Airport security

Experts Say U.S. Airports Vulnerable to Brussels-Style Attack

Most Western airports are decades old and were initially designed to get people to their planes as quickly as possible, without many present-day security threats in mind. After Sept. 11, they were retrofitted to accommodate new security measures–leading to the creation of what risk experts consider essentially two airports: the open zone at the entrances and the guarded one beyond the metal detectors and body scanners.

The question for many security officials going forward will be whether to extend the security boundary, potentially encompassing not just check-in areas but even parking lots and drop-off locations. Price says one solution would be to move checkpoints farther out, “but that only relocates the area where people gather.”