Airport Security from a Passenger’s Perspective Airport Security from a Passenger’s Perspective Airport Security from a Passenger’s Perspective Introduction The level of airport security has increased significantly in recent years. Most of these security measures were taken due to incidents such as the Lockerbie bombing and the 9/11 attacks. The measures influence all parties involved in the aviation industry. This document focuses on the passenger experience during aviation security checkpoints. Passengers currently experience security checkpoints as the most stressful part of their trip. On the other hand, passengers do not want to enter aircraft without passing at least one security checkpoint. These counteracting emotions create an environment in which there is a lot of room for development. This fact sheet aims to inform the reader of today’s technology and the related passenger experience. It will also discuss technological developments in the aviation security industry, and how they will influence the passenger experience. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is responsible for Current Airport Security Procedures international civil aviation regulations, which are divided into 19 annexes (ICAO Annexes and Doc Series, 2016). ICAO Annex 17 concerns security and Aviation terrorism is not a new issue. Since the end of World War II, there contains a number of worldwide standards for security checks, which each have been dozens of airline hijackings with hundreds of fatalities (Figure 1). of the contracting states must meet. These standards can be met in Security checks are therefore used to protect passengers, staff and aircraft different ways, depending on the country (Airport Operations, 2013). from accidental or malicious harm, crime and other threats (Chen et al., Regulations for EU countries will be discussed below. 2015). The screening process can be divided into passenger screening and cabin baggage screening. Since this paper is about the passenger’s experience, it will not discuss hold luggage and freight screening. Before screening, passengers are required to take off their jackets or coats and have them screened as cabin baggage. If necessary, screening personnel may request that the passenger remove additional clothing, such as shoes. Passengers are screened by at least one of the following methods: - A hand search - Walking through metal detection equipment (WTMD) - Explosive detection dogs - Explosive trace detection equipment (may be combined with hand- held metal detection) - Security scanners which do not use ionizing radiation Figure 1: Airline hijackings and fatalities in the past (Nagdy & Roser, 2016) Airport Security from a Passenger’s Perspective Before cabin baggage screening begins, liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs), Clearly, security measures make travelling less convenient for passengers. portable computers and other large electrical items are removed from One example of this inconvenience is the need to arrive at the airport two cabin baggage and screened separately. LAGs are packed inside one hours before flight departure. The security measures don’t just impact transparent and re-sealable plastic bag with a capacity not exceeding 1 passengers – they also impact airlines and airports. Bialock et al. (pp. 736, litre. Each LAG is packed in a container smaller than 100 millilitres. Cabin 2007A) found a significantly-reduced passenger volume of 6% on all flights baggage may be screened by X-ray equipment, or by one of the previously- due to baggage screening after implementation of the 9/11 security mentioned methods, except WTMD and scanners that do not use ionizing measures. The decrease in passenger volume at airports recovered after radiation (Commission implementing regulation (EU) 2015/1998, 2015). three years in the United States (CAPA, 2011). As a result, airlines claimed The time it takes for each passenger to pass security checks is 15 seconds at billions in lost ticket revenues, as some potential travellers opted to not fly. best, 25 seconds on average and 60 seconds at worst. This is based on an However, studies have shown that passengers do accept the increased ideal situation, in which no additional screening needed and all documents inconvenience and are even willing to pay extra to feel more secure are correct (Kirschenbaum, 2013). Exact processing times depend on the (Bialock et al, pp. 735, 2007). screening technology used (Manataki, & Zografos, 2009). During the past few months, several terrorist attacks have occurred in and Passenger Experience of the Current Security Procedures around major international airports (Brussels, Istanbul, etc.) and public According to Chen et al. (2015), an airport passenger’s trust can be areas. Although these incidents didn’t necessarily happen at or after the increased through a security check. However, a security check is also airport security checkpoint, they still influence passenger perception associated with the highest rate of negative emotions during a passenger’s negatively. This emphasizes the effect of security checks on passengers’ journey – from booking to bag collection at the arrival airport, (SITA, 2016). feelings of safety. Studies have revealed that the security check is the most This is visualized in the following figure: influential factor in airport customer satisfaction, followed by airport accessibility and terminal facilities (Chen et al., 2015). The more that passengers are satisfied, the more they value the airport. This could be a competitive advantage for airports. Airport security is evaluated by passengers based on (Chen et al., 2015): 1. The amount of time required for a security check 2. The professionalism of security staff 3. Confidence in the security process to make passengers feel safe There is a significant relationship between passenger satisfaction, wait times and perceived security quality. Shorter wait times and better Figure 2: Emotional extremes during the journey, percentages of passengers feeling perceived security quality lead to higher passenger satisfaction. positive/negative emotions (SITA, 2016) Airport Security from a Passenger’s Perspective “A traveller’s perception of safety is of utmost importance because it Both parties can therefore create a delay in the process. In order to determines the traveller’s willingness to take airplanes and pay for the cost minimize the duration of the security process, an innovation called of the screening process,” according to Sakano et al. (2016). Centralized Image Processing (CIP) was introduced. Professionalism in security officers also have a positive contribution to play in the feeling of safety and the intention to fly more frequently and for The conventional checkpoint process requires an X-ray operator at each longer distances. active lane. CIP works on the basis of a network between the X-ray scanners located at the security checkpoints and a central area where the Satisfaction can also be increased by providing more information to footage is analyzed. The main advantage of a centralized area is the travellers about the expected procedures at security points and by possibility to analyse multiple security lanes simultaneously (Future Travel requesting their full support and cooperation. The use of images can Experience, 2015). This innovation leads to higher efficiency and improved summarize and simplify complex information about the procedures. In cost effectiveness (IATA, 2015). The improved lane throughput also results 2005, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport started enhancing their in a more continuous flow, which results in better use of capacity (Krüger, security checkpoints to improve travellers’ experiences. One of the 2015). The benefits for passengers are a shorter queuing time and faster solutions to communicate more clearly with passengers was to replace access to the checkpoint. Throughput can be increased from 180 to 450 written messages with illustrative signs and floor arrows. This resulted in passengers per hour (IATA, 2015). faster understanding and a quicker process for passengers (DFW, 2006). Operationally, the collected X-ray images are queued and presented to an New Developments to Improve the Passenger Experience image processing system. This system categorizes the images and sends As discussed above, passengers appreciate security measures but still them to the next available security officer. Depending on the content, the experience inconvenience during their trip. This section focuses on the bag is sent directly back to its owner or to a side track for a more thorough development of security measures that improve the passenger experience investigation. Both cases facilitate a continuous flow. while providing an improved level of security. Use of CT scans for Hand Baggage Screening Centralized Image Processing Computed tomography (CT) scans are widely used in the medical world, but Aside from technology, two main factors determine the lead time of the can also be used for cabin baggage screening. In 2015, the use of CT scans traditional security process: the pace of the passenger and the pace of the was tested at London Luton Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (The security operator(s). A higher pace leads to a shorter lead time. The pace of new tech changing airport security, 2015). The advantage of CT scans is that the passenger is defined by the time it takes them to remove all electrical passengers do not need to remove large electronic items or LAG’s from items from their bags (and body) and