Majority of air passengers agree to fluoroscopic scanning at Helsinki-Vantaa security check

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A majority of air travellers have given a positive response to the new person scanner introduced last autumn at the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport security check.
      Fluoroscopic X-ray imaging scanning is offered as an alternative to a manual personal search.
      Passengers for the scanning are picked randomly from the security check queue.
      “Dozens of people are scanned each day. The refusal percentage is very small”, says Helsinki-Vantaa head of security Panu Häikiö.
      “People who travel a lot are most familiar with so-called backscatter scanning. Some know the procedure from London’s Heathrow Airport”, Häikiö adds.
     
Those picked for the scanning are told how the machine works and how much radiation the scanned person will get. Pregnant women and others with possible health concerns are not scanned. Many passengers opt for the one-minute procedure rather than subjecting themselves to manual pat-down inspection.
      The device is a non-intrusive personnel screening system designed to detect metallic and non-metallic objects concealed under a person's clothing.
      “For many, scanning is a less intrusive option compared to the traditional manual bodily search. But even in the future, not everyone will be scanned, for during peak hours manual search is a quicker way to keep the queue moving”, Häikiö explains.
     
So far nothing alarming has been found with the fluoroscopic inspection at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
      “The equipment would reveal guns and other forbidden items under the clothes. Typical findings, however, are coins, combs, and suchlike”, Häikiö says.
      The airport has been permitted to test use the equipment for a year and a half. Presumably the use of the machine will continue even after that.
      “Both customers and the security staff have been satisfied with the equipment. There is no reason why we should not continue using it”, Häikiö reckons.


Links:
  Backscatter X-ray (Wikipedia)

Helsingin Sanomat