The Metric: Fly Worcester

The destinations are limited, as is the schedule, but commercial flights have officially returned to the Worcester airport after a three-year hiatus. For now, South Carolina–based Direct Air is the sole carrier, and flies to just two Florida cities—Orlando and Punta Gorda—three days a week. But rest assured they're the most well-guarded departures in all of New England: Though Worcester employs only six TSA agents (compared with 1,068 at Logan, 242 at Providence, and 192 at Manchester), as the numbers below indicate, the airport is a veritable fortress. So don't bother trying to slip that extra-large tube of toothpaste past the guards. You've got a better chance of finding an arriving out-of-towner who actually knows how to pronounce "Worcester."

BOSTON LOGAN INTERNATIONAL

Major Airlines  25
Total Annual Passengers* 26,197,838
TSA Agents Per 10,000 Passengers .41

T. F. GREEN (PROVIDENCE)
Major Airlines 9
Total Annual Passengers* 4,708,296               
TSA Agents Per 10,000 Passengers .51
 
MANCHESTER- BOSTON REGIONAL
Major Airlines 7
Total Annual Passengers* 3,727,527         
TSA Agents Per 10,000 Passengers .52

WORCESTER REGIONAL
Major Airlines 1
Total Annual Passengers* 39,168
TSA Agents Per 10,000 Passengers 1.53

*Passenger figures for Logan, T. F. Green, and Manchester airports are from December 2007 through November 2008. Worcester's annual number was estimated by multiplying its December 2008 passenger load by 12. These were the most recent data available.