Airport security (not a/c security)
To try and prevent the multitude of 'Gosh! Shock! Horror!' threads that appear to be springing up about airport security I have decided to merge as many of them as possible as they tend to cover the same old ground and are more about pax security issues rather than other aspects that affect pilots directly.
Too many people are assuming that because they managed to get their multi-tool through security or they think it is lax because they weren't asked a question or whatever that we are all doomed. Personally I believe it is nothing to do with whether granny is strip searched or you have your shoes removed for further inspection. If you have no intent of hijacking an a/c or killing and maiming innocent people then it doesn't matter what you carry with you as long as it isn't dangerous in itself.
As far as I am concerned, the current state of airport security is wrongly being used as the only resort and not the last resort of prevention against terrorists. If you think that current airports security as reported in the many threads on here and elswhere is going to stop a determined terrorist act such as the one on September 11th 2001 then you are sadly mistaken. Vigilance is needed but they used up their suprise tactics in that one. Current techniques are mostly cosmetic and knee-jerk responses that are little more than acts of 'closing the stable door AFTER the horse has bolted' and do more to enhance beuraucrats careers in the eyes of their government minister bosses because of the soundbyte opportunities rather than prevent future acts of terror.
We do need security screening for pax who are too stupid to realise that carrying petrol cans on board for example is very dangerous but as we have seen recently, some airport security agencies are more interseted in how they appear rather than how effective they really are. Some items are indeed dangerous and shouldn't be allowed in the cabin of an airliner but the current method of trying to prevent any item getting on board without taking into account the person carrying it and the circumstances is just plain absurd, especially when you consider what is available and can be used effectively as a weapon AFTER you have passed through 'security'.