[chias]

I tried to opt out in the UK last time I was there a few years ago. The agent looked at me, confused, and said "so... you don't want to get on the plane?". She told me the the UK didn't allow opt-outs.

This was the only time I've gone through the machine since they were introduced.

[lazide]

Airport security in India is particularly infuriating on this point. Everything gets scanned and fed through over and over again, and everyone gets wanded and patted down over and over again, with maximum ‘fuck you’ to any passenger that dares to question the sanity of restarting your entire screening - because you left your belt on.

Meanwhile, I haven’t even had a western airports metal detector even fire on the same belt in years.

[alephnerd]

Most western countries also haven't had multiple attempted [0][1][2] and committed [3][4] mass casualty terror attacks nor a direct conventional conflict that for all intents and purposes was a war [5] in the past 2 years.

And airport security in Israel makes Indian airport security feel like a breeze and I found Turkish airport security to be similar to India's (I remember landing in IST a couple years ago post-COVID and how the news monitors all blared about the 3-6 Turkish soldiers who died in Turkish controlled Syria the day previously).

All three are in very tenuous neighborhoods where the risks of mass casualty terror attacks remains a very real possibility and no on-duty officer wants to be the one who's name comes up in an inquiry into a terror attack should they happen.

Also, from what I remember you are either a Chinese national or someone who has travelled significantly to China. It's the equivalent of a Russian national or Russian-origin person traveling to Poland or Estonia post-2022. Anyone with that profile falls under stricter scrutiny in India due to reciprocal treatment of Indian-nationals and Indian-origin people from Arunachal [6][7] and Ladakh [8] as well as the multiple recent India-China standoffs.

[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Delhi_car_explosion

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Nowgam_explosion

[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Bengaluru_cafe_bombing

[3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Reasi_attack

[4] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pahalgam_attack

[5] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%E2%80%93Pakistan_co...

[6] - https://indianexpress.com/article/world/who-is-prema-thongdo...

[7] - https://idsa.in/publisher/comments/china-ups-the-ante-in-aru...

[8] - https://www.indiatoday.in/news-analysis/story/why-china-is-e...

[eldaisfish]

India's airport "security" is one of the best examples of underemployment and security "theatre".

The needless repetition and duplication of tasks achieves little actual "security" and is more a jobs program for a population that is desperately underskilled, underemployed and borderline unemployable. Never mind the fact that airports like Bombay are literally meters away from slums, which are a far greater security risk than actual passengers.

Your list of citations is entirely meaningless because Indian airports are no more or less secure than the average airport in the west. What India manages to do extremely well is annoy the daylights out of travellers for mindless bureaucratic reasons.

Please can you explain how security stamping the back of your boarding pass meaningfully adds to "security" and how fifteen checks of your passport could have avoided a single one of the incidents you list?

[keeda]

> And airport security in Israel makes Indian airport security feel like a breeze

Not just in Israel, but even at other airports for flights to Israel! I was surprised to find that flights to Israel from JFK and EWR actually have a secondary security screening at the gate. In fact, the entire waiting area is walled off with only 1 or 2 controlled entries and exits. If you have to leave the area to go to the bathroom, well, you're just going to get screened again when you come back.

And they are very thorough. They WILL rummage through your carry on and purse and shoes.

(I wasn't even traveling to Israel, I was at an adjacent gate but got in the wrong line by mistake, haha!)

[kitd]

Note that for the most part, air travel into/out of the UK is international, so the constraints are stricter.

[GJim]

> The agent looked at me, confused, and said "so... you don't want to get on the plane?"

Brit here.

That's simply the British way of "calling you out" on your bullshit. Had you given a legitimate reason not to be scanned (and I can't think of one offhand), then I assure you, they would have been quite nice and helpful; certainly so in comparison to American standards of airport security staff!

[thevillagechief]

I've felt more uncomfortable with the UK Border Force than US CBP. It's been a few years since I've been to the UK, but there was usually more tension for Non-European foreigners at the Airport than non-Americans at the US airports.