At Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, screening is done in 30 minutes. The key? Look passengers in the eye!
After eight years of incompetent security at our airports (that’s eight years since 9-11-2001) the United States is finally getting serious. Or are they? This is a summary of a report appearing in the Toronto Star this past December 31.
While North America’s airports groan under the weight of another sea-change in security protocols, one word keeps popping out of the mouths of experts: Israelification.
“Israelis, unlike Canadians and Americans, don’t take s— from anybody. When the security agency in Israel (the ISA) started to tighten security and we had to wait in line for – not for hours – but 30 or 40 minutes, all hell broke loose here. We said, `We’re not going to do this. You’re going to find a way that will take care of security without touching the efficiency of the airport.'”
The first layer of actual security that greets travellers at Ben Gurion is a roadside check. All drivers are stopped and asked two questions: How are you? Where are you coming from? The questions aren’t important. The way people act when they answer them is.
…they’re not looking for liquids, they’re not looking at your shoes. They’re not looking for everything they look for in North America. They just look at you.
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