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Getting a handle on the true cost of the airport screening program is difficult.  For example, as pointed out in a 2011 GAO report, the TSA's numbers do not include the cost of private screeners, which have been put in place at some airports. According to a query that I ran against the Airline Transportation Statistics database, the number of passengers carried by U.S. domestic airlines in 2011 was 730.8 million.  And they flew 814.4 billion passenger miles.  The 2007 and 2008 numbers are getting long in the tooth. The security spend you reference is unclear.  To say that the U.S. has spend $1.1 trillion on security does not break it down. Security is more than just airline passenger screening. In 2011 the TSA actual numbers as opposed to budgeted numbers, were $5.4 billion. This covers all of the TSA's activities, which includes airport screening, bagage screening, cargo screening (UPS, Fedex, DHL) as well as bus terminal security and Amtrak security.   Passenger fees and airline contributions cover approximately 40 per cent of the TSA's annual spend.  This means that in 2011 the taxpayers were on the hook for $3.24 billion.  This works out to $4.43 per passenger or approximately 40/100s of one cent per revenue passenger mile.  And keep in mind that I am attributing the whole unfunded TSA spend to the screening program, which probably is not accurate, but I don't have time to dig out the numbers.
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