Fifty years of having no reason to care is a lot to overcome.

Fifty years of having no reason to care is a lot to overcome.

They deal with passengers who really would rather not be searched, xrayed, poked, prodded, wanded, and are generally aggravated by the whole process. They also know that passengers haven't changed their expectations for how long to arrive before a flight, so they're aggravated that they must actually bother with security.

At the same time, you have to remember that the people hired for security are working what amounts to a menial job with a salary that gives little hope for becoming independently wealthy. So of course there are two checks, because the chance of slipping past one checkpoint is higher than slipping past two checkpoints.

Also, this same group of annoyed passengers that all know that they as individuals are not terrorists will not tolerate a real terrorist slipping through. No one's going to say after some terrible event takes place, “well, we did want an easier time through the airport.” It just won't happen amidst the outrage.

It is possible to debate whether or not there are more appropriate security measures, but some of those come down to profiling and the same annoyed passengers who normally have no principles at all suddenly grow principles and oppose this part of the debate. Same is true for armed pilots and armed air marhsals. Or the pilot having the power to kick people off his flight before takeoff for making other passengers uncomfortable. Or any number of other means that might or might not be more effective.

Basically, the message is, keep everyone 100% safe with no inconvenience at all, and do it with people being paid a minimum salary.
Three things: 100% safe, convenience, cheap. Pick two.

Ultimately, airports are an extension of government, and people have the misguided notion that governments can protect them.

They deal with passengers who really would rather not be searched, xrayed, poked, prodded, wanded, and are generally aggravated by the whole process. They also know that passengers haven’t changed their expectations for how long to arrive before a flight, so they’re aggravated that they must actually bother with security.

At the same time, you have to remember that the people hired for security are working what amounts to a menial job with a salary that gives little hope for becoming independently wealthy. So of course there are two checks, because the chance of slipping past one checkpoint is higher than slipping past two checkpoints.

Also, this same group of annoyed passengers that all know that they as individuals are not terrorists will not tolerate a real terrorist slipping through. No one’s going to say after some terrible event takes place, “well, we did want an easier time through the airport.” It just won’t happen amidst the outrage.

It is possible to debate whether or not there are more appropriate security measures, but some of those come down to profiling and the same annoyed passengers who normally have no principles at all suddenly grow principles and oppose this part of the debate. Same is true for armed pilots and armed air marhsals. Or the pilot having the power to kick people off his flight before takeoff for making other passengers uncomfortable. Or any number of other means that might or might not be more effective.

Basically, the message is, keep everyone 100% safe with no inconvenience at all, and do it with people being paid a minimum salary.
Three things: 100% safe, convenience, cheap. Pick two.

Ultimately, airports are an extension of government, and people have the misguided notion that governments can protect them.

And what occasions this?

I just got home tonight from my fourth trip out of town this year, eight segments that have taken me to five different airports (and through security at three of them).

This morning, I was asked to put my shoes through the machine separately from the rest of my gear… and apparently, in all of this other travel, I'd not been asked previously to do so, which according to the TSA staff was an egregious violation of official policy.

Between that and the Global War on Moisture… yeah. I heart flying anymore.

And what occasions this?

I just got home tonight from my fourth trip out of town this year, eight segments that have taken me to five different airports (and through security at three of them).

This morning, I was asked to put my shoes through the machine separately from the rest of my gear… and apparently, in all of this other travel, I’d not been asked previously to do so, which according to the TSA staff was an egregious violation of official policy.

Between that and the Global War on Moisture… yeah. I heart flying anymore.