In light of some of these findings, some have labeled the TSA useless, a waste of time and money, and "security theater". While it's certainly true that the TSA didn't live up to expectations during those tests, it's still overwhelmingly necessary. Just imagine getting on a flight in this day and age without going through a security checkpoint. Would you feel safe?

The TSA's role in commercial aviation is not only to detect physical threats, but to make passengers feel safe and secure in the sterile area and on their flight. In aviation, psychological passenger comfort makes flying safer by reducing anxiety and paranoia. In a way, airport security is security theater, but that's not a bad thing, and it's by design. Sure, they need to do a lot better on their threat detection, but they do catch many unsafe situations and stop them. The TSA's social media channels are full of blades and weapons they've found in passenger bags.

TSA Security Checkpoints at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). Photo by Jonathan Cutrer on Flickr; CC BY-NC 2.0.

How might we improve airport security? The security procedures at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport have been hailed as some of the most effective in the world, with no flight leaving the airport having ever been hijacked. They use a risk-based assessment to screen the passengers themselves through behavioral psychology techniques, as well as their belongings and physical person. However, the method is not without flaws. There have been several concerns about profiling, as those labeled high-risk are disproportionately Arab and Palestinian. Attempts at risk-based security in the United States have been shown to discriminate against people of color, especially Middle-eastern and Black people.

Overall, airport security has come a long way since 9/11, and inflight hijackings have been significantly reduced and are now exceedingly rare. Airport security ultimately makes aviation safer and more comfortable for passengers, crew, and other airport personnel.