aviation security

Hey Alec Baldwin, The TSA Never Touched Your Kid This Morning

This morning actor Alec Baldwin sent out a curious tweet to his more than one-million Twitter followers that read, “Flying from Nassau, Bahamas 2 NY. TSA “random selects” my 5 month old daughter 4 a pat down. I am not kidding. #travelinginUSAisadisgrace“   Ignoring the actor’s history of issues with the airline industry, there are…

The TSA’s Banned vs Approved Items Conundrum … A Video Guide

As millions of travelers throughout the United States get ready for Christmas Dinner with their friends and families, followed by flights home with new gifts, gadgets and home baked pies from Mom, there may be some confusion regarding what passengers may or may not bring through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check points.   This topic…

Airport Shops, Your One Stop Source For Bomb Supplies

Over the past few years I have written about all sorts of different threats to aviation security, and ways to bring weapons into airports and onto aircraft, with the intent of exposing gaps in security so they could be remedied.   While I have heard experts discuss the possibility of someone building a bomb from “household…

LAX Airport Shooting – Part 2 – TSA BDOs, Why?

Ten years ago the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) adopted a new concept for aviation security in the United States when it started the Screening of Passengers by Observation Technique (SPOT) Program, through the training and deployment of Behaviour Detection Officers (BDO).   The theory behind the TSA implementing BDOs is that these officers are not watching…

LAX Shooting – Part 1 – Securing The Airport

This past Friday, the 1st of November, Paul Ciancia walked into Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 3 with a singular mission, his mission was to shoot and kill Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees.  Upon arriving at the TSA Travel Document Checker (TCD) station at the entrance to the security checkpoint, Mr. Ciancia opened his bag…

U.S. Government Shut Down & Aviation Security … nothing to see here

Twelve hours ago the United States Government was shut down due to political gridlock on The Hill. As the nation’s elected representatives continue to play a game of chess using the citizens of the United States as pawns the business of airline travel must go on.   This morning I awoke to a flurry of…

A German Gov’t VIP Jet, A Man In His Underwear & No Security

Just three days after the full-moon, the 25th of July, on a clear warm summer evening in Cologne, Germany, a 24 year old man reportedly got into an argument with his girlfriend and walked out of the house with a few ecstasy pills and a bag of marijuana.  The man, named Volkan T. (henceforth “Mr….

Passenger Security Explosives Detection … It’s For The Dogs

Airport passenger security has evolved at a blistering pace over the past decade, but like many mad-scrambles in any industry there are false starts, long journeys down the wrong road and conflicting opinions. One thing we can all agree on is this … the very serious threat of an explosive being brought on board an…

A Man In A Wheelchair Enters An Airport With A Bomb … And No One Cared

Travelers can seem indifferent to the world around them when in an airport. Odd things happen in airports and train stations every day all over the world, however it is the job of law enforcement and security personnel the world over to spot these odd moments and prevent odd things from turning into something else….