Sorry if this was posted before ... search didn't show this topic.

So, why is security so inconsistent at each airport? It seems like every airport plays by different rules. And even when I fly thru the same airport at different times, the rules are different.

Some things I noticed:

BWI: September, my ID was checked once. It was only when I went thru security. United didn't check it, nor was it checked at the gate. Didn't feel less safe. Christmas Eve: same deal, but another check at the counter. No problems.

SFO: September. Some of the biggest PITA security I've seen. I flashed my ID 3 times before I even got to security. Removing shoes was mandatory. Checked again at the gate.

SLC: Various occasions. Some of the most anal I've ever seen. At times, I couldn't even carry my bags to the counter when I was next in line. Like I was going to put a bomb in there from the 5 feet from the head of the line to the counter. Had hands swabbed numerous occasions. Have to have take luggage to get screened after check in. Wife's purse emptied, repacked, then rescanned while we waited to see if anything else was in there. The only thing I could think of is who's to say that an unscrupulous agent couldn't put something in there while we waited? It didn't happen to us, but I felt bad that it could easily happen to somone of Indian or Middle Eastern descent. Too many other gaping holes I've seen inside the terminal that made me feel much less safe than what the terminal did.

ORD: My wife and I saw a 1 year old child being searched, but the mother wasn't.

Maybe I just haven't traveled enough to get why the rules vary so much at different airports. Especially in ones like SLC that most people could care less about now. I'm guessing that they have to do SOMETHING with all the equipment that was bought for the Olympics.

Security wasn't even this stupid when the Unabomber was a threat.

Bottom line is: I never know what to expect at each airport. I don't feel safer, I just feel hassled.

It's easier to get into the Pentagon than it is an airport anymore.

Super