Guardians of the Northern Gate
When it comes to a completely safe, totally secure destination for any type of travel these days, for business or pleasure, one has to wonder at times if there are truly any safe places left on planet Earth. September 11th, 2001, coupled the events around the world since then, have taken a toll on both business and vacation travel, mainly on the world´s airlines. Completely safe destinations? Actually there are a few. This story is about the safety and security of just one of them.
After careful consideration and a long look around, we found the number one airport in the world mind you, litterally under our nose. We know that after taking the tour and unequivocally seeing that different groups of individuals, with the same underlying purpose, but no direct connection, can and still do work together to achieve a single goal. We looked at and considered a lot of possible places that might qualify. We found the best, we believe we saw the worst. But in the end, the best possible answer was never in doubt, just forty kilometers down the road. That place was the Keflavik International Airport.
Airports receive prime consideration because for most travelers on business or pleasure, certainly to international destinations, airports become what one might call the first line of defense in providing initial safety and security for travelers. We initially did a story on this airport about a month after September 11th, 2001. With everything that has been happening both in the United States and around the world since then, we thought a complete update and re-write of that story was an excellent idea right about now. For a lot of reasons, including a few organizations that read our story, many came to Keflavik Iceland to check out how to do it right.
We do know our article prompted a BBC film crew to do a story on Keflavik International´s safety and security and there were several law enforecment agencies and airline related industries who also came for a look. We do not know if that story had any prompting on those visits or not, but that isn´t the issue, the system in place there is. By far, the most noticeable thing everyone in these groups noted on their visit and tour of the Keflavik facility was that there were four or five different agencies involved in a form of security at the airport. Each responsible for an integral part of the overall plan. They work together like a fine swiss watch, in near perfect harmony, to achieve that common goal. That becomes evident almost immediately and commands your attention. Not only that, another major factor is that the system in place, is almost totally unintrusive on the traveler. Only at the very last step, at customs declaration, just before you enter the arrival lobby, do you ever see people actually spot checking luggage, packages and yes, sometimes even people . You just don´t find that anywhere else.
Even that is largely up to them. There are no armed guards in full combat gear asking you if you packed all your luggage and have had it in your control at all times. That is simply done when you check in for a flight out of Iceland. There is also a group of extremely courteous, polite and totally professional people at the departure gates who check handcarried items and yes, even you as you make ready to board the plane. When you arrive in Iceland, the first thing you won´t notice, but will notice you, is something called the FACE-IT System, the retina eye scanning device. It was one of the first installed at any world airport and is constantly being improved and upgraded.
If you are on a watch list, by any agency, anywhere in the world, it will be known here by the time you reach airport baggage claim. Can you fool the system? Sure, by wearing dark sunglasses and pulling a hat down over your eyes, but you might as well also be wearing a sign that says “STOP ME” because trust me, you will be.
The luggage from the aircraft is subject to drug and bomb sniffing dogs and a complete X-ray scan before it ever sees the conveyor belt at baggage claim. In short, if you by definition might qualify as anything from a terrorist to a known credit card forgerer, someone with a criminal record on file anywhere in the world, you will be caught at Keflavik. If you have anything to hide like believeing who would ever searchan arriving flight from Iceland, rather than say in New York or Boston, you will most likely never get the chance to find out. Many already have.
After viewing the total package more than a year ago at Keflavik, many security organizations and aviation agencies after taking a lot of notes, started to plan and implement the ideas they found right here in this very modern northern outpost called Iceland. Some are still talking about it. Well, the best has already gotten even better. In January 2003, Keflavik International Airport scored another first. State of the art explosive detection equipment is now in full operation at the airport as well.
Here it seems, the plan, the implementation and hence the superior security is just done as the technology becomes available. The talking is left to others. If there is a true definition of lead by example, the security agencies at the Keflavik International Airport are the complete definition of that term.
So, if you are looking for a superior vacation destination that will not only guarrantee you a tremendously relaxing time in a very beautiful place. Iceland should be high on your list. Considering everything there is to see and do here, year round, it might also rise to number one with a little recreational reading. If security and safety is a main concern of yours while traveling, as it should be, it simply doesn´t get any better than here. We are not all about ice and snow as the myths might suggest. Nor are we about igloos and polar bears as many still may believe. There is very little of the first two year-round, and not even one of the last two anywhere in the country. We´d like to welcome you to Iceland for that meeting or convention and most certainly the vacation of a lifetime. So, what are you waiting for? Drop us a line with ALL your questions,and get ready to be amazed.
