Airport security, TSA-style

[cema]

As in, not much of.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/airport-security

Comments

[cema.livejournal.com]

It has been an issue since the 1970s.

[spamsink]

In the 1970s.

[cema.livejournal.com]

As well as 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

[spamsink]

What is the risk of a hijacking per million passenger-miles over the last 30 years? What is the risk of a catastrophic mechanical failure? Of a catastrophic pilot error? To-to.

[cema.livejournal.com]

The risk goes up and down. However, recently it has been up. In particular, less than 10 years ago a catastrophic terrorist attack successfully killed thousands of people and destroyed several buildings, not in small part because of the short-sightedness of the security services and the attitude of the political class.

[spamsink]

It has been up in 2001; since then it has been down. The risk of failures and errors remains a) fairly constant, and b) higher in human cost than the risk of attacks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_accidents_and_incidents#Aircraft_Crashes_Record_Office_.28ACRO.29
(deaths on the ground not included). In other words, nothing special to see in 2001, move along.

[cema.livejournal.com]

I am not sure what your point is here.

[spamsink]

My point it that the only purpose of the "security theater" is to serve as a psychological tool. There is no real need to improve security apart from strengthening the cockpit doors, because the the risk is low enough as it is, and the ROI on any other measure is almost guaranteed to be zero.

[cema.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is mostly psychological (which is an important component too). However, the danger is real. An airport is a place of concentration of people and goods. A terrorist act or a similar attack in an airport could be very costly. Besides, dangerous stuff can conceivably be transmitted long-distance via airplanes (cargo or passenger).

Another such place of concentration is a port, especially seaports are vulnerable. They are notoriously poorly protected.

[spamsink]

Are you confusing danger and risk? Thousands of trucks transport really dangerous goods every day, but the risk of this activity is observably very small, the meltdown of the MacArthur maze in Oakland on 2007 notwithstanding.

[cema.livejournal.com]

Well, that is another failure point. Bridges, tunnels especially.