You Can't Take Photos Because 9/11
The other day I was on the JFK Airtrain. While at Jamaica Station I pulled out my camera to take a photo, immediately the train operator told me (his exact words): You can't take photos because 9/11. I asked what was the problem and he said something you may have already heard: Photos of the airport aren't allowed because of terrorism. We were still at the first stop of the AirTrain, about 15 minutes away from any terminal, apparently this is part of the airport and cannot be photographed.
Welcome to JFK Airport
I could finally take some photos as the train operator was out of my life. Here, the actual airport, on the way to the runway. Please do not use this photo for terrorism.
People with iPhones and other brands of computer-camera-phones may take photos and videos without being noticed because they could simply be texting or even buying things online. Are they helping terrorism ? (BTW, you can find thousands of JFK AirTrain videos on Youtube alone, photos can be found everywhere.)
As the train operator said: I don't make the rules, I just enforce them. (aka: I'm just following orders.)
Update: I received a mail from JFK International Airport customer services (yes I wrote to them): On behalf of JFK International Airport, please accept my apology for your inconvenience. Generally speaking, there is no policy prohibiting photography in public areas of the airport, although restrictions exist within certain areas, such as security checkpoints. Airport employees are trained to watch for suspicious activity, and it appears in this case that an employee may have overstepped their authority in an effort to help provide a more secure airport environment.
