Safety precautions during flights are a topic that affects everyone from time to time. With every check, there seem to be new tricks that the security men want to have you demonstrate. The Rhine-Main Airport near Frankfurt is notorious, with security services from Frankfurt, but also occasionally a security service responsible for Mainz . Unfortunately, the important traffic hub always has long waiting times at the security checkpoint. A combination that drives passengers up the wall and causes missed flights. This is not the only reason why the security check is always an explosive topic.
How it used to be
Hardly anyone can remember how relaxed the way through the security checks was in the 20th century. Then as now, private security services are involved in the security check. So there were the usual local variations. On the whole, however, it went quickly and without any problems. You emptied your pockets and walked through a metal detector. The flight tickets were only checked on the plane and even people who did not fly with them could come to the entrance of the plane. Farewells were much easier. Less time was also needed before the flight. Today, there are quickly long queues in front of the security check and the joy of flying is greatly reduced.
How it is today
Over the past 20 years, new safety rules for hand luggage have been devised again and again. These are based on the ideas of the terrorists, which are uncovered by the intelligence services. For example, the attempted bomb attack with explosives in the shoes led to an examination of the shoes before boarding the plane. The attempt to produce explosives with hydrogen peroxide led to the ban on larger water bottles on board. Fortunately, the underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab did not lead to a ban on underwear with his failed assassination attempt . However, new, very in-depth testing techniques have been introduced to detect any irregularity under clothing.
Curiosities in the safety rules
If you have a little experience with flying, you probably know how nonsensical some of the rules that await you at the security check are. For example, lighters are generally prohibited. However, there is an exception for smokers. So if you can credibly claim that you smoke, you can take a lighter with you. Then he has to carry his lighter on his body to avoid an accident. The tobacco lobby has probably exerted some influence here, because smoking is prohibited on the plane. The lighter is supposed to enable smoking immediately after landing.
In addition to fire, sharp objects are also prohibited on the plane. For example, scissors with a blade length of more than 6 cm are prohibited. Screwdrivers and files are also not allowed. Water seems to be much less dangerous than scissors. However, since 2006, no water bottles have been allowed on the plane. This brought the shops at the airport and the airlines a plus in sales, because with the dry air in the airport and especially on the plane, everyone gets thirsty. In the meantime, the rules for taking liquids with you have been relaxed again and those traveling with small children are allowed to take water bottles with them.
There is a very curious peculiarity in Singapore. Here you can be arrested on entry if you carry obscene pictures with you. What exactly this means is at the discretion of the authorities. Since everyone travels with a mobile phone today, it can happen even without your own knowledge that you have stored pictures on your mobile computers that can get you into trouble. Fortunately, the mobile phone is not checked by default at the immigration control. Otherwise, the number of arrests at the airport would certainly be enormous.
The folding knife in hand luggage and other mishaps
If you are going on a trip, you should check your luggage carefully. If a prohibited item is discovered in hand luggage, it is not always a trivial offense. It can be particularly serious if the security check on a flight was not careful and you are carrying a prohibited piece of luggage without knowing it. In Germany, the luggage of passengers on long-haul flights is often checked again when changing planes. Here it can happen that a knife that is a little too long is found, which the security guards, for example in Nairobi, have missed. Now they are facing a charge of transporting prohibited materials.
It can end even worse if you are used as a drug smuggler without knowing it. For this reason, no one should take luggage with them whose contents they do not know. Some countries have very draconian penalties. In Singapore, you can quickly face the death penalty if you are caught with drugs in your luggage. It doesn’t help much that you claim you don’t know how these drugs got into your luggage.
Plenty of room for improvement
The security check at the airport has become an unpleasant exercise. A good security service that creates a pleasant atmosphere and carries out checks with brains makes the journey easier.
