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In the weeks that followed 11 September 2001, we were told air travel would never be the same again, and indeed is isn't.
One year after that most horrific day, however, the high-tech security wonders that were predicted to arrive have not come to pass -- the only technological change for most passengers has been the way they book tickets.
The buzzword for air travel security in late 2001 was biometrics, technologies that use organic markers, like fingerprints, to identify individuals. Frequent reports emerged, hyping iris, facial and fingerprint scanners, which would let security personnel easily weed out would-be terrorists from the crowd. Yet 10 months later, passengers at most airports can pass from the check-in counter to their aeroplane without once undergoing a biometric scan.
"Biometrics in airports are not driven by security," explained Chris Cherrington, a consultant biometrics analyst at research company Frost & Sullivan. "Iris scans, the most promising biometrics in airports, are being installed to help speed up check-in times for business passengers, not to enhance general security." Cherrington said that most of the interest in biometrics over the last year has come from journalists, not security officials. "If the stuff really improved security beyond conventional means, you would see it in every airport around the world."
Certainly users should expect heightened airport security, but aside from additional security workers, who are now more highly paid and will confiscate practically any sharp metal item, European travellers can expect their airport experience to remain much the same as before the attacks. Such low-tech schemes are the types of changes that Aer Rianta points to when asked about beefed up security at Dublin Airport. "We are always looking into new things," an Aer Rianta spokesperson said of security-related technological upgrades, unwilling to confirm any specific measures. "If we do make changes we don't want to announce them, because people may try to get around them."
There have, however, been some high-tech improvements that travellers may not notice at first glance. At some US airports, such as Boston's Logan Airport, security personnel now use handheld computers that feature wireless connections to US criminal databases. Elsewhere, including in some UK airports, passenger photos are discretely taken at check-in. When their boarding card is scanned at the gate, their picture appears, letting airline personnel double-check passenger identities.
Meanwhile, the US government is requiring all members of its visa-waiver program, including Ireland, to incorporate microchips in citizens' passports by 2004. These chips will contain data such as iris or fingerprint scans, which officials can use to verify identities.
Another behind-the-scenes change in airport security must be put into place by January, thanks to a directive from the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Starting 01 January 2003, all airports must prove they can effectively detect explosives in hold baggage. This will mostly occur via the roll-out of sophisticated X-ray scanning devices that detect items based on their molecular makeup, explained Tony Keane, managing partner at Keane Security and Fire Safety in Dublin. But this safety directive is over four years old and wasn't instituted because of 11 September.
Above all, the biggest change in travel since the events of 9/11 has been in the way passengers book tickets. Companies like Ebookers, Lastminute.com and Expedia, as well as the "low fares" airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet are experiencing mind-boggling growth, despite the general industry malaise.
Recent research from the Centre for Regional Tourism Research in Denmark claims that by 2006, total sales for e-travel in Western Europe will hit EUR14 billion; and this is a conservative estimate, with researchers like Forrester and Jupiter MMXI predicting up to twice this amount. In Europe an estimated 3 percent of airline sales occur through e-travel Web sites, and already sales in America have topped 10 percent as travellers come to see the Internet as a normal sales channel.
"I am not sure that our growth has anything to do with September 11th," explained Stephen McKenna, commercial director at Travel Management Solutions, the company behind Gohop.ie. "People just seem to be more comfortable with booking on-line." Travel Management Solutions is on track to rake in almost EUR4.6 million in sales this year, McKenna said, which equates to roughly EUR85,000 a week. Last year the company, which operates only in Ireland, had just EUR1 million in sales.
One year of from 11 September, technology has made few inroads into travel that passengers will notice, though some new high-tech practices will emerge later in 2002. Expect to see more e-ticket vending machines and more guards with handheld computers, but don't look for thumbprint scanners at the gate. At Dublin Airport, the good old X-ray machine will be an airport staple for years to come, as will Gardai looking for suspicious behaviour. Officers might ask to see a passenger's e-mailed confirmation number, but they're unlikely to look for an iris scan.
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