As someone who has spent a lot of time in airports, it blows me away that the security process isn’t standardized.

Critical aspects of air travel, such as language for pilots, have worldwide standards. It doesn’t matter if you’re flying into Reykjavik, Shanghai, Aukland or Buenos Aires — international regulations require you to communicate in English.

If pilots and control towers can’t clearly communicate, things go wrong.

Communication, therefore, has a standard.

In the post-9/11 world where security measures have increased significantly, you would think this process would be standardized as well.

It’s not.

And every time I travel through multiple airports in different countries, the expectations vary.

Sometimes it’s subtle things like whether you put your carry-on bag in a plastic tub or not. Some countries require you to place all of your liquids in a ziploc bag, others don’t seem to care. For those that do, some expect that bag to be removed from your luggage and placed in a separate tray, others — to speed up the security line — would prefer you didn’t.

Usually, “remove your laptop” means exactly that, except when it also means wireless keyboards or even camera gear.

Shoes on or off?

I understand that there will be fluctuation. I expect it in travel. What bothers me is that if you don’t do what is expected of you in a particular airport or country, you’re often met with disdain or even mild aggression from the security officers.

Yet without standards, it’s often impossible to know what is expected of you in this high-stress, fast-paced part of your travel day.

The security process is one of the least enjoyable parts of flying. Why can’t we make it even a little better?