Some time ago I was assigned by the editor in chief of this site to attend the press conference on the transport security conference which will take place in Athens on May 21st and 22nd. I thought I was honored and I was right indeed. The new approach on the security matters is based on contracting specialized companies to take care of the majority of the security tasks, mainly the hand baggage search and the passenger screening. The organizing committee (and I am sure a great number of companies and unfortunately governments) believe this is a panacea. During the press conference I allowed myself to daydream about how many times the “let’s outsource this service” has turned a tolerable situation to a frustrating sociological experiment. There is no doubt that a private company can function at a lower cost and is far more flexible. But unfortunately this may come at a hidden cost as one can see from rude and incompetent staff in shops and helplines with a “not my problem” attitude.

Although securities companies and airport authorities would claim that private screening operations are better and cheaper, one can argue that statistics are a good way to turn reality into a parallel universe.

I am all for an efficient way of security screening but I really like to use a passenger friendly system when I fly. Europe had such a system from 1986 (when terrorist attacks stopped not because of stricter controls) until the late 2001 madness occurred. It is funny but very often I have the feeling that the current security measures are a kind of a Hollywood blockbuster production aiming to make passenger to feel safe while creating a multi million dollar industry and providing jobs.

The question that needs to be asked next time, we remove our shoes in a security check point and are being frisked is: who will protect the passengers from a constant and exaggerating security procedure that offers little real additional safety?