Why Airport Security Suddenly Got Better

Links to everything I do:

Credits:
Producer/Writer/Narrator: Brian McManus
Head of Production: Mike Ridolfi
Editor: Dylan Hennessy
Writer/Research: Josi Gold
Animator: Eli Prenten
Animator: Stijn Orlans
Sound and Production Coordinator: Graham Haerther
Sound: Donovan Bullen
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster
Head of Moral: Shia LeWoof
Special Thanks to Smiths Detection

Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage.

Thank you to my patreon supporters: Abdullah Alotaibi, Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung

[RealEngineering]

Just a quick PSA. Not all airports have changed policy to allow water/liquids. I got the water through in Shannon airport in Ireland. Check your local airports policy before trying

[beny.]

Real Engineering: here are some papers, equations, graphs and tables explaining exactly how these machines work
Half as Interesting: "So I sent my outside correspondant Amy through airport security with two kitchen knives, a bomb, and a water bottle filled with gasoline"

[jmodsbricks]

I was recently in Japan traveling through the domestic terminal at Narita and they allowed me to bring my water though. They didn't have these machines tho, the solution was quite a bit more simple. the person working just asked me to take a swig from the bottle to make sure it was water!

[Freya]

My favorite part about the new security tech is never knowing which airports have it and which don’t, so at one airport you get scolded for taking laptops and liquids out of your bag, and at another airport you’ll get yelled at for not taking them out 🙃

[mazda]

My favorite TSA story:  my father was an airline pilot during 9/11.  A few months after the new "safe" TSA security checks were implementer he lost his small travel bag, so he grabbed another small bag from his closet, threw in some toiletries and went to work.
SIX MONTHS LATER he found his original bag, and when he dumped the contents out of his "temporary" bag there were two small boxes of 9mm ammo!  So for 6 months he had been going through the newly minted TSA security screenings, at least 6 times a week, with 50 rounds of ammo, and was never caught.

[davidsnyder]

It's good to hear they're getting more efficient at security theater. I'll keep watching them confiscate nail clippers and grenade shaped mugs

[CEOofNothingTakes]

Beware if travelling with film! These machines will usually wreck it, put your film in a plastic bag and ask a member of staff to hand check it for you instead.

[twilightknight]

You briefly mentioned how it's "not a lab" but a real, physical area. This is much more important than the short comment makes it sound. I work with a guy who pioneered these detectors and he told me once an entire airport had to shut down because the bag scanners stopped working. Turns out the fine jet fuel soot covered the electronics and caused shorts. Maybe that should have been anticipated, but it's an important engineering lesson that no plan survives first contact with the enemy.

[randysipkes]

TSA: Sir, you can't take that water bottle with you, it could be an explosive
Me: *throw it in the garbage next to them*
TSA: enjoy your flight!

[VincitOmniaVeritas]

As a radiologist, just wanted to say that this was very well researched.

[cmdr]

I got pulled for additional screening. I had my toddlers toy lizard in my bag and 2 apple sauce pouches. Looked hilarious on the monitor.

[sphygo]

As a first time flyer, it was very confusing going from one airport security to another and having completely different procedures. Remove everything at the first, and nothing at the next. Water out, then forgot it in my metal water bottle in the next and wasn’t flagged. I had no idea different scanners were part of that difference. Glad to see improvements though with how many small things I had in my bag. Unloading it was a massive pain

[thmaster]

At (Amsterdam Airport) Schiphol we’ve had these machines for years now! It’s amazing! It’s always so frustrating when the return flight leaves from an airport with older machines, and you’ve to throw away stuff I had with me on the way there, not to mention the time it takes to take out all liquids, laptops etc

[nicazer]

I am a part of a research group that uses x-ray diffraction crystalography and other high-energy optical spectra techniques. While its not quite the same, it was cool seeing the theory behind my day to day making it into a video!

[canyonrunner]

My friend used to be a guy who's job was to test TSA. They missed like 95% of bad shit he would sneak through. It's a waste of money letting them still exist

[nankinink]

I took a flight from Haneda Airport weeks ago and seeing the officer moving the 3D model of my bag was nuts

[timonerhart]

I was about to correct you about "hasn't flow for the past 20 years left their laptop in their bag" (0:41), because it has only been the case for a few years, since 9/11 to be exact. Then I realized how old I got and that I'm still living in the early 2000s in my head...

[ZevIsert]

6:11 "Dont talk to me, I haven't had my C8H10N4O2 yet this morning"

[JehanKateli]

Was this whole video just an ad for Smiths Detection?

Anyway, it worked. The next scanner I buy will be Smiths Detection.

[gamingtila]

I've just been last weekend to Berlin Branderburg Airport BER and it was my first time seeing one of those smiths security scanners. I was so confused why we wouldnt have to take out laptops or water out anymore, and wanted to search for this new technology, but didnt find anything. Now i stumbled upon this video, and it makes a lot more sense. I just think that as it is right now, not everyone sees the signs of taking out laptops, water etc, so this will take longer. (I was travelling in a group of 70 people and quite a lot of them just took out their laptops and emptied their bottles out of routine.) But when everyone knows those new scanners, it could be really time and nerves saving for everyone. Great Vid!