Security XRAY State to state???

[PLANT]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share and create discussion on what's going on with the following Domestic terminal Security XRAY scan.

Melbourne..... Nov 30th cabin bag and laptop remain in bag for scan. Done no issues.

Brisbane 11th March told remove from bag and laptop cover, not allowed to rest on cover and told to place into dirty tray. Then scanned and so red box appears on security screen in section of computer. They then turn laptop over and rescan with no red box appearing. Then swab with bomb/drug wand before all clear.

Being a $7k+ 17 inch WHITE laptop it was clean but now has marks from tray on it.

Was I targeted?
Is there x-ray equipment inferior in Brisbane?
BODY scan was same and other than longer hair had same collared shirt and shorts on.

 

[Captain Halliday]

In my experience there is no consistency.

BNE and SYD my belt is fine, but in ADL they make me remove it.

Laptop I have to remove from the bag in BNE and ADL, but SYD seems to depend on luck of the draw.

 

[serfty]

Is there x-ray equipment inferior in Brisbane?

Possibly...

No more removing Laptops and LAGS from carry-on bags at MEL [T4 only] as new scanners roll out

It was announced on October but hadn't seen it posted. First T4 and implemented at T2 over the last couple of monthS. https://www.traveller.com.au/no-more-removing-liquids-and-gels-laptops-at-melbourne-airport-as-new-scanners-installed-h1ijdf ... Many travellers at Melbourne Airport will no...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[henrus]

Ok to clear up any doubt, let's unpack your post in parts.

Just wanted to share and create discussion on what's going on with the following Domestic terminal Security XRAY scan.

Firstly airport security is nationally managed so there would be no state to state differing rules.

Melbourne..... Nov 30th cabin bag and laptop remain in bag for scan. Done no issues.

Depending on the terminal in Melbourne they likely use new screening equipment. This is slowly being rolled out with Melbourne Terminal 4 launching it in 2019

Press release explaining here:

Melbourne Airport Terminal 4: First major airport in Australia to go ‘live’ with latest checkpoint scanners

Melbourne Airport Terminal 4: First major airport in Australia to go ‘live’ with latest checkpoint scanners

www.smithsdetection.com

Channel 9 news article:

Melbourne Airport unveils high-tech luggage scanners following security concerns

Travellers at the T4 terminal will no longer have to remove liquids or laptops from their carry-on luggage ...

www.9news.com.au

Here is a flash US-based video that shows what the new scanners look like:

Brisbane 11th March told remove from bag and laptop cover, not allowed to rest on cover and told to place into dirty tray. Then scanned and so red box appears on security screen in section of computer. They then turn laptop over and rescan with no red box appearing. Then swab with bomb/drug wand before all clear.

Brisbane domestic has three security check points (Qantas check point, the central CUSS check point and the Virgin checkpoint), yes there are the two lounge premium entries but I'll ignore those for now. The latter two don't have the new equipment and at the Qantas end I think just one is installed right now. I passed through the Brisbane International terminal in December last year and they had the new bag scanner.

The plan is to slowly upgrade them all over the next 4 years:

Domestic Terminal Security Upgrade - Brisbane Airport

www.bne.com.au

Being a $7k+ 17 inch WHITE laptop it was clean but now has marks from tray on it.

No offense but I travel with a laptop and that's just part of traveling, if you want to bring it as carry on you need to expect it to be scanned at the airport. Likewise you've got a white laptop, everything white gets dirty at some point.

Was I targeted?

No

Is there x-ray equipment inferior in Brisbane?

Yes, they still have older Xrays rather than new CT based machines.

Older Machine - Photo from Google Maps Street view at Wellcamp airport.	New Machine - Photo from Darwin Airport Facebok

You'll notice the newer machine is larger. These are installed at most east coast international terminals now plus a scattering of domestic terminals. The federal gov is paying for most of these upgrades.

BODY scan was same and other than longer hair had same collared shirt and shorts on.

The newer mmwave body scanners have been introduced at many airports (including Brisbane) and all three main Brisbane domestic checkpoints have the new scanners (although you'll still find one or two lanes may still use metal detectors) hence the same body scan at Brisbane and Melbourne. See the Brisbane airport link above which outlines their roll out.

 

[PLANT]

I went up Jetstar for security..... in future is it the QANTAS that has the new x-ray machine not requiring laptop removed at Brisbane?
Just for reference I must have travelled 50+ flights around Australia wide and America and this is the second occasion I had to remove a laptop from a foam cover. The other was in Melbourne side Virgin security that I again felt targeted and "just doing my job".... was 13 inch that time and black.

 

[RooFlyer]

Firstly airport security is nationally managed so there would be no state to state differing rules.

That may be the theory, but the protocols at various airports in Australia do differ and they can differ Day to day at the same airport.

But thanks for the otherwise very informative post

 

[henrus]

That may be the theory, but the protocols at various airports in Australia do differ and they can differ Day to day at the same airport.

That's the thing, they shouldn't be. Security screening at Australian airports is outsourced to different companies and it can become weird in places like Brisbane where different ends of the terminal use different staff from different companies. In theory this shouldn't be happening and training should probably be improved but things like that will never happen until something goes wrong or someone very high up in the federal gov puts their foot down.

 

[Franky]

That's the thing, they shouldn't be. Security screening at Australian airports is outsourced to different companies and it can become weird in places like Brisbane where different ends of the terminal use different staff from different companies. In theory this shouldn't be happening and training should probably be improved but things like that will never happen until something goes wrong or someone very high up in the federal gov puts their foot down.

Perhaps they should be the same, but the reality is they are'nt. And that not only applies to Australian domestic airports, but interntional as well. I only travel with an iPad, and now I make a point to ask the first security person I encounter what I am obliged to do. I also have two replacement knees, and just as for laptops and iPads, no two airports do the same follow-up in that regard.

 

[jb747]

The best security screening that I ever saw was I Germany, where it was being done by police officers. They were doing an hour or two of screening per day. Australian screening has always been variable, authoritarian, rude, and largely ineffective.