The airport screening process is a hassle, but more so even now with the fear of terrorism. The event that marks the recent updates in security was the Brussels attacks on March 22, 2016, where the Brussels airport and subway were bombed and over 30 people were killed(Vinograd and M’Kele, nbcnews.com). The attacks were such a shock to the world, and even more of a shock to Belgium, that it begun a march of 7,000 people who were determined to express their disgust for the attacks (bbc.com).

With the fear of terrorism growing continuously, the governments are right in establishing tighter security in airports (whether it is effective protection or not is a different question). However, there have been numerous complaints of how this security increase affects the wait time at airports.  Apparently, the number of passengers being checked has increased to over 10,000 more than it was originally, and therefore, it is recommended that passengers arrive two hours early before their flight (Nelson and Ibrahim, mprnews.org). Even with such a suggestion, passengers have reported waiting in line for up to an hour (Nelson and Ibrahim, mprnews.org). The wait time just keeps increasing, and at some point we have to ponder and ask whether the assurance of the provided security is worth the wait time.

The effectiveness of the protection is one factor to take into consideration, while assurance is another. The increased security process definitely gives citizens the affirmation they need to board a plane, and thus, this prevents the decline of money to airlines. So on one hand, this is done for financial security. On the other hand, we don’t want planes blowing up every 10 seconds due to too little security. However, having a longer waiting time doesn’t necessarily take away anything crucial, other than a couple of hours; in fact, it assures the safety of the passengers is at the maximum level it needs to be at. It’s better to have more security than to have less security. The only consequence of more security is the longer wait line, which clearly produces complaints on a daily basis, but nonetheless is done for the safety of everyone on board (and off-board). Also, strict airport security is a result of the Patriot Act, which restricts the access government has to search private information, which is another reason airport security is worth it: airport security not only protects you, but does so without taking away your sense of privacy (Wolchover, livescience.com). Airport security now and then isn’t 100% assured, but it’s never a bad thing to build up on safety, especially with the advanced technology of the modern day. Improved and more strict security might pose a slightly longer delay, but it’s nothing compared to the cost of one’s life.