# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
(Reuters Health) - A traveler with a bulge in their body from a cyst or hernia might get flagged for an invasive airport security screening to look for explosives, a case report suggests.

In many larger airports, X-rays have been replaced in recent years by machines that use radio frequencies to detect suspicious items on travelers, researchers note in JAMA Dermatology.

One female traveler with a common type of skin cyst was flagged for a hidden explosive search at a U.S. airport, her physician, Dr. Warren Heymann, notes in the report.

"Until my patient told me her story, I had never encountered this situation," Heymann, a researcher at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey, said by email.

"To the best of my knowledge, there has only been one similar case in the medical literature, as noted in my article - a man with a hernia," Heymann added.

On future trips, this woman traveled with a doctor's note explaining her condition that she could show airport security agents, Heymann said in the case report.

The man with the hernia had a protrusion in his groin area that alarmed airport screeners. This traveler was interrogated and subjected to a genital exam, Heymann reported.

"I would suggest that people be aware that this could happen to them if they have prominent lesions on their skin," Heymann said by email.

"Having a letter from a physician noting the presence of a cyst, hernia, or other lesion might help, but understandably, the TSA agent may still wish to perform a pat down and a swipe for contraband," Heymann added. "Mutual understanding and respect should allow the screening process to go smoothly."

Airport scanners generally show solid masses on the surface area of a person's body and/or in their clothing.

If a large cyst or mass appears to stick up above the skin or body outline around it, or looks like a solid mass compared to the area around it, the scanner may reflect that, said Dr. Mahadevappa Mahesh, a radiology and public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore who wasn't involved in the case report.

There's no data on how many travelers may experience incidents like the woman with the cyst or the man with the hernia, Mahesh, a member of the American College of Radiology's medical physics commission, said by email.

"We suspect that it is a rare situation," Mahesh said.

It's more common for patients that have been injected with or ingested a radioactive material for nuclear medicine exams to be flagged for airport screening because radiation may be detected if they travel shortly after their procedures, Mahesh added.

While smaller cysts shouldn't confuse airport scanners, it's more likely that travelers would be flagged when they have larger ones, said Dr. David Brenner, a radiology researcher at Columbia University Medical Center in New York who wasn't involved in the case report.

"If you do have a large (greater than 2 inch) external skin lesion which is located under your clothes, you would be prudent to get a doctor's note before traveling - but you still might expect a patdown," Brenner said by email.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
When an airport scanner sees a cyst as a security threat

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
(Reuters Health) - A traveler with a bulge in their body from a cyst or hernia might get flagged for an invasive airport security screening to look for explosives, a case report suggests. In many larger airports, X-rays have been replaced in recent years by machines that use radio frequencies to detect suspicious items on travelers, researchers note in JAMA Dermatology.

# data[].attributes.body
decrease the time spent at security checkpoints.

the technology is contactless, making it a more hygienic option during the pandemic.

# data[].attributes.body
(Holdren, 2011) argues there barriers to biometrics

Allowing and promoting the exchange between systems.

# data[].attributes.body
- Greater Autonomy for passengers
- adheres to covid 19 restiricitions

such as self-service kiosks can be fitted with QR code scanners, which can scan vaccine passports and travel documents relating to Covid-19 health screening.

# data[].attributes.body
Automated Passport Control Process (CBP, 2018)

# data[].attributes.body
Mobile Passport Process (CBP, 2018)

# data[].attributes.body
Utilises this system to prove with certainty that passengers boarding domestic or CTA flights are the same people who entered the international departure lounge.

By combining the scanning of a passenger's boarding pass with a facial image, the following information is captured

Boarding pass details (which includes the passenger name)

Passenger photo (taken as identification backup)

Facial biometric algorithm results (taken as the primary identification)

# data[].attributes.body
TSA Pre✓ passengers waited less than five minutes (TSA, 2018).

# data[].attributes.body
Presently, there are 200 airports and 47 participating airlines that offer PreCheck✓ services (TSA, 2018). Through this, the identity and authenticity of precheck approved passengers are verified. Using a contactless fingerprint reader, travelers are verified.

# data[].attributes.body
In biometrics, the characteristics of the human body are captured electronically and analysed.

Two types of biometrics exist: physical and behavioural. Including iris, fingerprints, hands, retinas, and faces in the category of physical biometrics such as DNA, whereas behavioural biometrics include gait, voice, keystroke, and facial expression. (BioMetrica, 2018)

# data[].attributes.body
biometrics
and digital identities are all critical in creating a foundation
to control the future spread of disease.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A seamless travel experience | Singapore Airlines

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
David and Jasmine Pringle had woken up at 4am to travel to Manchester airport from County Durham after Qatar Airways told them to expect huge delays for their flight to Doha.

