New Security Scans in Place at RDU

Raleigh-Durham International Airport is using beefed-up security measures to comply with regulations that went into effect Jan. 1 requiring airports to screen all checked luggage for explosives.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration installed the new security devices at RDU on Dec. 29, said RDU Communications Manager Mindy Hamlin.

Hamlin said RDU is using an explosive detection system called CTX, which uses CT scan X-rays to comply with the new rules.

In addition to scanning all checked luggage, airport security personnel at RDU also are wiping down carry-on luggage to collect traces of possibly explosive chemicals.

"When you're working with explosives, there is a micropowder that gets on everything. It is really difficult to get it off," said TSA spokeswoman Heather Rosenker.

A fabric that is used to wipe down the luggage picks up any trace of micropowder, she said. When the fabric is fed into an electronic analyzer, it will register any traces found.

The explosive trace detection is used at security checkpoints outside the concourses along with standard random security searches or when the luggage appears suspicious.

Hamlin said there were no delays during the busy holiday season because of the new security checks.

The CTX system screens checked baggage, which primarily is processed behind the scenes and does not cause delays for passengers, Hamlin said.

But she added that luggage from Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways and American Airlines was scanned in the passengers' presence because of the airlines' locations at RDU. Hamlin said this also did not bring about any additional delays for passengers.

Despite the addition of more stringent security checks, some passengers said they did not experience any additional difficulty in their travels.

"I heard people were having their shoes checked, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," said Chrystal Baker, a UNC sophomore who flew in from Newark, N.J. "It didn't take any longer than usual -- about a minute. I just walked through the little corridor and that was it."

But other travelers who had first-hand experience with the new airport security said they thought it was too strict.

"It was ridiculous. They wiped down my suitcases, checking for explosives," said UNC sophomore Andrew Eckert, who flew back to school from Madison, Wis. "I'm surprised they even let us within a mile of the airport with our clothes on and any luggage at all."

The TSA deployed 1,100 CTX systems and up to 6,000 explosive trace devices nationally to help airports meet new security requirements.

Other security methods also are being implemented in 429 airports across the country to comply with the increased security.

Some new measures include efforts to ensure passengers board the same planes as their checked bags, as well as the use of canines to sniff out explosives, Rosenker said.

The TSA Web site lists items prohibited on airplanes, including weapons of any kind, explosives and items that are seemingly harmless but might be used as weapons.

Bringing any of the prohibited items, even accidentally, is illegal, and passengers are stripped of the items. In some cases, passengers can face criminal charges.

Hamlin said that because RDU's transition to the new security measures has been smooth so far, she recommends that passengers arrive at the airport the standard two hours before departure time.

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.