To be forewarned is to be forearmed goes a popular saying that is very true but what happens when there is no prior warning to changes in security policies at airports or in aircrafts, etc? It is indeed very annoying and frustrating. Nowadays, flying has become something of a big challenge to new and even long term flyers with regards to air travel security. With recent and emerging security threats to all airlines, the international air travel scene may not go to sleep for years to come. Therefore, we the passengers owe all airport and airline security personnel our unreserved patience and co-operation considering the mandate and delicate tasks given to them.

With the most recent airport security threat of August 2006 in Britain, which put more than a thousand lives on the line, local and international flights and all airports worldwide were once again on red alert. Despite the assured presence of airport security personnel and all the security equipment put in place, it is important to keep ourselves constantly informed of the ever-changing rules of airport security restrictions, guidelines, and general dos and don’ts. This will go a long way in easing the jobs of the security staff manning the airports as well as save valuable time that will be lost to extra luggage checks. Apart from this, even since the September 11th hijackings of 2001 in the US, there have been increased threats to the security of air travel passengers.

So considering these threats, governments, airports and private airline authorities worldwide have stepped up defense security measures against these potential threats posed to passengers; by enforcing serious restrictions and changes in policies on a regular basis. In the recent past, passengers have been subjected to thorough security screening from head to toe, personal effects, luggage and anything extra that is being loaded to aircrafts. Due to the thorough security checks, there are occasional delays before departure and after arrival. In the light of these delays, passengers are always advised to arrive the airport and check-in some hours to the actual flight’s departure time. Therefore, security policies are constantly changing and all over the world, anytime there are new threats thwarted with more information revealing security breaches.

One only thing that passengers can do to help themselves stay current with security situations is to go to the respective websites of the airports and airlines they will use. There are several changes on flights and airline security rules being implemented on a daily basis. For example, any sharp metal object that is capable of being used to make incisions may be confiscated depending on how harmful, a security threat it is deemed to be. Only one hand bag or hand luggage is allowed on a single flight, and so on.

The use of biometric passports is a new airline security measure which entails storing biometric information of passengers like fingerprints, face and eye-scanned information in digital form on computer chips. Developed countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have already started implementing the biometric passport technology for thorough and near flawless security checks. This new technology is being seen as a revolutionary way of speeding up the check-in process for passengers while increasing airline security worldwide. Major airlines are billed to join the list the airlines starting to adopt the technology.

Be ready for impromptu security checks adopted by airlines and airports. This should not come as a surprise to passengers since security policies are ongoing processes. They are actually counter security measures to those of saboteurs, hijackers and terrorists meant to endanger the lives of air travelers. These are time-consuming security precautions but highly necessary for safe and secure air travel. Above all, be open to any new security checks or verifications being carried out by airlines and airports. It is in the interest of every one of us that these measures are put in place. Be knowledgeable about airlines’ policies on safe air travel and security guidelines in flying with them. Respect all security personnel during checks. Know your rights too in cases of abuse of privileges by the personnel. Lastly, obey all security rules and regulations with regards to air safety and be a good air citizen.