Manchester airport defends ‘naked’ scanner
Tuesday, 14 Oct, 2009
0
Manchester airport officials have defended its controversial new scanner which produces naked images of passengers, saying it will speed up security.
The airport’s head of customer service Sarah Barrett added that passengers would find the scanner preferable to a traditional body search.
The scanner, which was introduced this week, will show up breast enlargements, body piercings and show outlines of passengers’ genitals.
The introduction of the machine, which costs £80,000, means that passengers will not have to take off their coats, shoes or belts.
“Most passengers do not like the ‘pat down’ service,” said Barrett. “The scanner completely takes away the need to undress.”
She added that the images would be seen by one officer in a remote location, were not pornographic and could not be stored or captured.
Passengers have the right to refuse to be scanned by the new machine, at Manchester’s Terminal 2.
The Department of Transport will monitor the scheme for a year before deciding whether to install similar scanners on a permanent basis.
The scanners have been trialled at Heathrow and are gradually being rolled out in the US.
Jeremy Skidmore
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt