Pointless Exercise
I am all for airport security where it ADDS to safety for crew and passengers, even if it involves extra hassle and even expense. A good example would be the excellent level of checked in baggage scanning at LHR and LGW and I am sure elsewhere in the UK. What absolutely frustrates me is security measures with no real benefit....examples would be:
(a) The police check points at LHR are always on the M4 spur, if I was looking to enter the airport with some terrorist intent I would simply enter using the perimiter road. In 10 years of coming to LHR I would never have been stopped there. I am sure any prospective terrorists would conduct a little research.
(b) Nail clippers etc being confiscated, when glass is sold duty free and used and sold on board.
(c) Plastic cutlery on board, pointless for the same reason as point (b) and the fact it can also be made into an efficient weapon
(d) Random searches of a set percentage of passengers, OK you may get lucky, but surely proper passenger profiling is the best way to screen out undesirables.
Most security is for appearance/avoiding litigation and last but not least to reassure, however falsely, the travelling public.
Over the years since Lockerbie real steps have been made to improve airport security, however all I would ask is that we concentrate and spend money on those with a REAL benefit and avoid wasting time, energy and money on pointless exercises for the sake of appearances.