After World War II in the mid 50’s and 60’s commercial aviation grew rapidly, mostly because of the use of ex-military planes to transport people and cargo. U.S air transport system was beginning to take form as more people were able to afford air travel. As commercial air travel have become an integral part of our society, there has always been a concern of safety and security, especially because of the growing number of aviation terrorist attacks. According to state.gov, “the worst international terrorist attack ever–involving
four separate but coordinated aircraft hijackings–occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001” (1). The attacks sent shockwaves throughout the U.S aviation industry, and the nation at large. Questions emerged about the safety of air travel and the
U.S aviation security system. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, commonly referred to as 9/11 constituted a fundamental landmark in American history and although there had been safety and security measures governing U.S aviation before, it was the 2001, September 11 terrorist attack that has reshaped and restructured aviation security in America to prevent the reoccurrence of future attacks. While terrorism has been around for many years, it was never seen to be so great a threat to modern aviation. The thought of planes being hijacked and used as guided missiles was unprecedented and unexpected. Our nation’s security intelligence could not anticipate that such an attack could be executed. So why was 9/11 attacks so different from previous terrorist attacks throughout history?–the simple answer, the magnitude and ease to which it was executed. Nearly 3000 people were killed during the attacks in New York city and Washington, D.C. including more than 400 police officers and firefighters according to a 9/11 research by history.com. In the coming days after the attacks, government officials had highlighted 19 individuals suspected of carrying out the attacks, who were also believed to have been associated with the Islamic extremist group, al- Qaeda. According to state.gov, “the hijackers used knives and box cutters to kill or wound passengers and the pilots and then commandeer[ed] the aircraft” (1). This led many
to question the standards of the security checkpoints at airports. The cracks in our aviation security systems were beginning to be exposed as more than just cracks but gaping holes, and something needed to be done.
In
order to prevent lapses in our security and safety at airports, The
Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established
the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) (“History”). Its primary objectives were to develop policies to protect U.S transportation at airport security checkpoints, prevent aircraft hijacking and taking full responsibility for airport screening. The
TSA was also responsible for ensuring that foreign students do not pose a threat to aviation or national security as was the case with the 9/11 terrorist attackers, who had all subsequently received flight training in the U.S. According to the website, tsa.gov,
the Transportation Security Administration’s task also included:
Assuming responsibility for all civil aviation security functions from the Federal Aviation Administration. Hiring, training
and deploying security officers for over 400 commercial airports from Guam to Alaska in 12 months [and] providing 100 percent screening of all checked baggage for explosives by December 31, 2002. (1)
In an effort to prevent the possibility of passengers
carrying on dangerous materials and equipments that can be used as a weapon on board aircrafts, a number of new security systems were implemented to increase the security levels at airports. A recent study by Yusuke Nio and Aimee Zhuang about airport security
technology identified some of the new security systems, such as body scanners, electronic system for travel authorization (ESTA), explosive detection system (EDS) and dogs. Considering the ease knives and boxcutters were brought onto the plane by the 9/11
hijackers, passenger body screening was focussed on finding metallic weapons that could be a threat to airline crew members and were also capable of detecting explosives on passengers as well (Nio 1). “ These devices use Compton scattering which require that
the passenger stand close to a flat panel and produce a high resolution image” (qtd. in Nio). The ESTA requires travellers to the U.S to fill out an application form which helps the U.S government agency to scan passenger information for any potential risk
to terrorist watch list or no fly list (Nio and Zhuang). Additionally the explosive detection systems (EDS) and the trained explosive sniffing dogs provide screening of passenger carry on for explosives and explosive residues.
