Florida coast from the airplane

Over Shabbat I was talking to friend who works in Airport Security. These guys have a rough time because it

seems that nobody likes them.

I travel a lot and there have been times when it seems like I am getting on and off airplanes every day. Sometimes I do get a slightly irritating feeling of having to take my laptop out of its bag, off with the shoes and the belt etc., all of course done while rushing to a plane for which I am late.

I remember this one time my carry-on bag came up positive on an explosive scan, not sure why. But I had to wait while a security officer took the bag and all its contents apart piece by piece. I was late for my flight and made it only because the airline had not yet located my checked bag to remove it from the plane.

At the end of the day the security is there for us. We don’t realize but as my friend told me, “At least once every few weeks in most major United States airports the security will foil an attempted terrorist attack. These attacks go unreported because the government does not want to scare people off from flying which would severely hurt the flight industry and the general economy.”

Airport Security

My friend said he would love to share the details about some pretty incredible terrorist attempts which he and his team caught, however he is not permitted.

I have always been happy when I get searched at an airport and I’ll often thank the security officer for doing his job and keeping us safe. At the end of the day, they are there for us. They are not getting on the plane - we are - and it is our well-being which they are protecting.

So perhaps next time you are being harassed by a security officer, maybe thank them.