This jives with my father, that they're not going to self-bomb airplanes. They'll just self-bomb airports and other large gathering areas.

Let me distill this, then, into what can be done.

First: Since you're able to order plane tickets online, you are required to pay only with a credit card. If you need to pay with cash, get a pre-paid credit card and go to a billpay/check cashing place to load it up.

Second: Print your tickets, and go through security *before* you get to check in. Your bags, checked or non, are x-rayed and smelled there. Your body is also backscattered and sniffed. That will catch both metal, plastic, and liquid bombs in any place. Also, your flight is scanned in and checked there -- in essence, you're checked in.

Third: Check-in of classic is now brought down to Baggage Dropoff.

Fourth: Since security is more up-stream, you're already in a secure area. So there's little need for rescreening.

What fun.