Analysis of Airport Security
Caleb Frick
Prof. Nicoll
ENG 101
4 November 2010
Airport Security Good or a Waste
In the years prior to 9/11 $200,000,000 on average was spent on airport security each year, which supplied 15,000 with job but, after 9/11 $500,000,000 was spent on airport security on average each year, which supplied 31,500 with jobs (Kim). The average time it took to get through airport security before 9/11 was 15 minutes now it’s 45 minutes (Kim). However, all of this money, time, and effort put into increasing airport security has been overkill and hasn’t thwarted any potential bombings, but instead has overshadowed the even more important subject of safety.
All of the increased security and restrictions have of course given a sense of safety to passengers with the post 9/11 jitters. Before 9/11 people’s greatest fears of flying were missing their flight, being stuck in front of the crying baby that seems to exist on every flight, or that the plane would fail and crash into a desert island recreating the movie “Castaway”. But, after 9/11 much of the public felt betrayed, unsafe, and exposed to a new type phobia of flying, terrorism. The airlines did what they felt was best; they turned a blind eye to plane safety and began to focus on security. Pouring $500,000,000 into security introduced new safety measures, such as the swabbing of passengers hands for chemicals and the placing of bomb sniffing dogs sporadically throughout US airports (Magnuson28). These are some of the many new security practices that the relatively new TSA has put into place to prevent potential bombings but even more to create a sense of security. But why all of these expensive security measures… it’s simple, money. Immediately following 9/11 NPR stated on their show Analysis “the turmoil after September 11th cost the airlines billions of dollars more as fearful passengers stayed home and planes took off half empty.” This cost Americans airlines greatly with a total loss of $1.8 billion dollars
Prof. Nicoll
ENG 101
4 November 2010
Airport Security Good or a Waste
In the years prior to 9/11 $200,000,000 on average was spent on airport security each year, which supplied 15,000 with job but, after 9/11 $500,000,000 was spent on airport security on average each year, which supplied 31,500 with jobs (Kim). The average time it took to get through airport security before 9/11 was 15 minutes now it’s 45 minutes (Kim). However, all of this money, time, and effort put into increasing airport security has been overkill and hasn’t thwarted any potential bombings, but instead has overshadowed the even more important subject of safety.
All of the increased security and restrictions have of course given a sense of safety to passengers with the post 9/11 jitters. Before 9/11 people’s greatest fears of flying were missing their flight, being stuck in front of the crying baby that seems to exist on every flight, or that the plane would fail and crash into a desert island recreating the movie “Castaway”. But, after 9/11 much of the public felt betrayed, unsafe, and exposed to a new type phobia of flying, terrorism. The airlines did what they felt was best; they turned a blind eye to plane safety and began to focus on security. Pouring $500,000,000 into security introduced new safety measures, such as the swabbing of passengers hands for chemicals and the placing of bomb sniffing dogs sporadically throughout US airports (Magnuson28). These are some of the many new security practices that the relatively new TSA has put into place to prevent potential bombings but even more to create a sense of security. But why all of these expensive security measures… it’s simple, money. Immediately following 9/11 NPR stated on their show Analysis “the turmoil after September 11th cost the airlines billions of dollars more as fearful passengers stayed home and planes took off half empty.” This cost Americans airlines greatly with a total loss of $1.8 billion dollars