I think that Danny summed it up perfectly.
A friend of mine, who was a captain for Virgin, ferried one of the old Classics to the desert boneyard, then flew back with his airline. Of course a pilot with a one-way ticket and no luggage except his pilot bag caused the State Security people to consider him as a high risk.... Full, heavy-handed security checking, despite his legitimate travel.
That was the final straw. Being locked into the flight deck for hours on end and let out for a pee now and again and no longer being able to chat to passengers, or invite them to visit the flight deck was bad enough. But being treated like a criminal every time he reported for work was the end - and he resigned.
As a mere business passenger, spending 15 minutes in a queue (about twice per fortnight, on average) to unpack my laptop, empty my pockets, perhaps remove shoes, belt, watch depending upon the whim of that latest stupidity emanating from DfT does become exceptionally irritating - for airline crews it must be close to intolerable.
I see from a recent CHIRP that the explanation proffered to BALPA is that the basic DfT 'regulations' are often added to or even misinterpreted by airport operators - hence the lack of standardisation. It is good to see SAS, Widerĝe and Norwegian raising the issue - airline crews should most certainly not be treated like criminals every time they go to work. Personally, I also feel that airlines should treat their revenue-bringing frequent fliers a whole let better and do more for them in terms of security checks. Some German airports do this, but as far as I'm aware, no British airports do.
However, the rude, arrogant behaviour of the security person I encountered at an airport last week is currently under investigation by the airport operator. Manners cost nothing.
If the excesses of the idiots at DfT continues, I shall certainly be looking more closely at taking my car through the Channel Tunnel in future - there is only so much embuggerance which one can put up with and my patience, along with that of many colleagues, is wearing pretty thin.
It really is time that the airline unions AND CEOS stood up to the nonsense of the paranoid security industry rather more robustly and stopped the ridiculous behaviour of airport checkers; such behaviour causes irritation and frustration which is hardly conducive to safety.