eyelash growth

Being frisked is commonplace for travelers such as William Northey, a 52-year-old Newberry Township man whose engineering job has him flying in or out of Harrisburg International Airport about 80 times per year.

He’s heading somewhere — mostly to the Midwest — just about every week for his career with Etters-based FCI USA inc.

But his trip to Phoenix on Tuesday has the potential to be a hands-free airport experience — at least in terms of physical contact from security officers.

Northey and other Yorkers who fly out of Harrisburg International Airport now have the option to bypass metal detectors and pat-downs, if they choose instead to pass through a full-body scanner that creates images similar to X-rays.

The Middletown airport on Thursday began using two imaging machines that scan for metallic or non-metallic weapons under clothing, said spokesman Scott Miller. the devices are being used in lieu of metal detectors and personal pat-downs at the hands of security personnel, for those who volunteer.

Miller said the new machines, which use advanced imaging technology, haven’t held up security-check lines or caused any delays.

And while the machines have caused some concerns about privacy, officials have put in place measures to ensure security while protecting the privacy of travelers, said Ann Davis, a spokeswoman with the Transportation Security Administration.

Davis said there have been a lot of misconceptions about the devices, namely that the images created “are more graphic than

they really are.”

Privacy filters blur the image to a point where it looks like a fuzzy black and white photo negative that’s still distinct enough to allow for detection of security threats, she said.

The officer reviewing the images is seated in a remote viewing room away from the security check point and isn’t able to discern facial features or even whether the individual has long or short hair, she said.

Misconceptions: Northey also said he thinks misconceptions have tainted the public’s view of the machines, and he won’t mind passing through them.

“I don’t mind it,” he said. “It’s part of the game. … the figure that comes up on those things is not fully defined. they can’t see all of your body features, let me put it that way, but they can see if you’re carrying something or if something’s wrong.”

He said the machines are another tool to catch potential terrorist activity, but they’re also a way of making people think they’re safe.

“It’s not the end-all,” he said. “People need to be cautious and watch what’s going on around them. I generally (feel safe) but I keep an eye out. If I see something unusual I keep an eye on it to see if it’s legit. I’ve seen people leave a shopping bag, then come back three minutes later because they just forgot it.”

Johnson Controls engineering manager Chris Paraskevakos said safety and speed are his travel priorities, and he would prefer the hands-free method to being frisked.

The 41-year-old York Township man flies about once per month for work, and has had some “pretty rough” pat-downs when traveling internationally.

“In India, that was not a gentle experience,” he said.

While he’s not bothered by the security measures, the new machine sounds less invasive and quicker, he said.

Most choose scan: Davis said about 98 percent of the travelers choose to pass through the scan, which involves placing one’s arms above one’s head for a few seconds and waiting for the remote view’s approval to proceed, she said.

People who choose not to pass through the scan are sent through a metal detector and patted down by security guards, she said.

The advanced imaging scan is “less invasive” and is preferred by people who prefer “less contact” or those who have had hip or knee replacement surgeries with implants that alarm metal detectors, she said.

The machines cost between $130,000 to $170,000 each, funded by federal security money. There are about 200 units in 51 airports across the Unites States, she said.

– Reach Christina Kauffman at 505-5436, ckauffman@yorkdispatch.com, or follow her on Twitter at @dispatchbizwiz.

HIA flyers get choice of pat-down or body scan