Groundhand
Any pilots who are contributiong should take a good hard look in the mirror. These people are doing a job to protect them, their crew and their passengers.
The security staff don't do it for fun, they don't make the rules and in general I have found them more than courteous if you are civil and polite to them. Until recently I used to take about 100 departures a year out of various airports. If you think the UK is poor - try the US. The attitudes shown here would get you locked up for a few nights
Not entirely true. How do they protect me by ensuring that I have to remove my shoes and belt at security? As a pilot, in flight my hands coul be far more dangerous than my shoes! It is as much to do with empire building. If they were serious about security they wouldn't let 300 passengers per aeroplane buy and take on to flights glass bottles with 50% flammable alcohol. Glass=weapon, flammable= in flight fire. No duty free=cost to BAA. If they were that worried you would have to buy your duty free on arrival.