Abstract: Airport security is a very relevant, diverse, and complex system in any country. September 11th made this issue an increasing concern for almost every country in the world. Prior to September 11th the media, watchdog groups, and commissions established by the United States Congress, were adamant that airport security had major flaws. Currently many countries are revamping their airport security systems. The U.S. and other governments are implementing many new systems and procedures. There are numerous potential pitfalls with this implementation process and these new systems will have impacts on the public. For example, these systems could reduce freedom, still be flawed, and affect the economy. The primary intents of this paper are to classify airport security as a complex large-scale safety-critical system, to discuss what make airports so complex, describe the information systems that are involved with such systems, and discuss the impacts on the people involved.
