Why Aim Airport Security at Old Ideas?

Tuesday, 09 November 2010 | by Pat's Picks

Why do airline security crackdowns always focus on the idea terrorists had last time? Shouldn’t we be looking ahead to the next thing?

The latest example of this: you can’t travel with a toner cartridge.

I’m not sure that anyone needs to travel with toner, so it’s probably not a big deal. But every time there’s a terrorist attempt we see the same type of knee-jerk security restriction. The bans on nail clippers, shampoo, bottled water and now printer cartridges all assume that because terrorists have tried something once that they’ll try the exact same thing again.

The full statement on the ink and toner shipping ban from Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano

Any printer cartridge over one pound is banned from passenger flights, whether carried in carry-on bags or in the cargo hold. The new policy applies to domestic and international flights.

The New York Times has a good, related article this morning about fliers’ patience wearing thin at TSA checkpoints.