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In today’s exercise, you will be practicing and developing your ability to identify anchor points in an airport setting.

The Workout

  • Answer the following questions as you observe one layer of an anchor point’s defenses:
    • What is the specific anchor point being defended?
    • What is the buffer zone that exists around the anchor point? (Only consider what is visible in the video)
    • What are the security measures put in place by the airline to ensure that only ticketed passengers board the plane and what purpose do they likely serve?
  • Write your answers on a sheet of paper before viewing our answers

[expand title=”View Our Answers”]

  • What is the specific anchor point being defended?
    • The airplane
  • What is the buffer zone that exists around the anchor point visible in the video?
    • The gate entrance, which connects to the plane through the jetway.  This gives some stand off from the anchor point itself (the plane) to ensure that only ticketed passengers board (as opposed to checking the ticket at the door to the plane).
  • What are the security measures put in place by the airline to ensure that only ticketed passengers board the plane and what purpose do they likely serve?
    • The sign with the flight number in front of the attendant’s stand.  This is likely designed to make it clear which flight was boarding at this gate and minimize the number of people who don’t meet the criteria for entry (having a ticket for that specific flight) yet try to enter the anchor point.  A filtering mechanism to reduce the number of false positives – as opposed to a person who is intentionally trying to board the plane without the appropriate ticket.
    • An immovable barrier to the attendant’s left (right side of the screen) to prevent people from boarding and not getting their ticket scanned.  This is likely put in place to cover the attendant’s blind spot as her field of view is naturally focused in the direction of the line where people are approaching from.  For someone to try and jump over this barrier, it would be a clear indicator (no uncertainty) that the person was trying to gain unauthorized access.
    • The adjustable/extendable barrier to the right of the attendant’s right (middle-left side of the screen).  This is likely designed to make the choke point more narrow and force passengers to enter the jetway in a single file line and ensure that everyone passes the attendant to have their ticket scanned.  While a person ducking under that barrier, doesn’t offer the same level of certainty that exists with the immovable barrier to the attendant’s left, this barrier is still covered by observation and offers the flexibility to adjust the size of the choke point if needed.
    • The gate attendant herself. Complimented by the technology of the scanner, she is there to ensure that each person entering the jetway has a ticket and that the ticket is for this particular flight.
    • A door behind the gate attendant that can be closed and locks automatically (requiring key card access) for the times when this gate isn’t monitored by an attendant.  This allows for controlled access to the jetway when it isn’t under direct observation.
    • The gate attendant’s directions to line up in boarding groups, this puts all of the passengers into a single area, allowing for observation of the entire group, as well as to make it clear who isn’t going to follow the directions and tries to wait outside of the corrals.
    • The other passengers waiting in line to board the flight. On a SW flight, you will often hear people asking each other “what number are you?” This creates conditions for passengers to assist in the control of the anchor point, by either identifying people who are in the wrong boarding group (us A-List members are very protective of our spot in line), or helping to identify people who are at the wrong gate and trying to board the wrong plane (which, from my experience, happens far too frequently).

Add a comment with the assessments that you made, but that we didn’t make, so that we can check for those assessments and provide feedback on those specific observations.  We will add them to our answers in the post itself for future viewings of the exercise.[/expand]

Enhance The Workout

  • Repeat
    • One of the goals for this exercise was to observe how organizations establish the security around an anchor point, so watch the video again, with the complete list of factors available to you and focus your eyes on that specific assessment until the recognition of the factor feels natural.
    • For assistance, you can review the indicators for anchor points from the cluster cards.
  • Reflect
    • Take a moment to think about each of the behaviors you noted in your original assessment and which factors you missed. Why do you think you missed and made each of them?
    • Was it a factor of not knowing what to look for or was it the result of natural habits you have that guide where and what you look for?
    • If it was habits, think about deliberately compensating for the areas you didn’t consider looking so that you can develop your ability to identify all of the factors present.
  • Act
    • The video in today’s exercise is shot at a Southwest Airlines gate in Newark Airport as the “A” Boarding Group makes their way down the jetway, but the factors that they use to establish an anchor point are ones that you can observe in other settings.
    • Go to a nearby grocery store or drug store that has a pharmacy inside of it and repeat this exercise by observing all of the ways that they establish security around the anchor point behind the counter. While some factors will be the same, there will be some differences that are worth noting.
    • When you have completed your observations of the pharmacy, take a moment to reflect about the behavior you were just displaying should someone have been watching you.  Where did you position yourself to observe the security? How long were you there for? How did you try to disguise your intentions? What cluster of behavior were you giving off (think through each portion of your body and consider the body language that you were displaying)?

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