Follow this blog:
RSS

If you won’t get scanned, you won’t be catching your flight

By | December 11, 2012, 5:40 AM PST

Controversial as airport body scanners may be, one airport has decided: No scan, no flight.

According to the e-travel blackboard, Melbourne Airport has introduced body scanners at its international departures terminal — and a lucky few will be scanned whether you like it or not.

As part of the Federal Government’s $200 million Strengthening Aviation Security Initiative, which includes increased investment by the government in new technologies designed to boost customer and airport security, implementing body and bottled liquid scanners are part of the process.

Not every passenger passing through Melbourne Airport will be required to undergo body scanning. A random selection process is part of the deal, but if you are picked and have no “valid, medical or physical condition” which stops you — refusal notwithstanding — then you will not be permitted to fly.

The types of body scanner being installed in Melbourne Airport are already in use within the United States, U.K., Thailand and Canada.

Recently, producer of controversial airport body scanners Rapiscan was accused of faking product software tests designed around the basis of consumer privacy, which has resulted in a number of scanners being pulled from areas including JFK and Boston Airport. In addition, the TSA is removing some scanners from airports due to the additional time it takes to move through security.

Image credit: Flickr

See also:

Start your week smarter with our weekly e-mail newsletter. It's your cheat sheet for good ideas. Get it.

Charlie Osborne

About Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne

Contributing Editor

Charlie Osborne is a freelance journalist and graphic designer based in London. In addition to SmartPlanet, she also writes the iGeneration column for business technology website ZDNet. She holds degrees in medical anthropology from the University of Kent.

Follow her on Twitter.

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne does not have financial holdings that would influence how or what she covers.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

If you liked this, don't miss...
6
Comments

Join the conversation!

Follow via:
RSS
+2 Votes
+ -
on 9/11 it was not passengers who breached security
it was airport workers in Boston who hid box cutters on the airplanes for the hijackers to find and use to gain control.

Then last week here in Atlanta the news was full of a video where someone was throwing a package over a high fence for an airport worker to catch.

It's not the passengers we have to worry about so much as the airport workers themselves.

Terry Thomas
Atlanta
Posted by AtlantaTerry
Updated - 11th Dec
0 Votes
+ -
Why not?
A very sound measure for sure.
Posted by David Traversa
12th Dec
0 Votes
+ -
All this thanks to:
That religion of peace we hear so much about.
Posted by juu@...
Updated - 12th Dec
+1 Vote
+ -
How sad government is always stupid, ignorant and wrong.
Guess you give dumass's enough power and you get utter retardation in every aspect of government.

Not a single legit government agency in existence, every single one is run by drooling morons or psychopaths or both.
Posted by Reality Bites
18th Dec
0 Votes
+ -
If they are forcing people to use the X-ray
version and forcing people to get a dose of unauthorized radiation then shame on them. If its the circular ones that use RF then filn. At least it's non-ionization radiation.

Even my doctor/dentist give me the option whether I want an X-ray or not.
Posted by wingnut1024
2nd Jan
-1 Votes
+ -
Airport Security Scan
My opinion on the airport scans is that it is very important for both passengers and employees to be scanned i think every single person who enters the airport should be scanned or patted down for everyone's safety they don't check passengers for the jolly old feeling up of complete strangers they do it for safety reasons and your protection, if anything i think that the security should be more strict, by strict i mean everyone one be checked. Passengers, Employee's, securty guards. no one should be excused from a detailed security check, both while entering and exiting the airport facilities.
Posted by invincibl903
13th Feb
Join the conversation
Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]

Join the SmartPlanet community and join the conversation! Signing up is fast and free. Don't wait -- we want to hear your opinion!