Slate: Airport Security Loophole

Well, this is alarming:



more...

http://www.slate.com/id/2113157/

If you have a ticket you can't use but can transfer it to a friend or family member this way.

Perception is 99% of the game.

Going by the arguments in this article made by the unnamed airport security personnel, if one can manage to scam their way around the No-Fly list they still have to pass other security screening including x-rays, metal detectors, and (rather arbitrarily applied) chemical explosive agent tests. If this is the case, why is there a No-Fly list in the first place, and how can we make sure those whose names can be found on it really do pose an imminent threat to airline security, given the confidence our own staff apparently shows in the screening procedures?

Is the No-Fly list really just a scare tactic? Should we be concerned about one day appearing on it? I've already read articles of innocent American citizens being unjustly sanctioned by this list based on coincidence alone. As the administration continues to cut funding for alternative means of long distance travel (ie: Amtrak) this may be an increasingly disturbing, but common situation.