How 9/11 changed airport security forever 25 years later, MSU Denver aviation expert says today’s travelers are safer than ever, but new threats are emerging. Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks transformed air travel, Americans can move through airports with a convenience that would have seemed unimaginable in the years immediately afterward. Travelers no longer routinely remove their shoes at many checkpoints. Facial recognition technology is speeding up identity verification. Advanced scanners can capture detailed images of bags and belongings without requiring passengers to unpack them. But according to Jeff Price, instructor and aviation security expert in the Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, the changes travelers see today are the result of one of the most significant overhauls in transportation security in U.S. history. “The biggest change to the industry came with the creation of the Transportation Security Administration,” Price said. “The government stood up a 50,000-plus-person organization in the span of a year and took over screening at U.S. airports from the airlines and their contractors.” The creation of the TSA fundamentally changed how aviation security was managed, moving responsibility away from airlines and establishing national standards for screening and oversight. From X-rays to facial recognition The attacks exposed vulnerabilities that prompted a wave of security reforms. Over the past quarter century, TSA has introduced new X-ray systems, computed tomography scanners, and better metal detectors and advanced body-imaging technology. Facial-recognition tools are increasingly being integrated into passenger-identification processes. Security improvements have extended beyond passenger checkpoints. Checked baggage now undergoes extensive screening, air-cargo requirements have been strengthened, and background-check procedures for aviation workers have become more rigorous. Price said one of the most consequential policy changes was banning all knives from aircraft cabins. Previously, small knives were allowed, and that, Price