With the appalling failure of other safeguards now on record, the world and some 300 people who otherwise might have died in Friday’s fateful flight to Detroit owe Jasper Schuringa a debt of gratitude.

For it was neither the body scanners left idle in Amsterdam, nor the various other red flags that fluttered around terrorist suspect Umar Farouk Adulmutallab that saved Christmas Day for everyone. It was the bravery and quick action of passenger Schuringa and the crew of Flight 253 that subdued Adulmutallab.
The collective vigilance of the traveling public will always be a part of the formula ensuring passenger safety, as demonstrated by their actions against the attempt to explode the bomb aboard the jumbo jet.
But there should have been further, far stronger protections employed, and there needs to be decisive action to tighten the security net now.
President Obama, breaking from his vacation here to address the crisis, sounded some of the right notes in calling for a review of the nation’s terror watch lists and airport security protocols. Clearly, extra screening is warranted for people on even the low-level alert roster where Adulmutallab was listed.
The use of millimeter wave scanners, which generate a full-body image revealing items hidden under clothing, has been tagged as too invasive and costly. But the imperative to protect public safety outweighs such criticism; especially in the higher-risk, U.S.-bound international flights, sidelining this technology is irresponsible.
Obama and Congress must conduct a broad bipartisan inquiry aimed at speeding enforcement response to credible intelligence about potential threats, as well as the rational use of everything in the airport-screening toolkit. That includes analysis attuned to anomalies such as tickets bought with cash; better scanners; and chemical-sniffing dogs. It does not mean adopting knee-jerk restrictions — like requiring passengers to keep their laps clear — that any resourceful terrorist could easily circumvent.
It’s also time to clear the bottleneck blocking the confirmation of Erroll Southers as Transportation Security Administration administrator. GOP Sen. Jim DeMint, who has held up the appointment because he’s concerned Southers may support unionizing TSA screeners, needs to allow the nomination to move ahead when the Senate reconvenes in January. The agency needs a chief, now, to implement needed changes.
No single tactic will provide perfect security against terror threats, but a coordinated plan that combines all available methods in a rational way transmits a message of national resolve for travel safety. Above all, that message needs to be sent, immediately and at full volume.