What Happens at Airport Security?
by: Tom Tessin

If you haven’t travelled in a while, especially since 2001 when the world trade center tragedy happened, you’ve probably heard that airport security has changed a lot.  In this guide, we are going to show you exactly what happens at airport security so that you’re up to date on what’s going on.

Get to the airport early

You never know how busy an airport is going to be.  It’s always best to get to the airport at least 2 hours before your flight takes off.  Even if you get to your terminal an hour before, there’s always entertainment around.  Most airports are like a mall.

Check in and get your ticket ready

When you arrive at the airport and get your ticket, make sure you don’t throw your ticket in your luggage.  You’re going to need your ticket when you start to wait in the security line.  If you don’t have your ticket ready, it’s just going to cause a hassle and make the security officials more frustrated.

The beginning of the line

When you finally hit the security line, you will be greeted by a TSA official who will tell the line what you can and can’t take onto a plane.  He/she will generally say you can’t bring any open containers or anything over three ounces.  If you have any items that pertain to this, you can either jump the line or check your luggage in or you can simply throw your item away.

If you are meeting all guidelines, you will simply show the TSA official your boarding pass and driver’s license.  From this point, the official will write his/her initials on your boarding pass insuring the officials up ahead that you were pre-screened.

At the belt

Once you reach the conveyer belt that checks all of your belongings, be prepared to throw everything you have in your pockets.  It’s important that you take off your shoes ahead of time.  If you travel in warm months, it’s always best to wear flip flops so that you can throw them on and off.  When you have your shoes off, make sure you grab a grey looking bin.  There’s usually a stack of them next to the belt.

When you receive your bin, throw all of your items in there and set them on the belt.  If you have a laptop computer, make sure that this computer is outside of the bag.  If it is not, be prepared to get yelled at.

Walking through

When you’re patiently waiting for your bin to go through the x-ray machine, have your ticket and license ready again.  These should be the only things you hold onto.  Now you must wait for the official to wave you through the metal detector.  Once you’re waved through, go ahead and show him/her your boarding pass.  Once again, they will initial it.

If you’ve made it through the detector and no alarms have been set and no one is asking you questions, simply grab your shoes and stuff and proceed to your gate.  Sometimes officials may ask you questions about an item or they may check a particular item in your bag.  If this does happen, just sit back and be patient.  If you’re disruptive, it will only delay the process.

In the end, the security process isn’t that tough.  If you follow the rules, the system will flow well.  If it’s busy, it can take a little longer than usual.  This is why it’s important to get there early and be prepared to wait in line.  A stress free mind is a better situation.