Highlight Films presents: Unfriendly Skies, an exclusive-access series about the past' present and future of airline security, and the transformation in the ways and means used to protect airlines from terrorism.
In 1986 the 20 years old pregnant Irish Ann Marie Murphy was stopped by EL-AL security officers in Heathrow, simply because there was something suspicious about her behaviour. They later found an armed explosive device hidden in her suitcase. This is what security experts call "behavioural profiling", one that follows human signs as an expression of pressure or stress.
Airports are still far from being efficient as far as their ability to trace explosives and potential terrorists prior to boarding the plane. Some of the facts are frightening: the sophisticated and costly "sneefers" in UK and American airports can trace only 50-60% of explosives. The rest, especially recently developed explosives, would not be traced. Experts are convinced that there is no alternative other than using profiling – a system based on human, subjective values in order to determine if a person is a potential threat.
Several weeks prior to his arrest, the shoe-bomber Richard Reed flew with EL-AL. The security officers, following their manual, suspected him and checked him very thoroughly. As a result, Reed decided not to bother with EL-AL and chose to blow up an American carrier. We have access to several of the most advanced technologies in the world, some of them are currently being de-classified from military to commercial uses, and we have access to the leading experts on airline security.
Will we be safe on airlines? One of the solutions we will elaborate on is the wide implementation of "behavioral profiling", considered illegal in the US. Other solutions, including cutting-edge technological innovations, will be presented in the series for the first time.
We are now seeking co-producers who are interested in joining this fascinating production.
We will update this page in the next few weeks, once we move from development to production.
This page was last updated on May 14, 2012 . For any question regarding our stock footage, please email us
or call +972-3-6168611
from the US: 1-917-338-6188
