Has the U.S. met its match in airport-security craziness?
Plus: NASA’s pilot survey coverup. By Patrick Smith Nov. 02, 2007 | Come to find out, America is not the only crazy country when it comes to airport security. Based on what happened to me in London a few days ago, I’d say the U.K. is a close runner-up. Working a trip from Gatwick, I was forced to remove my shoes and put my liquids into a Ziploc bag. This is routine for passengers, but I was in full uniform at a crew-only checkpoint. My Rollaboard and flight case were hand-searched top to bottom, and a nearly empty, 5-ounce tube of toothpaste was confiscated from my toiletries bag. The Brits are jittery, and not entirely without reason. The 2006 liquid bomb cabal (daft as its scheme may have been) was organized here, and it wasn’t that long ago that Pan Am 103 lifted off from Heathrow with its deadly Toshiba radio. I’m willing to grant some slack, but I draw the line at seizing empty containers from pilots. “Why are you taking that?” I ask the guard. “There’s almost nothing in there.” “
