What is the opportunity cost associated with increased airport security measures?
After the terrorist plane hijackings on September 11, 2001, many steps were proposed to improve air travel safety.

For example, the federal government could provide armed “sky marshals” who would travel inconspicuously with

the rest of the passengers. The cost of having a sky marshal on every flight would be roughly $3 billion per year.

Retrofitting all U.S. planes with reinforced cockpit doors to make it harder for terrorists to take over the plane would
32 2 • Choice in a World of Scarcity

have a price tag of $450 million. Buying more sophisticated security equipment for airports, like three-dimensional

baggage scanners and cameras linked to face recognition software, could cost another $2 billion.

However, the single biggest cost of greater airline security does not involve spending money. It is the opportunity
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