Airport security does NOT equal common sense.

Not in the US, at any rate.

What it does equal is National Guardsmen chatting up airport employees looking for a date. All this while one guy strolls through security with 7 knives, a stun gun, and mace and another guy bolts down the up escalators.

Nobody takes it seriously because the system holds itself up to ridicule. WHY is it impossible to have a couple of runners who (just like the duty free shops) deliver all the "forbidden items" in a locked container to the aircraft. This box is then unlocked at the destination jetway? Poof, problem solved.

This is NOT brain surgery. As a functional matter we should NOT be doing random searches. It is reasonable to sort people by risk. White Anglo Saxon people travelling in family groups are VERY low on the terrorist risk scale. We just shouldn't be bothering with them.

The Risk group is foreign nationals or people with heavy foreign accents, especially those from Muslim dominated nations. Not 19year old Japaneese college coeds. Let's stop beating around the bush and be honest about it. I have no issue with securing the airports but STOP BEING IDEALISTICALLY STUPID ABOUT IT!!! Making sure we randomly search 13yr old boy scouts or the Middleview HS marching band is stupid, dammit.

Do what's functional.

Money motivates people. Use that.

Post a 15000 dollar reward for any gun found and a 1000 dollar reward for any knife over 4 inches found. Give the security screeners a FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO DO THEIR JOB THOROUGHLY!!! Post a 10000 dollar reward for any ground crew who sees someone do something funky. I may like you but 10G's is some serious cash. For 10G's I will watch you like a hawk. Which is the point.

Clear communications are critical.

EVERY security supervisor and checkpoint should have a radio. Period. The Atlanta cluster.... could've been completely avoided by Motorola. The fact that they don't is ridiculous and inexcusable. At least one of every two Nat Guards men or police should have one of these radios as well.

Keep track of patrons.

If it's important to track people then either give them a stamp on their hand at the counter or some sort of wristband when they clear security. ANYONE seen without a wristband is subject to being escorted by armed guard back through security to get searched again and get another one. Be very plain about it. You take off the wristband, you're screwed. They change color randomly every day. Cut the wristband off on the jetway as they board the plane. The wristband can be coded to their ticket which obviously matches their Id. (Basically just like your checked baggage gets).

Once you have motivated people in place and focus on realistic (not theoretical) threats then you can begin to actually address the problem. The current system is to randomly search people 9 times. That's just plain stupid.

And on a note, all that ID matching isn't working. I flew from ORF to PIT last week.. on my flight (before we left) was a guy who went through all the security and ID checks and was allowed to board and take his seat. ON THE WRONG AIRPLANE!

The system is only as strong as the weakest point. Right now we have a lot of flash solutions but no real defense in depth.

Regards,
-Bouncer-