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by subterfudge44 3320 days ago
> They are worried that people would stop flying if they knew.

And that describes what the whole TSA thing is about. It is a theatre. There was no need to put laptop ban either because it is just as useless. One has to only check Quora answers on all sort of things people have taken through security which includes 2 full size Katana Swords, loaded guns, Fire starters, Ethanol bottles and various other items.

I understand government can not admit TSA is ineffective. But they can surely reduce the pain for us.
2 comments
tyingq 3320 days ago
A fair amount of the security isn't really adding anything useful anymore. 9/11 only worked because the passengers assumed it was a hijacking, and therefore, cooperating meant they would likely live. That's out the window now. Passengers now violently subdue anyone that even seems suspicious. Between that and the secure cockpit door, a bomb is about all they have left to do anything on a large scale. Even that is tricky. The size of bomb you can sneak on limits the effectiveness[1]. Basically, the "ROI" on attacking planes isn't what it once was.

[1] Yes, you can find examples where it worked. But you can also find examples where most passengers survive even extensive damage to the aircraft, like Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (not a bomb, but still). Or Daallo Airlines Flight 159, where the bomber only killed himself.

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petre 3320 days ago
Nitrocellulose? One could turn a troller full of cotton underwear into a bomb. So are they going to ban underwear on flights next?
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wiredfool 3320 days ago
They already swab for nitrates. It can trigger a false positive if you've been around an application of fertilizer.
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chx 3320 days ago
You could create a dust explosion out of almost anything containing small enough particles and you can learn how from YouTube videos. It's seriously that easy. Are they going to ban baby powder next? Sugar, flour, corn starch, whatnot?

But all you have achieved is a hole in the fuselage. That sucks but it's nowhere near enough to take a plane down. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Airlines_Flight_812 for example.

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