I do not consider commercial air travel anything more than a very convenient luxury supplied by a private business (Federally regulated, just as most any business is regulated) and frankly, I wouldn't be too put out if all air travel were militarized (with the exception of very small private planes of a certain class). Fact is, such occurences as skyjackings would occur with much less frequency than they do even now, with our brand spankin' new security guidelines.
I would not be terribly surprised if in another decade, there were "preverified" flights. All passengers are preverified as not-a-problem, most of that preverification having to do with the passage of lots of small green pieces of paper (oh, indirectly, of course, so as not to make it too obvious). Hell, I'd do it if I happened to own an airline. Of course, if I owned an airline, what I'd really be doing right now is thinking up every possible cheap showy way to make passengers "feel" safe (which I distinguish from "assuring passenger safety") so that they'll get back on a plane and doing my damndest to make air flight as indispensible as possible and figuring out ways to add fees to ticket prices and begging the government to bail my ass out and (if I were religious and particularly free of conscience) thanking the good lord who watches over industry that the 9-11 business happened (privately, of course -- public jubilation wouldn't exactly be kosher) so that I can claim huge losses as a result and write off my past dumb-ass business practices that were sending my industry right down a jet-powered, self-sealing toilet.
Airlines are private companies providing a luxury service -- not "rights" that we are all "owed". Therefore, when we squawk about security measures, let us speak as if we are talking of a Federally regulated private business and not a god-given "right" as Americans to fly.
As an aside, being a private business, airlines who refuse service and don't refund ticket costs are jerks and I have no sympathy at all when someone attempts to prang them in court. Hell, it oughta' be a good show!