Preparing for a trip is exciting but also a little nerve-wracking. There’s so much to consider while planning your travel activities and determining what you’ll pack. You shouldn’t also deal with worries about the airport or your flight. Check out the state of airport safety in 2024 to feel encouraged before your upcoming adventures.
Airports Are Updating Terminal Safety Measures
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handles over 45,000 flights daily throughout the country. That’s a high number of passengers passing through airports each day. Administration teams in each airport must constantly update their safety measures to best protect the large crowds in their care.
Airport safety encompasses numerous things because the properties are so expansive. People working in an airport must ensure operations run smoothly to prevent accidents and injuries. They conduct routine checks that include:
- Maintaining firefighting equipment for planes
- Keeping runways clear
- Ensuring internal communication systems are always running
- Updating internal signage for flight delays and weather
When it comes to passengers, multiple systems ensure everyone is safe to fly before ever stepping on a plane. By the time you reach your seat, you and everyone else on the aircraft will have passed through steps including:
- Baggage screening
- Body scans
- Ticket verification
Additionally, airport staff ensure everyone’s safety within each terminal through other measures. Paid behavioral experts, dressed in civilian attire, look for suspicious behavior. Cameras track everyone’s movements to verify they aren’t preparing or activating weapons while waiting for their flight. Security guards also patrol terminal areas throughout the day and night.
External Areas Are Becoming More Protected
The inside of a terminal is a safe environment, but you’ll also be safe while walking outside your chosen airport. Floodlights guarantee visibility on sidewalks for anyone arriving or departing after the sun sets. Bus systems prevent passengers from walking great distances through parking lots and roadways, minimizing the chance of an accident.
Physical safety barriers are becoming more widely available as well. Many airports are adding bollards between sidewalks and roadways to shield people from vehicles veering off the road at as high as 50 mph. It’s a crucial safety mechanism around areas where people linger by cars, like passenger pickup and drop-off sites.
Stronger fences are another way airport staff protect people passing through each terminal. They keep people from accessing airport parking lots without passing through security first. Fences also block off areas for pets. People traveling with dogs must frequently access rest stops, especially if their flights are delayed. Fences ensure dogs stay in a restricted area while off-leash, protecting other passengers walking by.
TSA Technology Is Always Updating
The U.S. Transportation and Safety Administration (TSA) screened over 858 million air passengers in airports nationwide in 2023. Officials know they’re an important part of ensuring everyone inside an airport is safe. They’re constantly updating procedures and technology to guarantee that at any terminal.
Facial recognition AI software monitors everyone passing through security. It runs every face against collected data of people who broke safety rules while on previous flights or were barred from flying entirely. If the humans running security measures make a mistake, AI is a secondary backup method to ensure the safety of every terminal.
Additionally, the increase in software reliance means each airport has more robust digital security. The latest firewalls protect everyone’s sensitive data while preventing hackers from compromising existing security systems.
Health Protection Measures Remain Present
Whether you like to work on projects while waiting for your flight to board or read to pass the time, you’ll have extra health protections in airports compared to previous years. Air purifiers and improved ventilation systems implemented to protect visitors from airborne viruses remain in place year-round.
Additional cleaning protocols for restrooms and shared airport spaces minimize health risks from circulating viruses. You can always bring your own hand sanitizer and wear a mask, but airport safety includes health measures that fortify your well-being while you’re away from home.
Feel Reassured by Airport Safety Measures
Good news for air travelers — the state of airport safety in 2024 is encouraging. Airport officials and federal safety workers take new strides each year to protect people before, during and after their flights. Now that you know what’s happening behind the scenes during your time in an airport, you can enjoy your upcoming trips without worry.
Jack Shaw is the senior writer for Modded, a men’s lifestyle publication. An avid outdoorsman and lover of travel, he’ll often find himself taking retreats out into nature to explore the world and encourage others to do the same. Feel free to connect with him via LinkedIn.