Originally Posted by
saizai
Those are two totally different things, though.
The first is unfairness from unequal treatment. The second is a question of what's actually a security concern.
Let's be honest, the extreme supermajority (like 99.9999%) of things pose no security risk whatsoever. In fact I would bet that more people will be killed by bathtubs per year, no matter how lax or nonexistent the airport screening is, no matter if it's waived for employees or passengers or both.
So your second part is just not true. There is no "more than bathtub level" security-to-aviation threat from allowing employees to come and go without getting groped, even if they're taking their liters of drink or boxcutters or whatever.
There also isn't any from passengers. And that's unfair and wasteful. So don't be pissed at the part where they're not doing the stupid thing, be pissed at the part where they are.
If we take TSA's claims that terrorist organizations are testing and probing airport security daily as true then my position is valid. Any group of people who wish to cause harm or interruption to commercial aviation would not overlook all means to achieve that goal. I do believe that some degree of passenger screening is needed and I also believe that airport workers should be screened to the same standards. If a 150 ml bottle of x is potentially harmful it doesn't matter who has it. If an item is prohibited beyond a checkpoint then it should be prohibited for everyone entering that boundary. I realize exceptions have to be made for tools, fuels, oils, gases, and other materials to conduct aircraft operations but controls need to be in place for those exceptions. Prisons have controls for knives and such in food prep kitchens, tools, and for most other potentially harmful items. While extreme, similar steps can be used at airports to control hazardous materials.
I think a careful review of TSA screening requirements when applied to the operational side of airports would drastically change what TSA suddenly finds allowable. The end result would be of benefit to passengers where only WEI should be interdicted, not breast milk, soda pop, water, pudding, hand lotion, cupcakes in jars, purses with leather embossed images of pistols, body jewelry and so on.
The other possibility is that TSA intentionally exaggerates the threat posed to commercial aviation. Got to keep that funding coming in along with growing the agency each and every year. If TSA is exaggerating the threat then again there is a need to validate the current screening requirements and having those standards applied to airport workers would help on that front.