Ruzyně Airport in security scramble

As the Foreign Affairs Ministry closed its visa and consular section at the embassy in Yemen Jan. 5, and France, Germany, Japan and the United States have closed their embassies entirely, the Western world is awash with security fears in the wake of the attempted Christmas Day terrorist attack on a Detroit-bound flight.   

Security is tightened, say officials from any number of bureaucracies overseeing flights to and from the United States.

What tightened actually means, and what steps Prague Ruzyně Airport has decided to take, is decidedly less clear. And any travelers with questions about how to best adhere to increased security precautions may be well advised to just take their best guess, with officials from the airport, airlines and the U.S. Embassy in Prague offering guidance ranging from none at all to convoluted.      

Delta Airlines flies five times per week to New York City, the only direct flights between Prague and the United States since Czech Airlines mothballed its New York route in October.

"At the request of the U.S. side, we added additional security measures to these flights," said Michaela Lagronová, spokeswoman for Ruzyně Airport.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Prague declined to comment on any aspect of the increased security measures.

The closest thing to an explanation of what new security measures will occur on U.S.-bound flights originating in Prague came from Lagronová, who said, "The essence of the enhanced security checks is that they are more intensive, and consist of more possible physical controls and the control of carry-on luggage."

Elsewhere in Europe, officials have moved quickly, pushing to implement the use of full-body scanners, which detect any items a passenger is carrying on their body. The use of scanners was previously blocked by a wary European Parliament and privacy advocates who say the scanner software was too invasive, with images portraying among other things passengers' genitalia. The Christmas bombing attempt by Nigerian citizen Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and the development of new software depicting a stylized human body rather than an actual image appears to have trumped many of these concerns.  

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, where Detroit-bound Flight 253 originated, announced plans Dec. 30 to deploy 15 full-body scanners at a cost of about $200,000 each. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised Jan. 3 that full-body scanners would be installed at all UK airports. Scanners at London Heathrow Airport will be installed "as soon as is practical," according to the British Airports Authority. German officials say they may deploy body scanners in 2010 as well.     

Officials at Ruzyně say there are no plans for full-body scanners in the near future.

"We discussed [full-body scanners] last week after the incident, and those that are used at some airports around Europe are not certified," Lagronová said, referring to misgivings at the European Union level, where opposition to scanner use has now weakened. "When they are going to be certified, we can look into it. At this point, it is baseless to do so."

Delta Airlines directs any questions about changes to in-flight security to the Web site of the United States' Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The TSA, however, offers scant information, especially for international travelers.

"The new directive includes long-term, sustainable security measures developed in consultation with law enforcement officials and our domestic and international partners," the Web site reads.

A special "Q&A" section of the Web site poses the question, "Do passengers need to do anything differently to prepare for checkpoint security procedures? Has anything changed in terms of what passengers can bring in their carry-on or checked bags?"

The answer is: "At this time, security checkpoint requirements for passengers departing U.S. airports remain the same."

The United States has announced increased screening of passengers from 14 countries considered security risks including Cuba, Iran, Syria, Sudan and Yemen, but little has been said about what may confront travelers from other countries at security checkpoints. U.S. President Barack Obama met with his national security team Jan. 5 and, as of press time, was scheduled to speak publicly following the meeting.  

Even with rumors circulating that passengers on U.S.-bound flights will be restricted from leaving their seats or from having items on their lap for the final hour of flights, Delta Airlines was reluctant to advise travelers from Prague about what new restrictions they may meet.      

"Delta is fully compliant with all security directives as mandated by governments worldwide," said Katie Hulme, a Delta spokeswoman. "However, in the interests of security, Delta does not discuss security."

Delta passengers destined for the United States are advised to arrive at the airport three hours before scheduled departure.

- Petr Cibulka Jr. contributed to this report.

Benjamin Cunningham can be reached at
bcunningham@praguepost.com