"Leaving the house at 5am for a 3pm flight isn't ideal," David said. "But it's been over two years since we last saw Jasmine's family in the Philippines and we've been desperate to make the journey to see her elderly parents. We've paid the best part of £3k for the flights. Now we just want to get there."

"While we're waiting to hear news of our flight, it's worrying to see how few people are wearing masks or maintaining a social distance," he added. "The travel restrictions may have been lifted, but people seem to forget the disease is still very much with us."

Passengers travelling via Manchester airport are once again having to endure long wait times and uncertainty over their flights - but this time before they have even checked in. Surging passenger numbers, alongside staff sickness and lack of recruitment, have created a standstill at security in recent days.

Just one day after managing director Karen Smart stepped down amid criticism of long security queues and packed terminals, the issue now facing passengers is knowing how much time to allow to get through security - and how much money they should put aside for food, transport and extra Covid tests before they can board the plane.

The airport is implementing measures to get to grips with the chaos it has seen in recent weeks, but many people are now finding that, having been told by airlines to arrive hours in advance for their flight, they are enduring waits of up to eight hours in terminal buildings before they can even be checked in.

Manchester is a major international transport hub, drawing passengers from across the north of England and beyond. The Guardian spoke to travellers from as far afield as Bradford, North Lincolnshire, Newcastle, Tynemouth and Cumbria - many armed with Covid test results, masks and gifts for relatives they haven't seen since before the pandemic.

Geraldine and Tony Walker were also waiting to board the flightto Doha, using it as a stop-off before travelling on to Adelaide to see family.

Tony and Geraldine Walker. Photograph: Mark Waugh/The Guardian

"We've paid nearly £100 each for PCR tests, travelled in from Brighouse in Yorkshire, and downloaded codes from several apps on to our phones to prove our vaccine status - it's taken quite a lot of effort and expense to get to this point, so we hope everything goes smoothly once we eventually board the plane," Tony said.

Navdeep and Manpreet Singh, a couple from Leeds, were taking their daughter to Delhi. Their wait wasless than 20 minutes once they had arrived at the airport, but Navdeep acknowledged the long wait times others had endured. "There are children here and older people," he said. "If the airlines want us here early then they should be willing to pay for refreshments."

Manpreet and her husband Navdeep Singh. Photograph: Mark Waugh/The Guardian

Those arriving at Manchester after long journeys were also keen to comment on how expensive and complex it is for those landing in the city to exit the airport.

Sisters Hannah and Rachel Singer, from New York, were waiting to be collected after travelling to the UK via Dublin and Paris respectively. "It's nothing like the US," said Hannah. "Over there you can collect someone easily from the airport. We're waiting for our dad now - he'll have to navigate the car park, pay a fee, and then wait for us to find him."

Hannah and Rachel Singer. Photograph: Mark Waugh/The Guardian

The airport, along with much of the aviation industry, has struggled to recruit staff made redundant after the pandemic shut down airports and travel. As the Easter getaway increases travel, similar problems have hit other airports including Heathrow and Birmingham. More than 1,000 UK flights have been axed in recent days due to crews being off sick amid a rise in Covid cases.

A Manchester airport spokesperson said: "As we work to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic, a rapid increase in passenger numbers together with the staff shortages and recruitment challenges our industry is facing, means at certain times our operations are strained.

"We are doing all we can to recruit the staff we need to meet demand at all times, so that all passengers can have this experience. However, this is taking time due to the lengthy vetting and training processes involved. That is why we have been advising travellers that there may be, at times, longer queues than normal."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'We left at 5am for a 3pm flight': travellers facing long waits at Manchester airport

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
David and Jasmine Pringle had woken up at 4am to travel to Manchester airport from County Durham after Qatar Airways told them to expect huge delays for their flight to Doha. "Leaving the house at 5am for a 3pm flight isn't ideal," David said.

# data[].attributes.body
- CPH passengers, findings show that 30% of travellers state that the check-in at the counter and luggage check-in take the most of their time when traveling through
- Almost half of the respondents (47%, Appendix 10.6.9.) claims that CPH does not provide enough open counters for check- 53 in and bag-drop.

# data[].attributes.body
New technologies can help create seamless travel experiences by ensuring that travellers pass each checkpoint quickly and efficiently (Manuell, 2017).

# data[].attributes.body
An average annual growth rate of 5.1% has been observed for the last ten years, which equates to 1.46 billion international arrivals in 2019.

# data[].attributes.body
Seamless travel is defined as "travel without any gaps in accessible services or facilities" (Harrington, 2010)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creating a Seamless and Secure Travel Experience