John Wayne Airport Installing Full-Body Scanners

Full-body screening machines, which have drawn criticism at airports across the country as an overly invasive security measure, are scheduled to arrive at John Wayne Airport.

The Transportation Security Administration plans to install full-body scanners at the Orange County Airport. Scanners will be placed in all three terminals, including Terminal C, which is expected to be in use by mid-November.

"John Wayne is a prime airport with a good amount of passenger traffic,” said TSA spokesman Nico Melendez. “The new terminal provides us with the infrastructure to install them."

Kate Hanni, spokesperson and founder of FlyersRights.org, a non-profit airline consumer organization, criticized the move, saying the equipment is obsolete and an invasion of passenger privacy.

"It’s a horrible situation we have with the TSA,” said Hanni. "They’re buying equipment that won’t do much more than a metal detector, and violating 4th Amendment rights."

Passengers who feel uncomfortable with undergoing a full-body scan can still opt to pass through the metal detector and receive a pat down from a TSA agent.

“Passengers need to remember they have an option when it comes to screening," Melendez said. "If they don’t want to, they don’t have to."

Melendez said he does not see the machines contributing adversely to wait time on the security line.

"I don’t believe there will be any negative impact with the new machines. It’s very similar to the situation we have at San Diego, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles. It steps things up in some cases."

The machines were met with resistance by some passengers when they debuted, including one woman who chose to wear a bikini while checking in at LAX.

Hanni was under the impression that the TSA would revert to the Trusted Traveler program, which was almost identical to the Fly-Clear program that was in airports up until a couple of years ago.

"The TSA came forward last December and said by the end of 2011, we will have the Trusted Traveler Program. All Americans would be able to use a card – you apply for it, you do a six-week background check to make sure you’re safe, that you haven’t committed any felonies, you don’t have a criminal background. You give them a finger print and an iris scan.”

Once approved, Hanni said “all you have to do is put your card down and do an iris scan, and you’re brought to the front of the line."

But with the growing use of body scanners, Hanni said there are ways for passengers to be aware if they have been pre-selected to go through intrusive screening.

"When you print your ticket at home, you may have been assigned additional screening. You can to go the ticket agent and ask them to look at your scantron and tell you if you’ve been pre-selected.

"If your child under 12 has been pre-selected, you can opt out. For adults, it’s just going to give you the knowledge that you’ve been pre-selected," said Hanni.

The TSA purchased 300 Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines in September, according to its website. Melendez said there are currently 800 in use around the country.