In the post-9/11 world, invasive, inconvenient airport security checks are a reality we’ve learned to live with. Not without grumbles, but we generally accept that removing belts and laptops is better than the alternative—being hijacked.
Given the stringent screening we go through as passengers, it’s somewhat shocking to learn how lax security is for hundreds of thousands of airport employees—employees who have access to an airport’s most sensitive areas, like the tarmac and your plane.The United States has nearly 450 commercial airports. Big hubs, like Atlanta International Airport, can employ up to 63,000 people. JFK in New York has about 37,000 staff.
