Like all of aviation history surrounding security the attacks of September 11, 2001 caused a huge upheaval in the way things are done at airports. Most people are unaware of a lot of the security measures created before that date but there were many. With airline security it has almost always been a matter of closing the barn door after the horses have run out. The same way you got email with spam protection after having your inbox blasted with spam, it took an incident to create a solution.
Some of the historical blunders, illegal acts, or true terrorism attempts that created the security measures most people are unaware of prior to September 11th include:
Skyjacking September 1970
An attempted skyjacking by a group of Palestinians brought the attention of growing commercial flight by everyday people to the forefront of the political arena. Prior to that day commercial flights were not seen as a common activity and in response to the threat of catastrophic loss then President Nixon instituted the use of Sky Marshalls on flights to ensure public safety.
D. B. Cooper Skyjacking 1971
The famous incident that involved passenger D. B. Cooper demanding $200,000.00 or he would blow up the plane, had the crew of the airline hand over the money and then lowered the rear steps of the plane so that he could parachute off to safety. Following that bold move airlines created a safety feature that made it impossible for the rear steps of an airplane to be lowered in flight. It is called a ‘Cooper Vane’.
Increased Air Traffic 1972
The switch to inner airport security measures as opposed to on flight security was one instance of control that was not begun in response to a real threat but rather to the burgeoning popularity of air travel. In 1972 travel by airplane had become so popular that it was nearly impossible to man every flight with Sky Marshals. In response to the need for greater security airports began a rudimentary form of pre-flight security screening including metal detectors for boarding passenger carry on luggage.
Terrorism Continues
In spite of the best efforts at pre-flight inspections and accompanying Sky Marshals protecting airplanes was a daunting task and there were still problems. In 1988 a Pan Am flight an onboard bomb killed 270 passengers and crew members over Scotland. The owner of the bag containing the bomb was not even on board. After that the rules regarding luggage changed to demand all bags be in the possession of a person on the flight.
Historic Changes
Of course the unprecedented disaster on September 11th 2001 caused the greatest upheaval in airport security of all time. Since that day increasing measures of pre-flight security are put in service regularly. Increased inspection of carry on luggage, detailed lists of allowable items, and rigorous checking of individual persons became standard for all flights regardless of destinations.
Since September 11th billions of dollars have been spent in creating tighter airport security. While many of these measures cause delays in flights and irritable travelers they are necessary means to protect each person on the flight.
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