I have just read this thread from the beging as it is a subject that rally p*sses me off. There are many good comments here and a few naieve ones as well The one that knocked me off my perch was the one about "airside being sterile"!
The lack of sterility airside is the weakest link in the security chain! Engineers, especially, carry all manner of objects onto aircraft that flight crew are barred from carrying through "security", Leathermans, Swiss Army Knives, screwdrivers and all sorts of other blades that they require for their work. I have been told that one airline has installed Leatherman tools in their flight decks for the use of the crew since they can now no longer carry their own!
This b*ll!!!!! of having to go through the same security as pax is demeaning for a crew; to have to strip off jackets, belts, watches and shoes in front of pax I find embarrasing. If we must do this then all airports should have a seperate area only for crew.
I find it hard to believe that in this day and age that the average passenger really believes that, when they see us being harrassed by the "secuity staff", they are saffer. Every one knows about the flight deck door, which is another subject but I will touch on here briefly.
One has to wonder if the suspected suicide of the Egypt Air F/O had taken place post 9/11, and he had locked himself onto the flight deck, whether the authorities would have then torn them out!
Anyway my rant is over and I will just say that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link!