , I asked why she let the Muslims thru without any check.
She told me that she was not allowed to concentrate on any particular population group .
Why is it then, if we are under threat from Islamic terrorists , security staff cannot focus on this group?
Is this political correctness gone mad?

 

[Berlin]

Just went through security at Sydney Domestic QF terminal (about 4:30pm). Both the priority and the plebs lane almost entirely empty. Extra staff for explosives swabbing but they looked rather bored so absolutely everyone got swabbed. All in all, in 5 minutes from the cab to the lounge. Business lounge is busy but not unusually so.

 

[Berlin]

I noticed that the explosive residue tester did not test some Muslim looking family...
Is this political correctness gone mad?

This is not "political correctness gone mad" but luckily Australia showing that we haven't (yet) reached the bottom pits of Trumpism here.

What you are suggesting is racial profiling which is just wrong on so many levels. And what is "Muslim looking" supposed to mean to begin with? There have been enough white skinned morons joining ISIS and making the treck to Syria or Iraq to get trained for the oh so "holy" fight, just as an aside.

 

[OATEK]

...Why is it then, if we are under threat from Islamic terrorists , security staff cannot focus on this group?
Is this political correctness gone mad?

What you are suggesting is racial profiling which is just wrong on so many levels.

Risk assessing passengers would seem to have merit, only that of course the staff doing the tests may struggle to cope with the training required.

 

[Strategic Aviation]

How the era of 'skyjackings' changed the way we fly - CNN

 

[Melburnian1]

Coming thru BNE international security on saturday, I noticed that the explosive residue tester did not test some Muslim looking family going thru but concentrated on white Australian families and Chinese tourists.
In a pleasant manner , I asked why she let the Muslims thru without any check.
She told me that she was not allowed to concentrate on any particular population group .
Why is it then, if we are under threat from Islamic terrorists , security staff cannot focus on this group?
Is this political correctness gone mad?

This is symptomatic of the way the Left control many things in Australia today, or how others are too scared to admit the truth for fear they will be criticised.

We certainly have a huge problem with Islamic terrorists, yet many in Australia want to ignore the evidence of attacks like the Lindt Cafe episode where hostages had to hold up ISIS banners.

Profiling has its place.

 

[BacchusMarsh]

This is symptomatic of the way the Left control many things in Australia today, or how others are too scared to admit the truth for fear they will be criticised.

We certainly have a huge problem with Islamic terrorists, yet many in Australia want to ignore the evidence of attacks like the Lindt Cafe episode where hostages had to hold up ISIS banners.

Profiling has its place.

The terrorists are winning when things descend to this degree of stupidity.

BacchusMarsh @ some Jewish-Japanese looking (or quite possibly "Muslim looking") dude

 

[kevrosmith]

When my Grandparents went to war, they knew the enemy because they looked Japanese. I don't think that is called racial profiling. It was a fact.

 

[Himeno]

This is symptomatic of the way the Left control many things in Australia today, or how others are too scared to admit the truth for fear they will be criticised.

We certainly have a huge problem with Islamic terrorists, yet many in Australia want to ignore the evidence of attacks like the Lindt Cafe episode where hostages had to hold up ISIS banners.

Profiling has its place.

Part of the problem is that a part of the population thinks that there are terrorists hiding around every corner and jump at terrorism as the number 1 cause whenever something happens.
People continue to claim that events that were not terrorism or terrorist related, were.

 

[BacchusMarsh]

When my Grandparents went to war, they knew the enemy because they looked Japanese. I don't think that is called racial profiling. It was a fact.

It wouldn't have been a very useful operational criterion in Manchuria or Seoul.

My grandfather spent several weeks fighting his Japanese enemies in PNG and then six years in Kure helping Japanese victims of an insane Japanese regime to rebuild.

The enemy back then wasn't "the Japanese". Just as the enemy today isn't "Muslims" or "Muslim looking" families.

 

[QF WP]

*Mod hat on*

Let's not have 'thread drift" here talking about wars - back on topic please lest posts get deleted for being OT...

*Mod hat off*

 

[theweaselsteve]

Coming thru BNE international security on saturday, I noticed that the explosive residue tester did not test some Muslim looking family going thru but concentrated on white Australian families and Chinese tourists.
In a pleasant manner , I asked why she let the Muslims thru without any check.
She told me that she was not allowed to concentrate on any particular population group .
Why is it then, if we are under threat from Islamic terrorists , security staff cannot focus on this group?
Is this political correctness gone mad?

This drives me nuts. Are they supposed to check every single person that might look like a Muslim? What does a Muslim look like exactly?

 

[GDSman]

HBA-BNE today. Zero queue at HBA. I arrived about 1 hr pre departure and walked straight though after a quick explosives test. I think most pax had already cleared security.
Arrival at BNE there was no security on the exit door.....there always has been in the past. It seemed to me that someone could walk through the sliding door (once I triggered it), up the stairs and straight into the terminal.....?????? What happened to 'heightened state of alert'?

 

[Melburnian1]

How much does each extra 'explosives test' of passengers cost (increased labour costs - perhaps an extra staff member compared with previous practice - and perhaps to a minor degree increased material costs)?

Where the airport owns a terminal and not an airline, would the airport simply incorporate this cost into its overheads or would it seek to pass it on to the airline(s)?