Not all the time but the Germans and Belgians think Jews have holes in the tops of their heads. Every time a Jew with a skullcap (kippah) goes through security, even something as small as about 8cm in diameter and 1.5mm thick, they ask to look underneath. Nothing that small and thin, especially on a balding person (sigh) could be hidden that could cause any injury unless someone had bored out a hole in my skull. It's rude and stupid.

They take away your toothpaste, but will happily sell you any 1 litre 80% proof bottle of booze in duty free. That's s really efficient way of preventing large quantities of flammable liquid getting on to planes.

It used to work on car production lines.

Curiously I'm a former automotive engineer; a colleague once commented to me that the ideal car component was something you could throw in the general direction of the car from two metres away, and it would fit right every time. There's an awful lot in a car which is designed as much for the 30 seconds it is being fitted as for the decade or two which follows.

I fly as pax a lot several million miles in the last few years and go through security a lot as that was mainly shorthaul. I get on well with the security/TSA staff - but there are times when the jobsworths make the process irritating - some more than most. As part of my rather eclectic background I test systems and concepts, I also spent some years in the military. So i set out a semi-formal test plan for airport security with 10 very simple tests based on what has happened before with those who would wish to cause harm.

Airport security at all airports fails ALL the tests with the possible exception of Israeli security. A recent bombing almost followed one of my scripts and was 'successful'.

While I am sure that the security staff are doing their jobs according to the rules laid down by bureaucrats in distant offices they may be better having some training from people that have had to deal with a higher bad guy to good guy ratio to check. They would be a whole lot more cautious and a whole lot more effective,.

I won't say a lot more but security at airports needs a black team. The entire security line system really needs a rethink. All the tests could be passed with minor changes to the way things are done.

Unfortunately, nobody in security seems to be interested.

It has to be said though that in modern airports worldwide the incidence of terrorist related activity is remarkably low. When was the last terrorist related attack on a plane? The Russian A321 from Sharm? More people have died since from pilot error/fatigue. So whilst we all find security a pain and the personnel sometimes rude and brainless, the system has worked, despite stupidity from the managers. It would be nicer if the system was more efficient, more flexible and more user friendly but ultimately it still needs to work for the lowest cost possible.

Airport Security
 

The current useless security measures wouldn't have prevented 9/11. The answer is profiling so that resources can be concentrated on where the risk is most likely to come from, and not on body scanning a 5 year old going on holiday with his Mum and Dad

Some replies and attitudes in this thread are truly depressing.

Some folk seem to treat security as a personal affront, but I suspect that many who have bad experiences in security might bring it upon themselves with their behaviour, expression, attitude or body language. I feel sorry for the likes of Will 161 who have to put up with it.

Then we have the fire axe or Jet A1 brigade. Or ‘the scanner didn’t beep for me last week or yesterday’. :ugh:

The poster who talked about the security “bullsh*t” of liquids, shoes, laptops etc. These are all based on actual foiled or known attempts to blow up airliners. :ugh:

I am not privvy to the latest findings of MI5 or MI6, but they have to impose rules - based on actual threats - that are easy to implement and easy for every one to follow.

Why not simply follow the rules - which might be different in different places, or on different days - and be polite and not take any offence? :ok:

.. what Uplinker said 👍

It would have removed the box-cutters.

Fully agreed.

Also everyone, please remember two things:
1. If they seem offhand even when you are trying to be helpful you can be sure that, unless it is the beginning of their shift, they have already taken abuse from someone going through.
2. They are watched on CCTV and can be fired for gross misconduct if they are seen to deliberately not follow the rules that have been set for them

I personally have zero issue with security going by the rules in which they are told to enforce, I know i cannot get liquids through over a certain amount in the UK, its not the security persons fault its the CAA/DFT's fault. Its ridiculous that we cant get basic hygiene products through security, but its not the security persons fault

what does touch my nerve is inconsistantcy, one minute i can get this through the next i cant, One person says i can do this one says i cant, I do not like being treated like a terrorist because i left a half drunk bottle of water in my bag and guess what i didnt try and sneak it past yout it was an accident.

The other thing which is very scary is that People are getting things through security that are actually dangerous, knives/tools etc because said security personel is too busy trying to "catch" someone with a bottle of water or a 101ml bottle of contact lense solution, I agree if they paid people correctly we wouldnt get so many jobsworth security personel who are just out to get one over someone

a pity that only goes for the factory assembly and not for the maintenance after that!

I'm not crew but work at a UK airport. I've never had any issues with security, I take my electronics out my bag and i keep my hand sanitiser, moisturiser and water bottle in a plastic bag and they've only swabbed that once in my year there. The security are all very friendly at said airport and they as standard practise i think swab every 1 in 4...

I understand and share the frustrations highlighted by posters. On the basis that it's completely futile to allow the security process to irritate me, I have changed my attitude. I remain polite, do as requested on the day (it varies, even at the same airport) and get the ordeal over with as quickly as possible. :)