A guide to airport security, the pre-board inspection, and links to the aviation security websites for Canada, Australia, USA, and the UK.

This article continues the series "Flying Basics", written for first-time fliers and others who are wondering about commercial flights, even if it is not their first time flying. If you have a fear of flying, reading enough to understand what to expect may help. The series includes:

• Flying Basics - An Overview
• Flying Basics - Booking
• Flying Basics - Seat selection
• Flying Basics - Packing
• Flying Basics - Packing for Events
• Flying Basics - Weather Info
• Flying Basics - Weather Matters

The example used for Flying Basics is a domestic flight of about four hours, where there are no stopovers, no border crossings, and the flight is on a regularly scheduled route with one of the major airlines, not a discount or no-frills carrier.

Other articles in this series will look closely at special needs and some of the things which arise when your flight is not exactly like the basic example.

What is air security?

Air security includes all the things that make civil aviation safe for passengers, staff, and the general public.

This includes:

• surveillance and policing of the airport buildings and grounds
• screening of passengers
• baggage screening
• security screening of non-passengers, including airline and airport staff and visitors
• in-flight security (e.g. air marshals)
• airline screening of passengers at check-in, boarding, in-flight and deplaning.

Many of these functions are almost invisible to the traveller, unless you start looking for them.

Who is responsible for airport security?

The responsible body varies according to the country in which the flight takes off from. Some of the main bodies are:

• in the United States, the TSA, or Transportation Security Administration, part of the U.S. government
• in Canada, CATSA, or the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
• in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland), the Department for Transport
• in Australia, aviation security is under the mandate of the federal Department of Transport.

In all cases, local and state bodies, the airlines and the airport operators may impose additional security requirements.

Being prepared for security

When you are getting ready for your trip, do not pack prohibited items. There is a list of prohibited items on the website of each of the authorities listed above. Check the list for the country you are going to be flying out of.

Some items are allowed in checked luggage but not in carry-on luggage. Again, check the website of the right place to find out what the rules are.

When checking in with the airline, you will have to show your ticket or boarding pass, and usually some identification with your picture on it. The airline agent will ask you some security questions:

• Did you pack this bag yourself? - You should be able to say YES.
• Did you leave it unattended at any time? - You should be able to say NO.
• Are you fully aware of all of the contents? - You should be able to say YES.
• Are there any prohibited items in the bags you are checking OR in any of the things you plan to carry on the plane? - You should be able to say NO.
• Prohibited items for checked bags include flammables, explosives, firearms, and so on. Check with the security authority's website and with the airline's website to get complete and current information.

Your checked luggage will typically be taken from you at the check-in counter. It may be x-rayed, opened for inspection, sniffed by dogs and machines, all out of your sight.

You will carry the carry-on luggage you want to have with you on the plane. Be sure to read the rules about what is permitted in carry-on luggage, as there are more restrictions than for checked baggage.

Some airports only allow one item of carry-on luggage, period. This is the case in the UK for international flights, for example, and will be the case for international flights originating in Australia by the end of March 2007.

Once you know which departure gate your flight is using, you can go to the gate. To get there you must pass through pre-board security.

What happens in security screening or pre-board inspection?

Only passengers with boarding passes are allowed to go through pre-board security. This is where you say good-bye to anyone who is not travelling with you. (If you need assistance getting to the gate, that is a separate matter and you should speak to the airline about it at the time of booking your flight, or as early as you can before the date of your flight).

At the pre-board security checkpoint, your possessions will be x-rayed. To do this, you have to place them on a conveyor belt similar to what grocery stores use.

Usually there will be instructions - a video, signage, and / or a person, telling you how to get ready to go through the security check.

You need to remove your coat or jacket and send it through the x-ray.

Take all metal objects (especially coins and belts with large metal buckles) and put them in the basket provided, or for large objects, on the conveyor belt.

Anything electronic (camera, iPod, computer, cell phone, etc.) usually has to be pulled out and inspected. It is good to have these things easily accessible so you can put them in a basket or tray for easy viewing by the security staff.

Sometimes you will be asked to turn the electronic items on, but not always. Wait until you see or hear instructions on this.

In the USA it is fairly common to be asked to take your shoes off, especially if you are wearing sneakers / running shoes / trainers, or footwear in which a weapon might be concealed. This can happen no matter what kind of shoes you have on.

After you have placed your possessions on the x-ray machine belt, you wait your turn to walk through the security metal detector, which looks like an empty arch or door frame.

If you have metal objects on your person, the detector will beep. The security staff will usually run a detecting wand over you. They may ask you to remove clothing (e.g. a belt) to isolate the item setting off the alarm.

You may request private screening by a same-sex security officer if you wish.

Your possessions usually get through the x-ray machine at the same time as you get through the metal detector.

The staff may take a closer look at your bag or purse, including opening it and looking inside. Usually they ask before doing this, but not always.

If you have brought a wrapped gift, that may be too bad for you. The security staff have the right to unwrap it if they want to look inside. It is much better to wait until after your trip before wrapping gifts.

Once you are finished with the pre-board inspection, it is easier and more polite to the people behind you if you take your things away from the active area and off to one of the nearby tables or counters to get yourself put back together.

You have a choice

If you have carried items which are not allowed on the airplane, you can choose to leave them behind (e.g. bottle of water), to give them to a friend who is not travelling (before you go through the security check point), and sometimes to send them, at your own expense, to your home. Not all airports have this service, but there are private companies which offer self-serve drop boxes for mailing things to yourself, at some airports.

If you object to having a pre-board inspection and screening done on you, you can choose not to fly.

From the pre-board inspection until boarding

You may have a lot of time between going through the security check point and actually getting on the plane. Since the security check point can be slow, it is a good idea to go through well before your boarding time.

Once you have passed through security, you are on the "air side" of the airport terminal. Everyone here is either a traveller with a boarding pass, or an authorized person.

The things you buy on the air side, e.g. a bottle of water, often can be taken aboard the airplane, but it is wise to check with the airline as each one has its own rules.

You may shop, eat, or simply sit and wait until your flight is called. (Smaller airports don't have such a wide selection of activities).

When it's time to board the plane, you will have to show your boarding pass, and usually some picture identification. Listen to the agent in the boarding lounge for instructions.

On the plane

You may use the items you carried on to the plane, but you must listen to the rules. Typically electronic items - phones, computers, cameras, anything with an on-off switch - are to be turned off during take-off and landing. Listen for instructions.

Getting off the plane

There is no particular screening as you get off the plane, nor when you collect your checked luggage.

What not to do

Never joke about highjacking, bombs, weapons, violence, terrorism, etc. while you are anywhere near an airport. They take such things very seriously and can refuse to allow you to fly.

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