How do you like the thought of airport authorities seeing exactly what you look like naked as you pass through customs? A new, high powered body scanner is currently being trialed at Manchester Airport which does exactly that – the full body scans will reveal all to airport staff. Whilst having the benefit of speeding up long queues, and making the security checks more diligent than ever, the downside is that passenger’s genitals will be on show, along with any cosmetic surgery enhancements they may have had, including breast enlargements and body piercings.
Manchester Airport stresses that the images produced by the £80,000 scanners will not be pornographic, and will be destroyed straight away after each passenger has passed through. It is said the new system will be an improvement on the traditional body search technique of patting down a customer’s legs, body and arms, and will improve efficiency immensely. With the new machines in place, there is no longer a need to remove coats, shoes and belts as the pass through security.
Sarah Barrett, Manchester Airport’s Head of Customer Services told us “This scanner completely takes away the hassle of needing to undress. The images are not erotic or pornographic and they cannot be stored or captured in any way.”
Having already been trialed at Heathrow from 2004 to 2008, if this latest trial proves successful, the Department for Transport will then roll out the scanners to other airports across the country. The same scanners are already in use in parts of America, including Los Angeles and New York.
When travelling from Manchester airport dont forget to use the Manchester airport parking service for peace of mind, knowing that your car is in safe hands.
Tags: airport, Heathrow, Manchester, scanner, security, Transport