The shooting in the baggage-claim area of Fort Lauderdale airport that claimed five lives has, once again, brought up the issue of airport safety.
It follows recent incidents at airports in Turkey and Belgium, and a passengers’ rights group in the United States says it is clear that airports are now the number-one “soft target” for terrorists.
Sadly, there is not much we can do — except try to get out of the way — if somebody opens fire in a public place. But there is something the authorities can do.
In the US, of course, there is the added complication of the proliferation of guns in public hands — and, whatever your position is on that, it’s not going to change anytime soon.
Many airports have armed security guards on duty year round. To be honest, I find that a little unsettling in itself — but this is the new normal.
As travellers, we can and perhaps should lobby for greater protection. But that, inevitably, will mean higher airfares because somebody’s got to pay for it. And it will probably mean even longer security queues and, perhaps, a loss of civil liberties.
In the meantime, we can take comfort in the fact that these attacks, while shocking, are extremely rare.
