Khaled Al-Suleiman Okaz newspaper ONCE again, I propose to Saleh Al-Khalewi, Director General of Saudi Customs, to put a halt to the current practice of baggage checking at exit points of arrival lounges at the Kingdom's airports. I propose instead to introduce green and red channels as is the case in most airports in the world in order to facilitate the smooth movement of passengers, especially since the bags are checked before dispatching them to the receiving area. In most international airports, the travelers have the option to walk out the green channel or pass through the red channel if they are carrying items that require customs disclosure. Generally customs officers are present at the cargo arrival point inspecting the baggage for contraband or items that need disclosure. If they find anything spurious, they alert colleagues at the arrival lounge who are trained to monitoring behavior of passengers. The current practice of luggage screening at our international airports is wearying because passengers are forced to carry bags and place them on x-ray machines one at a time. This annoys the passengers and adds to the congestion in the arrival lounges where most often only one or two baggage screening machines are found. At the customs lounge of Riyadh's King Khaled International Airport, I have witnessed the sufferings of passengers who have to receive their baggage from the airport's cargo division. They are forced to make a tedious trip between the arrival and exit gates for completion of routine procedures that require a lot of patience and physical strength.
