Lihue airport will be the first airport in the state to utilize full-body image scanning as part of its security process. The new advanced imaging devices can look through passenger’s clothes to produce full-body images. Other Hawaii airports are suppose to follow with this equipment in the coming months as well.
While the new technology is very advanced, many passengers fear it because they say it allows people to view them naked, and in turn, those images could fall into the wrong hands. Another major problem is the situation that occurs when the device produces a false positive. This happened to a passenger who was carrying a wad of napkins in his shirt pocket. The machine registered it as a threat, so he was forced to undergo a full-body pat down.
While these concerns are legitimate concerns for passengers here and around the nation, it is not as big of a concern as keeping the country safe from possible terrorists attacks. There have only been 125 installed around the nation so far, but Suzanne Trevino – spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, says, “We expect 500 by the end of 2010, 1,100 by the end of 2011.”
Tags: Airport Security, Lihue Airport, Travel
