... we Americans have enjoyed freedom in most every aspect of life. It may be time we yield a little of that freedom and convenience to insure our safety. We tend to try and 'get around' the hastles of security when ever we can. This attitude must change, with YOU and ME. That is the first step!

Other answers I have heard is that all security personnel work for the federal government and have federal level authority. Just because they work for the government does not make them better (as there are a LOT of incompetent government employees) but I think all working for the same employer would add constancy. With this I believe the pay for these services should be higher as I believe often enough “You get what you pay for.” Unfortunately, we will have to pay more in the future.
Another good option is the securing of the cockpit doors. I have heard this was looked into but not ever put in place for reasons of safety on a crash situation it could trap pilots. I don’t believe this to be a real hurdle; there are too many good engineers that could solve this dilemma. The use of Marshals on flights is another real possibility, someone who can use deadly force to insure safety during a flight sure might deter a few.
If all this slows down operations at an airport, take a lesson from the supermarket, open a few more lanes! This might just put a few of those laid off people back to work. Will it cost more? You bet! Will you get something for your money? Certainly, we could have saved 5,000 lives just last Tuesday! When you look at what this has cost America just this week in lives, moral, economic cost (stock markets), etc. This starts to look like the bargain of the century!

If all else fails, use ejection seats under all passenger seats! "Passengers in seats 9A, 13C and 12B this is your captin, thank you for choosing United Airlines. You will now be exiting through the roof."