The questions in Europe have been the same for decades. It's the same set of five to ten question before check in at European and South American airports if one is flying on US carrier. There is then a second, smaller set of questions at the gate.

ICTS and its subsidiaries have a standard set of "positive" and "negative" criteria for passengers. They establish if the passenger is on a watch list, the computer analyzes form of payment, time of purchase, etc. The agent reviews presence or absence of baggage, traveling with others, etc. Those with an excess number of "positive" points are sent for further screening.

It's clearly not a perfect system because the "Underwear Bomber" and Richard Reid both had to go through the same screening process and passed.

The agents are usually friendly and attentive (especially at CDG), but their purpose is to fulfill a US Government mandate. They also have the obligation to ensure that passengers have valid visas and passports so that the airline doesn't get fined. In other words, they're looking for document validity as well as security risks.

The staff at Tel Aviv are for more interactive. Although the questions have been the same for years, they tend to work in teams, and have a far more conversational approach.

The security system at Ben Gurion Airport works well for me. It's quicker than many US airports because I always get a "1" sticker. But it does not seem humanly possible to conduct a similar level of interview for each US passenger. We have far greater volume and a much larger, less motivated, TSA workforce.

I stand by "trusted traveler" initiatives. This would limit the need for many passengers to have an interview prior to each flight.