Airport security is rubbish. Fact.

[Terbinator]

This thread.

[Blitzen]

I have been through Domodedovo airport twice in the last two months (and going agin in 2 weeks), and I can honestly say they are RED HOT in the security screenings.

Forget the security going into departures.......you are screened fully just entering the airpot.

[chuckskull]

It gets worse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8N2EZSpFco

[Whiternoise]

I am well aware that it's all theatre, the problem is that theatre only works to satiate public demand for safety if the actors read the lines properly.

Blitzen - Moscow is probably still in lockdown after the bombing in January.

[Mutley]

All the screening of the public pre-supposes that those working at the airport are not a security threat.

[mkins99]

All the screening of the public pre-supposes that those working at the airport are not a security threat.

Yeah what I've always though was how hard it would be for a duty free worker to smuggle something into boarding for another passenger?.

[peterb]

Well, yes and no. Its a bit like saying that police patrols stop speeding, or customs officers stop smuggling. They don't but they do act as a deterrent. How effective is difficult to measure though because it is measuring a non-event. Flight xxx wasn't blown out of the sky - was that because no-one tried, or because the security measures deterred anyone from trying. Impossible to tell.

Whether or not the deterrent effect is worth the inconvenience to the majority of passengers is another issue.

All the screening of the public pre-supposes that those working at the airport are not a security threat.

Which is why workers airside have some form of security background check and have their own security checks when they go to work.

[Whiternoise]

In a slight update, I emptied my bag last night and found a tube of toothpaste they missed too - guess they really don't give any more

[aidanjt]

Zomg teh c4 tubes on the plane!!!1

[Biscuit]

In a slight update, I emptied my bag last night and found a tube of toothpaste they missed too - guess they really don't give any more

Well if it was me and i was looking out for a number of suspicious items for a stupid amount of time (LIKE 5 YEARS+) even though i knew the chances of me seeing them were lower than the chances of someone randomly handing me a £5 note, i would probably get sloppy from time to time too. I don't blame the guys at all, they just do their job(sort of), even if they do play solitaire from time to time, **** it man... Its a **** job and as mentioned previously, its a role which does its most effective role deterrent without end user effort.

Persoannly i thin its a bad deterrent, very bad but we know that the more secretive elements of the government security have eyes on the bigger threats, right?

[Galant]

Rubbish or not there is an 'upside'.

[aidanjt]

...but we know that the more secretive elements of the government security have eyes on the bigger threats, right?

Yup.

[Funkstar]

I have been through Domodedovo airport twice in the last two months (and going agin in 2 weeks), and I can honestly say they are RED HOT in the security screenings.

Forget the security going into departures.......you are screened fully just entering the airpot.

Same thing in Cairo, Lagos and Luanda. It's been like that in Cairo for a few years now that I know of. I don't know when they started in Lagos and Luanda, but it certainly isn't a new thing.

[Ceefer]

Just before Christmas I went through security at Newcastle Airport with a swiss army knife in my bag that I had forgotten about. I would have been horrified if they'd found and confiscated it, because I've had it for 30 years and it means a lot to me!

[Rave]

Just before Christmas I went through security at Newcastle Airport with a swiss army knife in my bag that I had forgotten about. I would have been horrified if they'd found and confiscated it, because I've had it for 30 years and it means a lot to me!

About 5 years ago, Spanish security wouldn't let me through with a 10mm open/ring spanner in my hand luggage. I had to chuck it in their Bin Of Dodgy Things.

I suppose it was fair enough, I could have hijacked the plane by threatening to dismantle it in midair.

[roachcoach]

Caveat: I'll try and not go off the deep end into a rant about sinister government practices...I'll try, no promises.

Well, yes and no. Its a bit like saying that police patrols stop speeding, or customs officers stop smuggling. They don't but they do act as a deterrent. How effective is difficult to measure though because it is measuring a non-event. Flight xxx wasn't blown out of the sky - was that because no-one tried, or because the security measures deterred anyone from trying. Impossible to tell.

Personally I use, as my personal yardstick, the rough occurrence of such events prior to the security. I use this for all such events however, not just airport security and it really makes you wonder just how good it is.

Given the terror alert levels vs actual attacks in the last few years (both of them*) either:

A) It's utterly awesome and the security services are booking overtime like a hooker with the navy in town.
B) It's world class bullcrap and there's something else going on having its agenda pushed under the guise of "security".

*By comparison, the IRA committed more mainland attacks in 2001 than "extremists" have managed in the last 10 years. You pay your money you take your chance on what you believe I guess, perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle of the extremes above.

_____________________

To topic:

Imo, public facing airline security is an utter facade, I certainly hope the "behind the scenes" stuff is a little better. There are significant inconsistencies, although it was many years ago I still think the Russian airport security was the best, I'll never go through there with steel toe-capped boots again. Amusingly I wore the same boots in Austria I think, it was many yeas ago now, and the metal detector didn't even ding

Ironically, due to the twitter-fiasco of a comment leading to someone actually being nicked, I don't feel safe posting examples of some of the abject stupidity of it. Yes, now I think about it, I feel much safer.