No kidding. I've had the pleasure of being told not to touch my photo lenses ("Oh no, WE'LL look at them. You stand over there.") only to watch a screener stick a finger in the back of a $6000 lens and poke around. My favorite was a guy who opened one of my film cameras and pushed on the ultra-fragile, titanium-foil shutter curtain, asking what was behind the "little door." I wanted to tell him that that "little door" was on a camera that cost more than my car and would be about a grand to fix if his finger went through it.
Then there are the gate agents who, despite the fact that I've met all of their requirements, try to make me check my camera gear. If it was just an everyday carry-on, that would be one thing, but we're talking about a major investment that's vital to my income. I used to check most of it, but now that baggage screeners cut locks and go through things quite routinely, I'm not going to risk having things broken, lost, or stolen.
My next commercial flight is in December. I'll just keep my fingers crossed . . .