While bombs exploding on planes are potentially disastrous, they often don’t end in complete disaster. More frequently, they result in significant damage to the plane and perhaps the person carrying the bomb being killed. This was illustrated recently by the bombing in Mogadishu.
The implication for airline security is again that we should try and rationally evaluate risks. Rather than assuming that someone managing to sneak a small liquid explosive on board by carrying more than 3 ounces of a liquid is the end of the world and must be prevented at all costs, we should consider the costs of screening everyone for liquids and preventing carriage of liquids by passengers. When evaluated rationally, the TSA’s current policies make really no sense at all.