Melbourne Airport security: passengers urged to arrive early

PASSENGERS at Tullamarine faced longer waits this morning as security checks ramped up, while scenes in Sydney resembled a Boxing Day sale. Here’s why this will become our new normal.

Extra security at Melbourne airport this morning. Picture: Nicole Garmston

TRAVELLERS facing delays at Melbourne Airport in the wake of the alleged Sydney bomb plot are questioning why enhanced security measures were not introduced earlier, but many say they are willing to put up with the longer queues as bag checks are ramped up.

Heightened screening processes are being enforced across all Australian airports, resulting in longer queues as security officials thoroughly check passengers’ baggage and conduct body scans.

Depsite more stringent checks at Tullamarine this morning, the wait in Melbourne was nothing like Sydney Airport, with long queues at domestic terminals greeting passengers at the nation’s busiest airport.

Huge queues at Sydney Airport’s T2 domestic terminal this morning. Picture: AAP

Passengers put their feet up for a rest during check-in for Virgin flights in Sydney. Picture: AAP

Grant and Peggy Middleton, who departed Melbourne for the Sunshine Coast this morning, said they were concerned such safety measures were not standard.

“Why is it longer now? The new security checks should have been done all the time,” Mr Middleton said.

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“Makes me wonder what they are doing differently now. It should always have been done properly ... it shouldn’t be different.”

Extra security at Melbourne Airport this morning. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Some entrance doors at the Qantas domestic terminal in Melbourne have been closed off. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Mum Christine Caldwell said her bag was opened and checked three times before departing Hobart for Melbourne this morning.

“It’s quite a long line (ahead of the departure terminals) but I’d rather they check,” she said.

The Herald Sun trialled the new security crackdown, which caused delays throughout the airport including at check-in and departure.

Carry-on luggage which was x-ray scanned before the departure gates was seen being physically inspected by security officials before being passed through the scanners again.

Asked if the rescanned luggage contained prohibited items, a security official said it was a standard check.

The Herald Sun also overheard another security inspector being instructed to physically inspect bags at every free moment.

Airport access points were also limited as part of the security crackdown.

Several Qantas terminal entrances were closed to the public, possibly enabling security to better monitor the stream of people entering the airport.

Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police officers were also visible conducting patrols of all terminals.

The increased security measures came as a relief to many passengers who told the Herald Sun they accepted delays if it meant an attack was foiled.

Meryl Gallagher, 88, said it’s a sad sign of the times but she felt safer than ever.

“I feel more secure. It’s dreadful that this has happened in our world but I feel safer because (airport security) are on top of it,” she said.

“The queues were longer but I could have waited longer to make sure everything was secure.”

Businessman Anthony Fredella said additional time spent in airport queues was a small price to pay.

“I aimed to get here two hours early. The extra security is good because it provides peace of mind,” he said.

“It’s something I will be prepared to get use to.”

Leslie Reynolds said she has taken many flights with her nail scissors, but that they were today confiscated by security staff.

She said she felt reassured by the “thorough” examination and hoped airport security zones would remain adequately staffed to avoid lengthy queues in future.

Aviation and counter-­terrorism experts warn more needed to be done to secure the nation’s airports — including photo ID on domestic flights.

People travelling via Tullamarine were among thousands hit with the security crackdown which included enhanced screening processes.

Domestic travellers are being warned to arrive two hours before their flight; international three hours early.

Your bags are more likely to be swabbed during check-in. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the extra sec­urity measures were put in place at Sydney airport last Thursday and extended to all major airports on Saturday night.

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He warned travellers to arrive early because of “additional scrutiny” — more cabin and checked baggage inspections — including more bomb swab tests.

“They should limit the amount of carry-on and checked baggage so far as possible, as this will help to ensure that security screening is efficient,” Mr Turnbull said.

Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester said some measures might be obvious to the travelling public, but others would be carried out behind the scenes.

Security at Melbourne this morning. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Anti-terror security ­experts had praise for Australia’s intelligence agencies for allegedly foiling what they ­described as a “sophisticated” plot, but warned “gaps still exist”.

“You need more ID to get into your local club or library than to get on a domestic plane,” aviation security consultant Roger Henning said.

“It is not accurate for the Prime Minister to say that all the things that need to be done, have been done.”

Mr Henning, chief executive officer of Homeland Sec­urity Asia/Pacific, which consults to governments and corporations around the world about airport security, said potentially dangerous passengers could board under someone else’s name.

He also raised the issue of drones as another “huge threat to civil aviation”.

“There are several ways these plotters could have succeeded — one could have been to use a drone to take out a flight approaching or leaving an airport in Australia,” he said. “A terrorist with a toothpaste bomb can still bypass all security at every airport in Australia with because there are no scanners that detect plastic explosives. None.”

Dr John Coyne, who heads the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Border Security Program, said he was also a “supporter of minimum ID requirements for all flights”.

He said the weekend’s countermeasures to eliminate terror threats would give authorities the “chance to analyse potential vulnerabilities”.

“What we have seen in the last 24 hours is a ramping up of security,” Dr Coyne said. “They’re doing vehicle checks — extra swabs for explosive residue are being done.

“The bad guys who want to do this, they reasonably expected they were going to get their bomb, or their device on a plane.”

Preston resident Simon Fisenden, returning from a gig in Sydney, said the increased security was obvious.

“Security was more stringent at Sydney airport. There was an extra level of security before we got to the terminal with extra bag checks,” he said.

“I don’t mind the longer waits, it’s keeping us safe.”

June Wild, visiting from Sydney, was waved with a wand twice.

“The security lines were longer. It was a threat to an aircraft, I’d rather they up security than ignore the threat,” Ms Wild said.