[Peace] If EVERYone is not searched, then yer just playing the odds by searching one in three.

[BillD] yeah....that's called a "calculated risk". I am willing to take the chance that the old lady with the knitting bag is not gonna hijack the plane with #8 needles.

There is another calculated risk that you need to take into account. The searches are done by or monitored by people, who being human get tired, distracted, bored and make mistakes, especially if they are under constant pressure, as they are now. It is at least a possibility that searching less people would actually improve the effectiveness of the searching and hence make things safer overall, rather than less safe.