The TSA has said that airlines MAY stop asking the questions. It's up to them whether or not to do so. Delta apparently has not made a decision yet.

I believe that the questions do date back to 1986, when pregnant Mary Ann Murphy of Ireland was given a "gift" by her Palestinian boyfriend to carry on a flight from London to Tel Aviv, where she was to meet his parents for the first time. El Al security discovered the bomb during their questioning of all passengers.

All airlines then realized that an innocent person could be carrying something dangerous. (mdtony, are you listening?)

Bruce

From the article:
"David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said passengers would be delighted, too.

"It's about time," Stempler said.

Loy, who took over last month, said last week the agency was considering eliminating the questions as part of a larger review of safety regulations. He announced then that passengers will be allowed to carry drinks in paper or foam cups through metal detectors.

Next on the agenda may be random screening of passengers at airport gates, he said.

"I think passengers would really like that," Stempler said. "We never understood that. You either do it right the first time or fix what you're doing at the security lane.'
"

Doing away with random screening at the gates...

YES YES YES!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif