This article is from the November 2001 The Mexico File
newsletter.
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Airport Security in Mexico
by Marion Bayer
Marion
Bayer owns Siesta Tours, Inc., which specializes in cultural immersion tours to
Colonial Mexico for older travelers. Telephone 800-679-2746, 7021 Westavia
Drive, Knoxville, TN 37909. Email go@siestatours.com and check out Marion’s website at www.siestatours.com
As a tour operator, I would
like to report on my recent experiences traveling within Mexico.
I have conducted two tours
to Oaxaca since September 11 and I would like to let everyone know that the
security at the Oaxaca and Mexico City airports is wonderful. Mexico has always
been a very safe country and these two trips were no exception. At the Oaxaca
and Mexico City airports, our carry-on luggage was x-rayed and then
hand-searched. Airport officials are not allowing anything that could possibly
be used as a weapon to go on board. This includes umbrellas and camera
batteries. We had to remove our umbrellas and camera batteries and were able to
put them into our checked luggage. In Mexico City our carry-ons and purses were
hand-searched several times, both while passing through security and at the gate
before boarding. Security officers used colored dots to indicate that carry-ons
had been searched and all carry-ons carried special tags. Airport security also
used hand-held metal detectors to randomly screen the passengers before they
boarded the plane. Did the people in my groups feel put upon? Absolutely not.
Everyone expressed how much safer they felt with the additional vigilance.
I strongly urge everyone
contemplating a trip to Mexico to go ahead with their plans. You’ll have a
wonderful time and a very safe flight.