After the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC on September 11, 2001, airlines and airports all over the world have improved their security measures in an effort to prevent such an event from happening again. Airlines have installed strengthened, bullet-free cockpit doors with access codes and banned sharp objects from being carried in hand luggage. Airports have increased security measures for screening passengers. But how watertight (or terrorist-proof) are airports and airlines really?

After the attacks, which were carried out by the terrorists using box cutters and mace, airlines prohibited people from taking any sharp objects on board, including nail scissors, shaving razors and sometimes even pens. They also banned the use of metal cutlery on board, leaving all passengers, also the ones in first class, with cheap, plastic knives and forks to tackle their airline meals with. Some airlines banned metal knives, but still kept using metal forks. Can't metal forks be used to threaten and/or kill as well?

Then, at a certain point, they suddenly became less strict and started to allow certain items on board again. Metal knives were still not allowed to be carried by passengers in their hand luggage, however they were handed out by the cabin crew with the in-flight meals'

At airports, security was tightened in such a way that, at first, taking any hand luggage on board was prohibited by some airlines. The metal detectors were set to 'very sensible', so that people had to take off all their jewellery before passing through them. When a would-be terrorist almost blew up an airliner with a bomb hidden in the heel of his shoe, passengers were made to take off their shoes and have them go through the x-ray machine as well.

And yet, amidst all this tightened security, many airports still lack a fundamental safety net: screening at the entrance of the terminal. Only a few major airports screen passengers upon entering the terminal building, Turkey's airports being amongst them. The reason this is done in Turkey is because of the country's history of domestic terrorism, with Kurdish separatists executing bomb attacks throughout the country. But at most airports it is very much possible to walk into the terminal, into the check-in area and sometimes right up till the gates area without being screened at all. While security measures are taken to prevent bombs from being carried onto airplanes, it is often extremely easy to get a bomb into the airport. The consequences of an explosion in the middle of a passenger terminal could be devastating, even more so than with blowing up an airliner.

The only conclusion of this is that there is still a long way to go for making air travel, both in the air and on the ground, completely safe and terrorism-proof. Unfortunately a major incident has to occur before adequate measures are taken, but a few more, often simple precautions could make the world a lot safer.