New airport security plan encourages dressing light

The recently released Sept. 11 commission report makes numerous recommendations to improve homeland security. But now as a result of that report, airports nationwide are making their own recommendations to passengers: Dress light.

On Monday, the federal Transportation Security Administration announced new requirements for the security screening process prior to boarding airlines. The new stipulations are in line with the commission's report and are intended to bolster checkpoint screening of passengers and carry-on baggage. They will be enforced at all airports effective immediately.

The main change implemented by the new requirements will be that passengers wearing more than one layer of clothing will be required to remove all layers except the primary layer -- a shirt or blouse -- prior to walking through the metal detector. If a passenger is wearing a sweater or sweat shirt, it must be removed. That includes coats, jackets and suit jackets.

Project assistant Kristi Thurman of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport said that this is only a minor change. The TSA had previously asked passengers to remove those outer layers. Now it's a requirement.

The stricter measure also says that any passenger who sets off the metal detector will be required to go through a secondary screening and be patted down for concealed items. Previously, this was handled with a metal-detecting wand. The new stipulations also say any passenger is subject to a random pat-down.

trehagen@semissourian.com

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