[dingdongditchme]

it has been such a godsend flying out of Frankfurt where they have the new scanners and you don't have to empty out your bag anymore. So much smoother. Then I fly back and get all annoyed at the other airports. I was told Oslo airport is holding out until it becomes regulation to use the new scanners. Security-Theater is still what it is. It is super weak imho, despite never having seriously attempted a heist or trying to get contraband on a plane. I miss the good old days where you handed your luggage to a guy just before boarding the plane.

[littlecranky67]

Germany has a very sad and weak airport security story. The security personal are hired and paid by the state (Land), and thus the state plans their capacity and workflow. The airport owner (i.e. FRAport) has no say in their internal work organization, as it is basically contracted out policework. For whatever reason, most german Airports I regularly use, use the same machine and broken workflow: There is only a limited amount of containers to put your stuff in to go through the x-ray, and the machine itself has an integrated container-return system using conveyors. As a result, each machine has only a single small table with a container dispenser to serve passengers. On that tiny table, only 2-3 people at the same time can get undressed, get water out of their handlugagge etc. Waiting passengers behind them are blocked.

I contrast that with my experience in Spain: Several meters before the machines, there is a large amount of unoccupied, huge tables with containers stacked everywhere, so everybody can get undressed and pack their stuff into the container trays at their pace of choice. Staff assists and tells the rules to individuall travellers. Once you are done sorting your stuff into the containers, taking off your belt etc - only THEN you take the containers towards the x-ray conveyor line. So there is hardly any blocking the line. Instead of a container-return system, a single human stacks the containers past the scan and returns them to the beginning. This is so much more effective.

Classic example of government run workflows: No one cares to optimize the workflow, and the one who would benefit from a speedup (the airport and the airlines) in terms of increased sales, have no say in the process.

[dingdongditchme]

Interesting. I can only speak for FRAports Terminal A where the Lufthansa flights go and they use the new bag scanners where I just need to get rid of my coat and belt to be scanned by the infamous "Nacktscanner". The first time I went through I thought liquids were allowed from all airports in the EU until I found out it was bag scanner dependent. Smaller airports are usually OK because queues are short and then I have the time to walk TSA through each individual item personally. FRAport has started adopting the "snake-through-duty-free" before the gate (pioneered by Stansted as far as I can tell) which is criminal in my opinion (it's not as bad as Stansted yet). Commercial workflows are thus not always better when the optimize time customer has to spend "not buying" overpriced meals and consumer garbage.

[guitarbill]

> Germany has a very sad and weak airport security story.

The system you describe is hardly unique to Germany, so this just reads like hyperbole or inexperience travelling.

> Classic example of government run workflows

This I can agree with.

[littlecranky67]

Well I commute between Germany and Spain and I contrasted how those countries have very different systems.

[mlrtime]

>so everybody can get undressed

Wait what? What are you removing?

Flying in the US this week I removed nothing but a winter coat. Everything went on as normal, nothing out of bags, jut coat off.

[ExoticPearTree]

Probably the same thing as you, but lost in translation. Removing jackets, maybe shoes, winter coats, hoodies etc.

Not undressed in the "everything but your underwear" sense.

[littlecranky67]

Exactly. Plus belts, watches, removing phone/wallet/headphones from your pockets etc. And taking Laptop OUT of your luggage onto separate trays, your liquids into a clear plastic bag, etc. Very often, during that process, the staff members recognize people having liquid containers with more than 100ml capacity (shampoo, hair gel, etc.) and can tell the people that they can't take it aboard etc. I happen to fly frequently to what are busy tourist destinations, and especially older people seem to be completely unaware of any regulations what you can and can't carry along - even though those regulation have been in place for 20+ years. That is very time intensive.

[missingdays]

I usually have to remove my jacket, and always the belt

[adrian_b]

The belt must be removed so that the buckle will not trigger the metal detector.

Belts with plastic buckles are normally OK without having to remove them.

[scoot]

> despite never having seriously attempted a heist or trying to get contraband on a plane

So you've tried casually? What does a casual heist look like exactly?