A great thread, normally there are many opposing views but this one is virtually unanimous in opinion. I regularly fly from LHR as a passenger & it's become a total nightmare. Lines of people stretching through the entire terminal & up to the carpark at T3 waiting to clear 'security' being harrassed & shouted at by these morons is just beyond belief. Then notices that, "passengers only," may enter T4 so if you're going away from home for a long time no sweet goodbyes from your loved ones anymore! The BAA may be looking forward to the grand opening of T5 but if this crap keeps on for just a little while longer LHR will be a ghost airport: people are already starting to avoid the place like the plague. I know: I work with many nationalities who are now flatly refusing to use LHR because of the moronic security staff & there Draconian measures.
When I travel into Europe I will always opt for the ferry. Guess what? No brainless security, no a$$hole making a worker's or a traveller's day a misery. But guess what else? No terrorist action carried out on the ship. How come? You could drive a car or van packed with explosives of any description & obliterate the ship, but they don't, God forbid they ever do, but it's certainly not the lack of security that is putting these bastards off.
As a previous poster has said, I have walked through security with all of my liquids in my hand luggage by mistake: shampoo, shower gel, after shave, toothpaste etc., & the scanner never picked it up. Are we therefore relying on the budding terrorist to be honest & admit that he has his nitro in his hand luggage & then dutyfully put it into a clear palstic bag?
We have a real flight safety issue developing here & it's about time that this nanny state inducing, overly p.c. Government in the UK started to really tackle the problem not produce putrid sound bites that do no good for anyone. If they don't then they'll be tolling the bell as the UK civil avaition industry goes down the pan.