Suspicious X-Ray Image Couldn't Be Matched To Owner

The airport at Vancouver, British Columbia was closed down for more than 90 minutes on Sunday when a suspicious image on the security X-ray screen couldn't be matched with the carry-on bags that had already been screened.

An image on the screen led a security official "to believe it could have been prohibited," said Renee Fairweather, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, the Toronto Globe & Mail reported.

News1130 Radio reported that a screener saw what appeared to be an electronic device with wires hanging off it inside a bag.  When the screener went to talk to the owner of the bag, both the bag and the owner were gone,

About 4,000 passengers were in the departure area when the decision was made to shut the airport down. Passengers already on planes that had not yet departed were forced to deplane and go through security all over again.

Many complained about the badly handled situation. The Globe reported that after passengers endured a second security screening, they were told to leave the secure area and go collect their baggage because their flights were cancelled. Others, perhaps more lucky, went through the security screening for a third time, but were then  allowed to board their planes and leave.

Many passengers were angry not because of the delays, but the lack of communication. A spokeswoman for the airport said that because of the "sheer volume" of passengers at the Vancouver airport, the temporary closure and passenger inconvenience could not be avoided.

News1130 reported that Vancouver Airport has had three major security breaches in the past 15 months.

FMI: www.tc.gc.ca/air/menu.htm