Originally Posted By Mr X Well, assuming TDLFAN meant implimenting ALL the security measures of an airport...don't the have proceedures for checking for plastic explosives too? I seem to recall them putting some substance on my carry-on bag in some sort of a check one time.
Originally Posted By SuperDry Well, some people get upset when I start talking about airport security, so I won't go into it any further here. What we don't know is what they were specifically looking for at WDW. It could very well be that they were looking for handguns and not much else. And, "security" is such a broad subject. Nothing can be absolute, and there are a wide range of threats and countermeasures to those threats. Without having inside information, it's easy to draw false conclusions. For example, someone else stated that one of the purposes of the checks as they've been done until last week may just to serve as a deterrent rather than to provide any particular security measure. For example, let's say that you're Joe Sixpack and were considering bringing your gun into the park "just in case something went down." The security check they had before might very well deter you from doing so. This last week's security checks might have been more thorough and designed to catch someone with malicious intent from bringing a gun in. Who knows.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Well, assuming TDLFAN meant implimenting ALL the security measures of an airport...don't the have proceedures for checking for plastic explosives too?<< At this poin in time, most airports do not have the ability to do that. Reason why we will probably see another 9-11 in the sky at some point in the future. TSA is a joke, and so are the Feds for lying to Americans about their safety. We are not "safe" by a long shot. So NO, implementing measure won't stop plastic explosives from entering the MK or any other park, shopping mall, restaurant etc etc on Earth. Think about that the next time you travel. >>I seem to recall them putting some substance on my carry-on bag in some sort of a check one time.<< That is a random check and the substance is supposed to be able to identify explosive residue on luggage. However, it's random.. you may be chosen for that particular safety check, but the person behind you in line..the one who has been handling TNT before packing his bag... won't be detected and allowed thru as most people are.
Originally Posted By SuperDry ^^^ TDLFAN said what I wanted to say but was reluctant to, so let me say now: "that's what I wanted to say." The way that boarding passes are handled at the security checkpoint is also a joke.
Originally Posted By Mr X How so (about the boarding passes)? I seem to recall (and I realize you both travel a LOT more than I) that they asked to see my boarding pass, along with a photo ID, pretty much every time (if I recall correctly, at Narita in Tokyo they didn't even ask for the photo id!...BUT, that was before approaching customs so it's a different story obviously). How is that not "okay"? (if you don't want to answer in a post, could you send me an email about it? I'm curious as to what I'm missing here) >>>That is a random check and the substance is supposed to be able to identify explosive residue on luggage. However, it's random.. you may be chosen for that particular safety check, but the person behind you in line..the one who has been handling TNT before packing his bag... won't be detected and allowed thru as most people are.<<< Yes, I remember that it seemed random. I can appreciate that even random checks can deter some people though. I wonder, WHY is it a random check though? Is it cost? As far as I recall, it only took about 10 seconds, so I assume they could perform it on all carry-on luggage if they really wanted to. I assume it all comes down to cost, right? Not enough staff to check everyone?
Originally Posted By SuperDry ^^^ It's probably more like 30 seconds including the time it takes to collect the sample. Let's be optimistic and say they could do 3 inspections per minute per machine. Considering the volume of passengers and bags, they'd have to dramatically increase the number of machines and personnel, plus just find room for it all.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 I'm just not amongst the ignorant masses who ever would believe having a 74-year-old retiree sticking a flashlight in a diaper bag could find a hidden sandwich yet alone any vial of something that could kill 30,000 people at once etc ... I know I'm not safe. I deal with it the best I can. But I don't lie to myself about PR security be it at WDW or at an airport or mall or highway.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>I wonder, WHY is it a random check though? Is it cost?<< Party cost and partly being time consuming when you have a million people to process. Travelers are only willing to give so much of their time to waiting for a security check, and to this day.. many still feel going thru security checks is an inconvenience, rather than a necesity. Reason why some companies (such as "Clear" at the Orlando airport)are making revenue off travelers who are willing to pay to bypass the security lines and got to the front right away. Think of it as FP benefit for a nominal fee, just like Universal's Express, and just how Disney shoul charge for FP themselves.
Originally Posted By haiderodes Another thing they have done since the war started back in 2003 is add those new multi million dollar barricades at all the back entrances to all the parks. They are the same type used for government facilities and are designed to stop a truck going 70 mph. Before they added those whenever the "Homeland Security Alert" would go higher than yellow, they would move jersey barriers in front of these entrances in such a manner that you couldnt just drive straight through the checkpoints. Then, comically, once the alert dropped back to yellow, they would be pushed to the sides. For that, I am glad they had the common sense to add the barriers that would be there all the time. How effective are they for security, I'm not sure, but I had my share of times being stuck trying to get into the back entrance of MK when the barrier wouldn't drop and I was blocked by a cast member bus behind me.
