Increased security not proving a problem for students

Despite increased security measures at airports after an attempted terrorist attack in the U.S. Christmas day, international students saw little difference in security processes during their travels from their home countries back to USC for the spring semester.

Some of the enhanced security measures, according to TSA spokesman Dwayne Baird are random screening of passengers and secondary screening processes depending on what country the passengers come through. Passengers might also see more law enforcement officers and bomb-sniffing dogs in airports.

Regardless of new security measures, however, USC students said they faced little trouble when traveling back to Los Angeles.

Ivana Filipović, a sophomore majoring in psychology who traveled from Serbia said her experience with airport security was no different than before.

“I can even say that I entered the country more quickly than usual,” Filipović wrote in an e-mail. “The flight and everything else was just as it was each time.”

Satoshi Iwakata, a graduate student studying engineering management, who traveled from Tokyo back to Los Angeles said he heard an announcement on his flight telling all passengers to return to their seats one hour prior to landing. Some airlines are choosing to implement this policy based on advice from the TSA.

Iwakata wrote in an e-mail that it took longer for them to get on the plane than usual, but he didn’t think airport security was unusually strict.

“They checked all the passengers’ baggage,” Iwakata wrote in an e-mail. “They opened every zipper and looked inside. Body check was also for every passenger, but the plane took off as scheduled.”

Juan Orjuela, a sophomore majoring in political science, who traveled from his home country Colombia to Los Angeles said he was expecting a larger increase in airport security after the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas day, but security lines were normal.

“The only thing different was that they opened my carry-on before I went onto the plane,” Orjuela wrote in an e-mail. “Everything else was the same.”