I think that they should allow anyone back into the terminal that is willing to go through the screening - they do that here in Australia and it works just fine. I have a few reasons for this, from the logical to the emotional:

logical: the hijackers on 9/11 were successful (in the first three cases) because up until that day when a plane was hijacked it was for reasons such as (a) take me to country X, (b) i want lots of money, (c) release my fellow prisoners (name your cause), etc. It was not to commit suicide. So, when the planes were hijacked, the people had no reason to fight, but rather to simply sit and wait it out.

Why is this important? Because, ask yourself this question: if someone stood up today with a butter knife, box cutter, or pair of cuticle scissors, and says "i'm hijacking this airplane", what do you think the response will be? I think 250 people would get out of their seats and beat that hijacker to death. Period.

Financial: the small businesses in the airport, especially in new terminals constructed in the 3-4 years prior to 9/11, really need the added patronage of non-passengers. It's about jobs and the economy.

Emotional: i fly ALOT. one of the things that used to make it more bearable, and that I sorely miss, is seeing my loved ones at the terminal waiting for me when I land.

Justa few thoughts...

Corbetti