Checkpoint of the Future Coming Soon To Airports

cultiv8 writes with this excerpt from an AP story as carried by Yahoo: "Eye scanners and futuristic security tunnels may be standard in airports soon as the airline industry seeks to maintain safety while reducing the hassles of boarding a plane that deter some people from flying. The International Air Transport Association unveiled a mock-up Tuesday in Singapore of what it dubbed the 'Checkpoint of the Future,' where passengers separated by security risk would walk through one of three high-tech, 20-foot-long (6.1-meters-long) tunnels that can quickly scan shoes and carry-on luggage and check for liquids and explosives. ... In the IATA prototype, passengers would be categorized based on the results of a government risk assessment that is put into a chip in a passenger's passport or other identification. An eye scan would then match the passenger to the passport."

Re:sooo

[pnewhook]

Exactly what I was thinking.

Although anything that doesn't require me to remove my shoes and belt is a good thing. Can't stand travelling to the US for that reason.

Re:Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

[smelch]

You mean all they have to do is blow up the tunnels. This is a fraud stacked on more fraud stacked on bullshit with bullshit sprinkles. Why the hell are we so afraid of our passenger airplanes being blown up? Holy shit, after all the school shootings in America you can still pretty much just walk in to a school, why are airlines so risky? Stupid stupid STUPID!

Re:I stopped flying.

[the_fat_kid]

I miss flying but I feel no remorse for the airlines.
They have been screwing passengers for years.
I don't fly any more either. I do miss the fast travel but not the multi hour lay overs.

Re:Is the risk really that big?

[ThunderBird89]

Why on Earth would they try to blow up the plane if they have to go through such tight security? It's a lot easier to target the lines.

Excerpts from the last thoughts of Abdul Hassan Gamal ibn al Azad*: "I wait in line, my backpack concealing three kilograms of C4, surrounded by a layer of scrap metal and nails dipped in anti-coagulant rat poison. I wait for the line to get as long as possible to include the greatest number of people in the blast. I don't care if I die, 40 (or 42?) virgins will be my reward for fighting the Holy War in the name of the one god Allah. I trigger the detonator..."
Maybe less casualties than downing an Airbus, possibly more if the line is long and packed, and no need to risk going through security. The fact that the bomber dies first doesn't seem to be a problem when they're happy to die, and you can afford to use them like money ante poker chips, knowing you can always recruit five more for every one that's caught or killed. The checkpoints merely shifted the most vulnerable point from the air onto the ground, where the terrorists can do even more damage.

* Any semblance to living persons is purely coincidental.

Re:Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

[Zeek40]

Because the military industrial complex saw the opportunity to sell expensive, unnecessary shit to an ignorant, fearful populace, and they're damn good at getting the government to give them money to waste. End result: The TSA, who has never once in its entire history prevented someone who tried to sneak a bomb on a plane from doing so. Exactly three people have tried to sneak bombs or bomb-making materials through the TSA's security since 9/11. All three have succeeded.

Because...

[denzacar]

All you need to bypass such level of "security" is to find a willing participant with skin color which is not critical.
And you probably only need to do it once. Get all skin colors up to "critical level" and voila - everyone is a potential terrorist once more.
Or no one is, depending on your perspective.

Prioritizing according to clearly visible and easily circumventable markers is a poor security technique.
Might as well look only for people holding a stick of dynamite in one hand and a lit lighter in the other.