Israel’s Airports
With all the talk about airport security going on, I keep thinking back to my trip to Israel a few years back. They don’t make you take your shoes off or worry about liquids. What they do instead is interview each and every passenger with seemingly benign questions. It quickly becomes apparent that they don’t really care where you went to nursery school, but instead are interested in how you respond to the questions.
Anyway, I’m glad to see The Toronto Star pick up on the Israeli method, outlining security measures at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. Here’s a nice peak at what it’s like as you actually go through the scanners:
“First, it’s fast – there’s almost no line. That’s because they’re not looking for liquids, they’re not looking at your shoes. They’re not looking for everything they look for in North America. They just look at you,” said Sela. “Even today with the heightened security in North America, they will check your items to death. But they will never look at you, at how you behave. They will never look into your eyes … and that’s how you figure out the bad guys from the good guys.”
I’ve compared every airport security station I’ve ever been through to that experience and while it took a little longer and was a bit more invasive, I felt safe and they have a proven track record.