The best airport security is considered the Israeli airport security organization. A recent article in a travel magazine followed a security expert through the airport as he intentionally did things to "trip" the multiple layers of security. It relies more on trained humans than technology. Of course, the US aviation community is certainly well aware of this, so it is probably not necessary to present solutions to the problems of airport security on NANOG.

-----Original Message----- From: Dave O'Shea [mailto:doshea@telentente.com] Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 2:44 PM To: Kevin Day; John Fraizer Cc: David Howe; Email List: nanog Subject: RE: Analysis from a JHU CS Prof

Federal penitentiaries have among the best security in the world, and use highly invasive searches combined with a very limited access policy and severe limitations about what may be brought into a prison. Weapons, edged and blunt, are still quite common.

Any security policy that doesn't put into place measures to deal with threats as they arise is ineffective by definition. Talking sternly to the offender is of questionable value when the offender is a crabby stockbroker annoyed about the inflight meal.

Personally, I have a ticket to fly somewhere next week that I purchased for the dirt-cheap price of $140 round-trip. I'm beginning to think I'd be much happier spending twice that to fly on a half-empty plane with a couple of really short-tempered marines sitting towards the back of the plane.

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-----Original Message----- From: Kevin Day [mailto:toasty@temphost.dragondata.com] Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 1:43 PM To: John Fraizer Cc: David Howe; Email List: nanog Subject: Re: Analysis from a JHU CS Prof

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On Wed, 12 Sep 2001, David Howe wrote:

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There are mechanisms in place that would detect this type of behavior. (Prebooking multiple flights for the same

individual.)

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Does a domestic flight require a passport or other form of positive ID? if not, they could book as many tickets as needed with a different name per ticket.

Yes. Photo identification to get your tickets, period, the end.

Not necessarily. I've boarded planes several times without showing a piece of ID. With the new automated check-in kiosks in several airports, if you have no luggage to check-in, you don't see a person at all.. (You still do need a credit card in your name though) Both times I left Houston-Bush International, I had my tickets printed and checked in by only telling the attendant my name. (I thought it was very strange, but didn't question it)

Many really small regional airports allow you to board without going through metal detectors/bag x-rays. Once you get off the plane at the destination(larger airport) you're behind the "secure" zone, and can also board another flight without going through one.

I'm not saying that these kinds of things are what caused yesterday's events, or that whoever did this didn't use fake ID's, so I'm not sure that strictly enforcing this sort of thing would have mattered anyway.

-- Kevin