Originally Posted by
MikeMpls
ID checking originated as a revenue protection measure by the airlines. It does nothing to enhance security. TSA has adopted it as part of their mission creep, and if you listen to their lies often enough, you might actually start believing them.
In Australia they have two standards for concourse security:
If there are no flights that must be screeened to international standards, anyone can pass through security & see you off at the gate. They don't even check boarding passes.
In terminals that allow access to international flights, security is pretty much as in the U.S.
Agree 100% until your last sentence. For international flights out of Australia, you
don't have to take your shoes off. They
don't check boarding passes or ID at security, either; they've just done that at the Customs departure desk.
And there's no barking, no attitude, no silly faux police uniforms.
Flying SYD-GVA in June, there was only one woman ahead of me when I got to the security point. Security guy looked at her large handbag and asked (quietly, politely) "have you got any liquids in there?" She said, "um, I've got some liquid makeup" as she dug it out. He offered her a bin. "And an Epi-pen" she continued, digging. "Don't worry about it," he said. Her handbag went through with the makeup bottle in the bin next to it. By the time I'd gotten my laptop and freedom baggie out and in the bin and re-zipped my laptop bag, she was through. No drama.
But of course, planes leaving Australia are blown up all the... Oh, wait, nevermind.
