Nov. 05--Under the best of circumstances, November and December are difficult months for air travel as a flood of passengers during the holiday season produces long lines at security checkpoints and cramped conditions on flights. Throw in winter weather and crying babies and you have an environment ripe for conflict.
Friday's deadly shooting at Los Angeles International Airport reminded travelers why patience-testing security measures are necessary. A gunman carried an assault-style rifle through the lobby of a terminal and began shooting, killing a Transportation Security Administration employee and wounding others. Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23, was arrested and charged with murder.
In the wake of the shooting, understandably, the conversation has focused on ways to increase security and better protect TSA employees. It's a worthwhile discussion, but one that raises difficult questions.
Since terrorists turned passenger jets into weapons of mass destruction on Sept. 11, 2001, airports have been perhaps the most visible manifestation of the tension between protecting citizens' safety and affording them freedom and privacy. That tension has created anger that has been directed at TSA and apparently played a role in the LAX shooting. Law enforcement authorities said Ciancia had signed a letter to TSA employees saying that he wanted to "instill fear in your traitorous minds."
No serious instances of violence have been reported at Portland International Airport since 2001, but PDX did receive worldwide attention in 2012 when a man took off all his clothes to protest TSA inspection methods after being questioned at a checkpoint.
Passengers usually spend 15 minutes or less in security checkpoint lines at PDX, according to TSA officials. That's not a lot of time, but the tension is real. Are travelers willing to accept longer wait times and/or sacrifice more dignity and privacy in exchange for more security? And how much can be done to increase security anyway? Those questions must be considered before making changes at airports.
It's impossible to make any public facility completely safe, but airports present challenges that make security an even bigger challenge than at schools, sports and entertainment venues, or even shopping malls. Airports are complex logistical operations, dependent on passengers, planes and workers being at the right place at the right time. About 50,000 people a day pass through even a medium-sized airport such as PDX during busy seasons. Many, if not most, of those passengers are in a hurry. And though TSA checks passengers before they enter the concourses where gates are located, it's impractical, if not impossible, to check each person who enters terminals.
In fact, few public facilities are as well protected as airports. Consider the resources devoted to Portland International Airport. The Port of Portland Police Department, with 49 sworn officers, oversees security at the PDX terminal and grounds. TSA focuses on passenger and cargo screening, and ensuring PDX meets TSA security regulations. Other agencies such as the Portland Police Bureau, FBI and Multnomah County Sheriff's Office provide support as needed, said Port spokesman Steve Johnson.
Portland International Airport offers live entertainment and food samples, among other amenities, to help reduce travelers' holiday tensions. It probably helps a little. Unfortunately, neither music nor increased security will change the world around us. Air travel in the 21st century is difficult, but TSA employees shouldn't take the blame for that.
Copyright 2013 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
