College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Engineering Assistant Professor Assesses Airport Security Post-9/11

Nadia Gkritza, assistant professor in transportation engineering

The aftermath of the 9/11 U.S. terrorist attacks brought a big increase in airport security screening, among many other things affecting national security. In 2006, ISU Assistant Professor in Transportation Engineering Nadia Gkritza, who was a PhD student in civil engineering at Purdue University then, and two colleagues reported on the standpoint of airport passenger satisfaction post-9/11. Here they assessed the effects of Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) increased airport security with whether a passenger was unsatisfied, indifferent or satisfied with their airport experience.

Gkritza, her professor, Fred Mannering, and University of California-Davis Professor Deb Neimeier, applied probability models to predict outcomes of passenger experiences – either unsatisfied, indifferent or satisfied. Using research data collected by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, they assessed reaction patterns by passenger age group, household income, gender, race, level of education and wait time at the airport. Gkritza and her colleagues concluded that although a boost in airport security increased wait time, “TSA has been effective in federalizing airport security from a passenger satisfaction perspective.”

Since 2006, the paper has been cited 10 times. It was named No. 3 in the Science Direct Top Hottest Articles between July and September 2006. Read the entire paper here.

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