Is it possible that airport security is in reality just a smoke screen put in place to make pax feel safe? If so the level of security doesn't really matter.
Precisely. A serious terrorist could simply walk into the check-in area of an airport at a peak time, with multiple suitcases of explosives and manage to kill hundreds; All without going anywhere near a security scanner.
Multiply that across all the major airline check-in counters at each eastern captital city airport simultaneously and voila you've just taken out the entire east coast aviation network, killed thousands of people and none or your compatriots ever had to go near a security scanner.
But as long as they scan Pilots (the real threat) then we'll all be safe.