Where
as the TSA was established to take full responsibility of all passenger screening at airport, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was also established as a result of 9/11 in march, 2003 to protect our country from large scale attacks directed from abroad,
while enhancing federal, state and local capabilities to prepare for, respond to domestic emergencies and recover from terrorist threats and disasters at home. A progress report on the dhs.gov website has highlighted the preventative measures in place to prevent
terrorist from travelling, Airlines flying to the U.S were required to provide “advance passenger information and passenger name and record datat prior to depature.”(DHS 1). This much like the electronic system for travel authorization (ESTA) used by TSA,
helped the U.S identify passengers with potential terrorist ties. In order for the DHS to be effective and useful in preventing attacks, it must be actionable, precise and tactical in its approach and so they were. Additionally, due to the hijackers being
able to obtain passports and visas to travel to the United States in the years before the 9/11 attack, visa security programs was also introduced along with pre-departure vetting in an effort to eradicate passengers with terrorist ties or those that would
have been found inadmissible to the U.S (1). They would not have been able to board a commercial aircraft. According to the Department of Homeland Security, “Since 2010, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has identified over 2,800 passengers who would likely
have been found inadmissible upon arrival to the United States.”(DHS 1). Another change made by the Department of Homeland Security was the secure flight program which transferred the screening of passenger against government watch list to the TSA. The DHS
study shows that “Through Secure Flight, TSA now vets over 14 million passengers weekly.”(DHS 1). Many of the features of this new, more robust approach has made significant progress in securing the nation from terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
There
were also numerous regulatory changes in the months following the 9/11 attacks as officials were trying to adequately prepare and put in place preventative measures. Additional regulatory changes following 9/11 included the September 2001 “expanding of the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) prohibited items list to include many household items, tools and virtually any item with a point or cutting edge.” (Tyler 5). The U.S Patriot Act, introduced in October 2001, expanded the surveillance capabilities
of the U.S Government, allowing for the mandatory conviction of suspected terrorist and machine readable passports to be developed in countries with Visa Waiver programs by October 2003. Regulations were to a point extreme or viewed a hassle, as In December
2001, shoes were required to be removed and screened separately and in January 2002, the Federal Aviation Administration FAA issued new standards for cockpit doors, that required airlines to comply with by April 2003 (Tyler 5).
Although
airport security has greatly increased due to the implementation of new security systems and technology, it came at a steep price. “The cost of aviation security today is estimated at $7.4 billion annually.” (Tyler 6) with passenger operations being among
one of the highest cost at $2.03 billion. This involved the airport security systems– body scanners, electronic system for travel authorization, explosive detection system and dogs– mentioned above, which were all successfully introduced after 9/11 to eradicate
terrorist. Not only was the cost of the new security systems expensive to airports and federal governments, it was also expensive to travellers. According to a CNN post 9/11 news article, Jessica Dickler argued that “for each leg of a journey that required
them [passengers] to board a plane,…[they] now pay a $2.50 September 11 security fee, which goes towards financing the TSA’s staff, operations and screening equipments.” These charges alone may not seem a big deal but not only are travellers paying more
than just a fee for September 11 as airlines have added revenue boosting measures like fee for checked bags and fuel surcharges. They also reduced the number of flights and did away with complimentary snacks to cut cost. Though the inconvenience to travellers
have been notable over the years since 9/11 and the customer experience having suffered to some extent with the baggage charges and lack of complementary offers, According to a poll by Rasmussen Reports . . ., only 30% of Americans say the security precautions
put in place since Sept. 11 are “more hassle than they’re worth,” while the majority, or 53%, disagree with that statement.”(qtd in Dickler).
The magnitude of the attack not only affected the family and friends of the victims of 9/11 but also the economic structure of our great nation. As outlined by Antony Tyler in his web research report, “The Impact of September 11”, in the coming year after 9/11 U.S passenger traffic had declined 5.9% in 2001 and further 1.4% in 2002. “To accommodate
The decline airlines cut their capacity (number of seats multiplied by distance travel) by 2.8% in 2001 and further 3.9% in 2002” (Tyler 3). Many people were too scared to travel because of fear and an apparent lack of trust in aviation security and instead, found alternatives for short-haul travel. Financial performances and the U.S domestic market were also affected. According to Tyler, “U.S airlines revenue fell from $130.2 billion in 2000 to $107.1 billion in 2002. Losses of $19.6 billion were reported in
2001-2002 [and] losses for 2001-2005 totaled $57.7 billion.” This coupled with the decline in U.S domestic airline demand, caused the total domestic operating revenue per $100 of nominal U.S GDP to decline from U.S $0.823 in 2000 to U.S $0.687 in 2010 (Tyler).
To help compensate for the losses the U.S airlines encountered, the U.S Air Transportation Safety and Security Stabilization Act became law (Tyler 3). The airlines were provided $5 billion in compensation for losses incurred during 9/11, through December 31,
2001 and a further $10 billion in future loan guarantee.
In the wake of the 9/11 attack and the years that follow, U.S aviation security have been at its most peaceful with no successful act of terrorism since. Additionally today’s aviation security system–regulations and equipment– governed by the Transportation
Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security owes a great debt of gratitude to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. If not for the events of that day, then the aviation security system would not have been exposed for all its flaws and failure and today’s aviation security system would not have been set forward in the direction to which it is going. There have been fewer attempts to hijack or sabotage commercial airlines due to the increased level of airline security over the last decades.
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