Let’s Not Get Carried Away With New Airport Security Procedures

We were captivated last week when an Alaska Air Group employee stole an airplane, flew it over Seattle as fighter jets followed, and crashed it into a sparsely populated island. It had all the aspects we want in a news story. It was rare and sensational, and because the pilot had been talking with air traffic controllers, television news had audio to play, over and over again. Since then, news organizations have asked how this could happen, and whether airports will increase screening measures. They are worthy questions, but this incident, while scary, is probably a fluke. And even if it isn't, there's probably not much airport officials can do to stop a copycat effort. As the Seattle Times reported this week, roughly 13,000 people have access to aircraft on the ramp, and not all can be policed at every moment. It might be futile to even try. Passengers want to think airports are 100 percent safe, but we know that's not true. Life is about managing risks, and that's as true