Airport Security In A Time Of Terror

Airline and airport security are back in the spotlight after a deadly suicide bombing attack at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport. NBC News' Tom Costello joins us to examine how other airports around the world are changing their security plans in the aftermath. The holiday weekend starts tomorrow, just as the terrible terror attack at Istanbul Airport dominates the headlines. Are we, here, at our airports, prepared?

"The one thing we come away from the Istanbul Attack is that there's something that worked for police," Costello told us. "They put heavily armed police officers at airport entrances, just last week, and they were able to hold the attackers back."

The cost required to duplicate those kind of security measures across the 450 American airports would be far beyond the resources available — and it might not even be useful, Costello told us.

"The CIA director just said he is very concerned that ISIS may be planning something involving US assets," Costello said. "Mostly, they're concerned about the internal threat — somebody who already works at an airport, and becomes radicalized."

American airports aren't necessarily as safe as airports overseas, Costello told us — and that may not change any time soon.