http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704398804575071370640933954.htmlFEBRUARY 17, 2010
When Security Takes Longer Than the Flight (WSJ)
By SCOTT MCCARTNEY
To get through airport security in Toronto for a flight to the United States, you now have to go through eight different screening lines or ID checks. Most passengers either get a pat-down or have their carry-on bags unpacked on tables, with every toiletry kit and pajama pair carefully checked. And tight restrictions on carry-on luggage force most road warriors to check their roll-a-board bags...
Indeed, since the Dec. 25 bombing attempt, travelers headed to the U.S. have faced much tighter security. New rules issued by the federal government dictate that a majority of inbound travelers have to undergo individual searches, once a dreaded rarity for passengers. The searches can include pat-downs, emptying out carry-on luggage and even leafing through wallets and personal papers. Those rules are likely to stay in force for a long time, officials say. It could be months or even years before high-tech devices such as body scanners replace frisking, for example. So, as we enter the busy spring and summer travel season, hassles and delays are likely to increase. "If you're coming inbound to the U.S., it's going to be a tough summer unless we get some creative change in the security rules," said Steve Lott, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association. Passengers are told to show up early for flights to the U.S. — often three hours or more, even for 90-minute flights from Canada and Mexico...
Canada has proven to be a particular trouble spot. To lessen the volume of clothes, papers, gadgets and pill bottles that screeners must go through by hand, Canadian authorities have unilaterally tightened carry-on luggage limits. Normal-sized roll-aboard bags aren't allowed. Mike Hudson of Dallas never checks a bag on his business trips — until he was trying to leave Toronto last week. "I think the whole thing is kind of ridiculous," he said. In Toronto, travelers line up to have their boarding passes checked and carry-on bags sized and tagged before reaching U.S. Customs and Immigration inspectors. Once past the baggage policing and customs, travelers get another document check, regular security screening and a check of boarding passes again. Then it's on to the secondary screening station for yet another document check and the screening itself. Authorities have rows of tables up and down a corridor just past the main security checkpoints. One screener selects travelers for secondary screening; about four of every five passengers were selected on one recent afternoon. Screeners had each traveler empty pockets onto tables. Electronics were tested for explosive traces. Suitcases, purses and all other bags were completely emptied out, with authorities checking every compartment and unfolding clothes to make sure nothing was hidden. After that, there's a final boarding pass check. In all, you have to line up eight times...
"This isn't crowded and still it was an extra hour," said John Finley, a steel-company salesman heading to Minneapolis. "There were so many checks and balances, the fourth time is a bit unnecessary." "Why don't they just get two dogs and sniff everything if they are worried about bombs?" asked Sam Goldstein, a Salt Lake City psychologist, as he stood in Line No. 6 awaiting secondary screening. Dr. Goldstein, who travels about 150,000 miles a year, said that as a psychologist he marvels at how quickly people adjust. "You become indoctrinated to this," he said. But as a scientist, he also wonders why governments don't give travelers more data to justify the effectiveness of enhanced screening. "They want to give the appearance that they are doing something. What would be nice to know is the success rate of various procedures. I think the public has a right to know," he said.
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