The naked airport

It’s a familiar sight in many of the UK’s airports – long queues of people waiting to go through security to catch their flights. What if there was a simple and quick way to avoid all the hassle of having to take off all metal objects, coats, belts and shoes in order for them to be scanned in the X-ray machine? Surely everybody would jump at the chance to beat the queues and get through security quickly and conveniently without the fuss of a ‘pat down’ search. A new technological solution to this problem is being trialled at Manchester Airport, but not everybody is happy to take part. That’s because the technology being tested is an X-ray machine that makes a full body scan of passengers to see if they are carrying concealed weapons or explosives. However, the scan reveals a lot more than that. The images produced by the scan show a clear black and white outline of the passengers’ naked bodies, as well as breast enlargements and piercings. Although the airport has said that the images are hidden from public view and destroyed immediately after being checked, many people travelling at the airport are uncomfortable with the idea of being viewed in this way. One middle-aged lady, who preferred not to use the scanner, said, “Maybe if I was 18, slim and lovely, I'd take it, but it’s a bit too personal.” A spokesperson for the airport told the BBC that the images from the scan could only be seen by an officer in a remote location before being deleted thus protecting the anonymity of travellers. After the trial the Department for Transport will decide whether or not to roll out the machines across the UK’s airports. So if you’re coming to the UK next year, you might end up showing more than you expect.