Complaints on Airport Scans, Pat-Downs Get Louder

Travel industry airs concerns to Homeland Security
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 13, 2010 1:24 PM CST
Complaints on Airport Scans, Pat-Downs Get Louder
A police woman tests a new installed full-body scanner at an airport in Germany.   (AP Photo/dapd/Joerg Sarbach)

Rumblings about full-body scans and airport pat-downs are getting louder, and the travel industry is seriously worried ahead of the holiday travel season, reports CNN. So much so that Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano met with nearly two dozen industry representatives yesterday to hear their concerns. Those reps are not exactly thrilled with the results. "While the meeting with Secretary Napolitano was informative, it was not entirely reassuring," said the US Travel Association in a statement.

The meeting comes amid plenty of negative headlines. Pilots are balking at the scans over concerns about privacy and radiation doses (despite government assurances on the latter), and an online group is urging travelers to join in a National Opt Out Day of protest and say no to the scans on the day before Thanksgiving—the busiest day of the year. In the meantime, more scanners are being delivered to airports, with 1,000 expected to be in place across the nation by the end of next year.
(More airport security stories.)

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