If anyone wants a really good intro to thinking about security, read "Beyond Fear" by Bruce Schneier. It's a good intro on how to think like a security person instead of a panicky TV news viewer. He goes into some depth on airport and airline security as well, a good read if you are interested in security as a whole.
In any case, remember what airport security is about, limiting the number of people with access to the plane and limiting how those people have access. The check at the security checkpoint isn't really going to stop anyone with an invalid ticket, and they don't record who you are in any case. The purpose of that checkpoint is simply so they only have to screen people flying, not people just wandering around. If you are intentionally trying to bypass the checkpoint, it's pretty simple to fake a boarding pass if you've seen one before. They don't really care about that, because the security is not in making sure they know who's in the airport. Think about it, increasing the security involved in that process would require that they know exactly who they shouldn't let into the airport. Maybe you think every terrorist is on a watch list, but I certainly don't.
As for online check-in, it's just as secure for two reasons. First, if you don't want to bother checking in, just make up a fake boarding pass. It's pretty easy if you've seen one before. And in any case, the United counter person isn't an FBI agent, what exactly are they going to do that would help?
Real air travel security boils down to three things. First of all, everyone has to go through the security screeing so it's much more difficult to bring weapons on board. Secondly, you no longer can access the cockpit. They are protected with armored doors and they are locked at all times. Finally, people are now much more aware of what can happen and will probably resist, so a few hijackers, armed or not, would be toast before long.
Maybe some of what you talked about would marginally increase security, but remember that air travel is still about air travel. It needs to be quick, and it needs to be easy. Something can always be more secure, but it's a trade-off, and some security measures make more sense than others. If it makes you feel any better, I feel safe every time I fly because I know my best defense is statistics. Think about how many airline passengers died on 9/11 compared to how manny flew that year. Even if we had an attack like that every single year, air travel would still be pretty safe when you consider your personal chances of dying that way.
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