Since the Boston attacks on Monday, travelers have been tensely on alert for anything out of the ordinary, a situation that has not been helped by things like the computer malfunction suffered by American Airlines on Wednesday, grounding thousands of planes.
Security experts are addressing the fears of travelers with safety advice to ease a stressed out traveler's mind. However, they also point out that being on high alert is not a bad thing.
Travelers are likely to be more aware of any suspicious packages or people on buses, subways and airplanes. More reports have already been coming into tip lines.
Several security experts told CNN that is not enough, and Americans will soon forget that they're part of the solution and will just move on with their lives, yet public participation in gathering intelligence is a key factor.
The experts think the heightened airport security may have shifted terrorist attention to softer targets.
"Once we secure a high-value target like aviation, terrorists don't simply walk away," said Rafi Ron, the president of Virginia-based New Age Security Solutions and former head of Ben-Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel. "They simply go for softer targets, public events like the Boston Marathon.
"It's extremely difficult if not impossible to provide the same level of security we do at the airport at such an open public event."
Ron says the solution is public vigilance.
"People must be willing to call authorities when they spot suspicious packages or see people behaving suspiciously," he said. "If you walk into a bus station in Israel and you see an unattended bag, people would respond to this immediately without hesitation.
"And in many cases, tragedies have been prevented because of early detection," Ron said.
Security has been enhanced "using means both seen and unseen" at transportation hubs, according to the Department of Homeland Security. They are urging Americans to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement.
"If you see something, say something," a message that has become a familiar and daily part of the lives of all New Yorkers is now being used as a national homeland security campaign. It began being used by the city in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and has been an essential aspect of protecting soft targets such as public transit, say experts, who consider the program a huge success.
"Educating these individuals through training, constant security awareness and providing proper channels to immediately report their suspicions," is the key to safe public transportation, wrote Joseph Bober, the former New Jersey Transit police chief, who is now a principal at Homeland Defense Solutions, in an email.
It is essential to keep in mind that airports are still targets. There is more to airport security than just checkpoints and screening passengers before boarding, says global aviation consultant Mike Boyd of Boyd Group International. Airport security officials have to ensure the entire airport premises is secure.
"How many security observation parking sweeps are made of the parking garage?" he asks. "Have the vulnerabilities of the air conditioning systems been reviewed?"
"Trash cans, where are they located in regard to passenger flows? Are they blast resistant?" he continues. "Is the catering facility across the field monitored? How about the fuel farm? How much scrutiny is given to the workers who are pouring concrete for that new taxiway?"
Basically, think of the scariest episode of "NCIS" you have ever seen, and then look at how security could prevent that kind of threat coming to pass in real life.
Boyd has more questions for security. Which law enforcement agency is in charge during an emergency and what are the plans to secure and evacuate sections of the airport in the case of an incident? Does an airport terminal's plan for evacuation just send passengers outside? If so, they could become an easy target.
"Confusion is a terrorist's best friend," Boyd said. "We are a free society, and unless we want to live and stay in caves we will always be vulnerable. Even places like banks, which are somewhat prepared, get robbed.
"Any idiot can concoct a bomb and toss it into a public street," he said. "Incidents...aren't going to stop overnight and the quicker we learn as a nation of people to protect ourselves and our families against such horrific acts, the better chance we will have to prevent and detect the next incident."
If Boyd's advice has not completely scared you off flying altogether, his suggestions are logical and practical ways that the public can work with law enforcement to provide maximum assistance by providing millions of extras eyes on the look out for problems and help security officials prevent additional incidents to the best of their ability.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
