TSA to Scrap Annoying Rules on Liquids, Shoes...Maybe
Suspect giant shampoo bottle.
Given all the bad news for fliers lately--more fees, fewer flights, and more trouble redeeming your miles--it's not surprising that a mere suggestion that something about air travel might improve got a lot of traction in the media. That something is the annoying drill at the checkpoint. You know, the Kabuki dance that entails removing your shoes while simultaneously guzzling that last bit of spring water you will shortly surrender--and that's while plucking your laptop from its case and somehow clinging to your boarding pass.
Of all these rituals, the liquids rules are the most loathed. Introduced in the wake of a foiled plot to bomb airliners out of London in August of 2006, the resulting "3-1-1" routine struck most travelers as confusing, if not downright silly (see the whole list of rules here). And worse, it may have been unnecessary. Aviation experts question whether liquids carried aboard in innocent-looking soda bottles could bring down an airplane (see my story on TSA last spring). During their recent trial, the London bomb plotters denied that they were attempting to destroy airplanes (although they did admit to planning to set off an explosion near a terminal), and while their testimony was obviously self-serving, the prosecution wasn't able to prove they were capable of pulling off another 9/11-style attack. And yet, we continue to dutifully present our baggies full of doll-size shampoos and mouthwash at checkpoint.
Now comes word that TSA believes it has found a way to tell the difference between a harmless bottle of Scope and a dangerous chemical. New software using enhanced algorithms is now being loaded onto multi-view X-ray machines at dozens of checkpoints at the largest airports. TSA chief Kip Hawley said in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal's The Middle Seat Terminal that 900 of these specially equipped machines should be in place next year.
Following this suggestion, travel blogs reacted ecstatically, but that now seems premature. Hawley, who, after all, will likely be out of a job under a new administration, noted that the new technology hasn't been field tested yet. And given past experience, that could delay a full roll-out of the machines for years. Remember those shoe scanners that were "about" to be turned on at various checkpoints? Well, they're still there, unplugged, after TSA rejected them as unreliable. Meanwhile, an Israeli company has produced an improved scanner that can sniff out explosives in your footwear in seconds. TSA has expressed interest. But until that interest turns into something more serious, smelly stocking feet will be part of our travel experience for some time to come.
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