Quote:
Originally Posted by pj67coll
Good question. I'd be interested to know if El Al passengers have to endure the farce that we do, and the imbecillic bs that we'll be stuck with for the next year.
- Peter.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Al
El Al security
As a target for many decades, El Al employs stringent security procedures, both on the ground and on board its aircraft. These effective, though sometimes controversial, procedures have won El Al a reputation for security.
[38] In 2008, the airline was named by
Global Traveler magazine as the world's most secure airline.
[39]
[edit] Airport security measures
Passengers are asked to report three hours before departure. All El Al terminals around the world are closely monitored for security. There are plain-clothes agents and fully armed police or military personnel who patrol the premises for explosives, suspicious behavior, and other threats. Inside the terminal, passengers and their baggage are checked by a trained team. El Al security procedures require that all passengers be interviewed individually prior to boarding, allowing El Al staff to identify possible security threats. Passengers will be asked questions about where they are coming from, the reason for their trip, their job or occupation, and whether they have packed their bags themselves. The likelihood of potential terrorists remaining calm under such questioning is believed to be low (see
microexpression).
[40] At the
check-in counter the passengers'
passports and
tickets are closely examined. A ticket without a sticker from the security checkers will not be accepted. At passport control passengers' names are checked against information from the
FBI,
Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS),
Scotland Yard,
Shin Bet, and
Interpol databases. Luggage is screened and sometimes hand searched. In addition, bags are put through a decompression chamber simulating pressures during flight that could trigger explosives.
[41] El Al is the only airline in the world that passes all luggage through such a chamber.
[42] Even at overseas airports, El Al security agents conduct all luggage searches personally, even if they are supervised by government or private security firms.
[43]
[edit] Flight security measures
Undercover agents (sometimes referred to as
sky marshals) carrying concealed firearms sit among the passengers on every international El Al flight.
[44] All El Al pilots are former
Israeli Air Force pilots.
[45]
El Al Boeing 777
The cockpits in all El Al aircraft have double doors to prevent entry by unauthorized persons. A
code is required to access the doors, and the second door will only be opened after the first has closed and the person has been identified by the
Captain or
First Officer.
[45] Furthermore, there are reinforced
steel floors separating the
passenger cabin from the
baggage hold.
[46] This is intended to strengthen the plane in case of an explosion.
Following an attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner in 2002,
[47] all aircraft in the fleet have been equipped with an
infrared countermeasures system called '
Flight Guard', developed by
Israeli Aerospace Industries to defend them against
anti-aircraft missiles.
[48][49][50] Although comparable systems such as
CAMPS are now available for civilian aircraft, there is no information to date about any other airlines deploying such a system. Switzerland and other European countries have expressed concern that
flares dropped by the Israeli system could cause fires in the vicinity of an airport.
[51] However none of the higher risk countries that El Al aircraft fly to have raised any concerns.
[edit] Security controversy and passenger profiling
Critics of El Al note that its security checks on passengers include racial profiling
[52] and have argued that such profiling is unfair, irrational, and degrading to those subject to such screening. Supporters of El Al argue that there is nothing inherently racist about passenger profiling and that special scrutiny of Muslims may often be necessary for security purposes.
The airline was also criticised by the Hungarian courts for refusing to search luggage with the passenger present, acting against Hungarian domestic laws which stipulate that only authorized officials are able to undertake such searches.
[52] A civil case was brought to
Supreme Court of Israel on 19 March 2008 alleging that El Al's practice of ethnic profiling singles out Arabs for tougher treatment.
[53]