Certainly not. People who were paying attention back then knew this. This kind of intrusion is a ratcheting function. I feel like HN is a sort of older crowd,

Certainly not. People who were paying attention back then knew this. This kind of intrusion is a ratcheting function. I feel like HN is a sort of older crowd, so a good chunk of those who can read this probably remember pre-9/11 travel, but for those that don't: I have, nearly every day of my adult life, carried a Swiss Army Knife. It's insanely handy, and not at all something that would be parsed as a weapon. (Even in 2021, the models I favor are legal for personal everyday carry in the UK, which is at this point somewhat notorious for restrictive knife laws.) Before 9/11, I carried it on the plane, in my pocket. I was also through security in mere moments -- sure, we still emptied our pockets, and took off big belt buckles (not me, but I live in Texas, so I saw it often) or chunky jewelry that might set off the metal detector, but security was a very very quick process. Nobody cared how much liquid you had in your carry-on. And we were almost exactly as safe then as we are now. Security expert Bruce Schneier has pointed out repeatedly that the only things that REALLY made a difference post-9/11 were (1) the reinforced cockpit door and (2) the now universal understanding that passengers must resist. Everything else is bullshit theater. *And in point of fact TSA is very, very bad at their job, and has NEVER prevented an attack.*