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To screen passengers, aviation authorities are considering biometric scanners that check identities against criminal records and terrorist watch lists, Mr Charles said.

"Biometrics attempts to keep the wrong people off airplanes, instead of trying to keep bombs and weapons off airplanes," Mr Charles said.

Face-recognition systems show promise in matching terrorists' mug shots — garnered from files of the FBI, CIA or Interpol — to faces roaming airport crowds. One such system was installed in June at Iceland's Keflavik International Airport. Others are under consideration in the US.

Biometric systems are already in use by Customs and the INS. The INS' system uses hand-geometry scanning kiosks to permit entry to registered travellers. And Customs' new border-crossing cards for Mexicans store fingerprint data.

Charles said fingerprint identity checks may also appear at check-in counters, where travellers' names and thumbprints are checked against watch lists and criminal records.

But without a US criminal record — or at least a photo and some background information — a terrorist will not be intercepted by a biometric security system.

"What if he's not in anybody's database? He'll walk right through," said Robert Mannal, of KPMG's information risk management office.

Security measures being proposed for aircraft themselves take this reality into consideration.

In Cleveland, ADR Investigation and Protection Corp is discussing installing closed circuit television systems on the jetliners of three airlines, said company president Lex Rosenbaum. He would not name the carriers.

The systems would allow pilots to keep an eye on the passengers while sending streaming video to ground stations, where it could be monitored or stored for a later investigation, Mr Rosenbaum said.

Experts stressed, however, that high-tech systems are merely aids for security personnel whose duties and powers also stand to be augmented.

"Most of this is feel-good stuff," Ms Vincent said. "It avoids taking the hard measures you need to do the job."

But protecting airports and planes will ultimately fail to make Americans safe from terrorism, said William Head, a professor at Indiana University and hijacking researcher.

Terrorists, by their nature, prefer neglected targets where chances for success are greatest, he said.

"You get displacement," Mr Head said. "The terrorist says, 'OK, I can't get on a plane. I'm going to get on a bus."