who are we to challenge them from a position of relative ignorance?
We are not ignorant. But DfT bureaucrats frequently appear to be. [Don't even get me started on Grayling, the DfT, and the Platforms 15 & 16 debacle which really sums them up - those in the Manchester area will know what I mean]. We should not be overly respectful towards those who seemingly **** up at every available opportunity. It IS upto the public to hold them to account.
Security checks at Singapore Changi are world class. Security checks at Houston Intercontinental are world class. Likewise at many other primary gateway airports. There could be an 'approved' list, with vetting and ongoing inspections coordinated by a recognised international body such as ICAO. In fact, doesn't this happen already?
If you are a terrorist with ill-intentions and you (somehow) manage to evade detection at one of those major gateways, do you sit obediently for many hours on your first intercontinental flight - risk being caught by security at the intermediate stopover airport - and then do your misdeeds on the flight's second leg? This makes no sense whatsoever. We're just strangling business opportunities with mindless red tape, perpetuated by a bureaucracy with zero tolerance for constructive engagement or common sense.
Threat levels determine the need for robust security checks at the airport of initial departure. NOT at some interim stopover airport where passengers with ill-intent have already had many hours of flight to make their mischief. All logic has been left at the door on this one.
Dear oh dear is 20 years considered archaic now?
Context matters. Given that the first scheduled passenger flight took place just 109 years ago - and air travel didn't achieve mass-market scale until much later - YES. This is still a young industry.