I was thinking about this terrorist plot that was uncovered earlier this week. It struck me as interesting that airplanes are still among terrorists’ main targets, despite all the extra security measures that have been put in place in recent years. Why would that be the case?

• Airplanes are eye-catching and dramatic. An explosion in an airplane sounds more horrible than an explosion killing the same number of people on a bus. Things falling out of the sky, big balls of fire etc.
• Airplanes are global. When people hear about a train crash on a different continent, it sounds far away. It’s easier to relate to a distant plane crash. And of course it affects a large system, thus causing more disruption (although disruption is probably a secondary goal, if at all).
• It’s a way to attack the US without ever being on US soil.