When you look at security scans from the point of view of a Process Quality Manager there are two main points:
1. Effectiveness of the scan (what fraction of contraband is found)
2. Efficiency of the scan (how many people/hour)
And then there is the customer aspect:
3. How does the customer perceive it
Reliable data on effectiveness is hard to get, but leaked reports from random "red team" testing are not so good.
, sometimes
.
For efficiency you need a good process (plus proper equipment and accomodation.) In nearly all airports passengers have to perform some actions as part of the process. (Put their bag on a conveyor belt, walk through a detector...)
Passengers have not been trained for this, so you need to think about properly instructing them.
As the security staff needs cooperation from the passengers, it pays off spending some time to train the staff in the psychological aspect of getting cooperation. Friendliness helps
, clarity in instructions is even more important.
If an airport has worked on efficiency, they already did a lot to improve customer perception, we all want to get through security as quickly as possible.