9/11 Still Influences Air Travel 20 Years After Attacks

See something, say something. It's been nearly 20 years since the birth of the Transportation Security Administration. Tulsa International Airport will tell you that 9/11 continues to influence air travel.

TSA said Americans can't handle another 9/11, we're talking 20 years of grieving and a lifetime to go.

The agency told us everything it does is to protect the public and ensure history doesn't repeat itself.

TSA's Patricia Mancha said there was airport security before 9/11 but it's far better now. Mancha describes it as a layered approach and says the training never stops. The agency is always testing new technology through pilot programs.

TSA scans passengers' IDs and uses Enhanced X-ray technology to take 3D images of carry-ons.

Last year, TSA discovered more than 3,200 guns in carry-on bags across 234 airports, and 83 percent were loaded. The number of firearms per million passengers screened doubled from 2019 to 2020.

TSA scans full-body images of passengers and there are K-9 officers whose sole purpose is to detect explosive materials.

Mancha said that's just the security measures they're willing to disclose.

"For all of the things that people are required to do when they travel, there's a reason for it. There was an attempted attack, somebody tried to do something that caused us to then react or change our protocols,” said Mancha.