I’m supposed to fly from NYC to LA next month for Dopetoberfest…
I’m scared.
If things don’t calm down soon, I’m not going.
Am I wrong? I just can’t see myself getting on a plane anytime soon. I know I shouldn’t let these terrorist bastards frighten me, but I can’t help it. I can’t help but feel like my flight would be a target, I can’t help but feel like I’d be sitting on a giant, flying bomb.
Is anyone else scared to fly?
Rose
I don’t know about scared, but worried, yes.
I have to fly to SFO at the end of October.
shudder
E.
“Worried” is a word that describes me as well. I’ll be flying in early November. I think I’ll just quote my post from a similar thread here.
I think that pretty much sums up my feelings at the moment.
I might be flying to some of our sites across the US. I’m not scared or worried.
I’ve flown a LOT of times. The security that’s in place now, is top notch. It’s actually more inline with what I’m used to overseas anyway.
Seriously, don’t allow your fears to govern your actions. Even WITH what happened on tuesday, flying is still the safest mode of transportation.
Yes, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think. You see, although I’ve lived in western countries most of my life (especially N.America) and I’m just a computer nerd, I’m a single male who was born in the Middle East and I look it too. I’m scared to fly because I’m afraid I’ll never make it to the airplane, I’ll be detained first, asked questions later.
And it’ll be bad too if/when a war starts. I did my share of traveling during the desert storm and I still have many a bad taste in my mouth from those experiences…
I’m supposed to fly from Canada to the States this Tuesday. That’ll probably not happen.
I’m flying out to LA from London for Dopetoberfest. I might be a little more worried than normal, but I refuse to be frightened. Wickster, you’ll be okay. I’ll be there, you’ll be there and things will almost certainly have calmed down. It’s still very soon and it’s natural to be a little frightened - don’t let it get in your way. This is where you get to be a mini-brave-defiant-person and say that no, you won’t stop getting on with your life. You know the probabilities of anything going wrong are miniscule, even at times like this. I won’t let them get in the way of me seeing my Rose 
I’m scared to fly. But I’m always scared to fly.
I’m not a big fan of flying - perhaps I’d view it differently if I flew first class… However, I’m not afraid to fly, and if I have to, I have to. I never fly for pleasure, and I don’t foresee any biz trips any time soon, so I guess it’s easy for me to say that. Dunno how I’d react if I was told I need to go somewhere next week…
I think I can say with relative certainty that I will not be flying again any time soon. I cancelled my trip to Vegas next week. It’s not safe. They found people YESTERDAY trying to do the same thing! They were ON THE PLANE! Security means nothing.
An expert on fox news last night said “we still have to wait for the terrorists to follow through on phase two” PHASE TWO? I’ll be in the basement.
jarbaby
Hey Wicked! I know your hesitation. My wife and I have a trip to Denmark on Sept. 18th and we are still deciding. She frowned on my choice to grab a nickel and flip it. If anyone has an intelligent opinion on tthis, please let me know. Thanks… Mom always said you could trust a Doper 
I have to fly next Friday. I’m scared shitless, Rose. But as I said last night: I’m going anyway. I’ll be damned if I’m going to allow these people to keep me from doing something I’ve had planned. It may not be much, but it’ll be a small victory for me.
Maybe I can talk my doctor into getting me lots of valium for this trip?
I’m supposed to fly to Virginia in a month. I hate flying anyway but the idea of taking, not one, but three planes (all those connections) in one day is seriously unnerving me even if those are apparently low-risk flights.
I’m going to wait and see how things develop before we have to eat the price of a a nonrefundable ticket.
I usually don’t fly without a good reason, and thus, I’ll be god-damned if those bastards are going to keep me away from my friend’s wedding in two weeks.
[sub]But, yes, I’m scared.[/sub]
I’m going to the Olympics next February.
The combination of airflight and Olympics scares me. I may
drive, although driving in the Rockies in February poses
its own hazards.
One of my coworkers decided not to take his vacation in Italy starting today, because he was afraid to fly. I have to fly to Tokyo early in October, and I have to admit, I’ll be white-knuckled the whole way.
It’s sad that these pathetic excuses for humans can cause such unreasoning terror.
and
Amen, and good on you!
We cannot and must not be intimidated. With the extra security screenings now in place, there is little chance anyone could get aboard a U.S. airplane with plastic picnicware. And the mood of Americans, at least fromwhat I’ve seen on these boards, is that anyone who tried to hijack a flight might well be torn limb from limb by the passengers (and I mean that literally).
If I had the money I’d buy my own airplane – a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. It’s not that I’m worried about flying on an airline. I just like the flexibility that small planes offer. I like being at the controls. Flying a small airplane is much more fun that flying on a jet. The only thing that would be better would be if I had a lot more money so I could fly myself around in a Bell JetRanger helicopter. I’ve told people I would make the trip from Los Angeles to Bellingham, WA in the de Havillands they fly from Seattle to Bellingham even though it would take two or three times as long. I just like smaller aircraft. I’d gladly spend 10 or 12 hours in the uncomfortable seat of a Skyhawk (they’re okay for about four hours, as I’ve learned from experience – of course, the aircraft’s endurance is only about four hours, so it works out) if I could. Just for the fun of flying.
But if I had to make the trip north today, I would. And woe betide anyone who tried to take over the aircraft.
I can’t begin to understand the number of people here who are considering cancelling trips because of these disasters. Well, okay, I understand where the fear comes from, and I understand that flying often evokes fear anyway - there’s something more terrifying about dropping out of the sky than being in a car crash, train wreck, or on a sinking ship. But I’d like to point out a few things that might make flying seem less terrifying right now:
Flying has always been very, very safe. Plane crashes always make national news because they happen so infrequently. If planes crashed as often as cars did, plane crashes would never make it past the local news.
Despite some major lapses here and there, airports are very secure places. This is the only time in history that events like the ones on Tuesday have happened. The response has been to increase airport security dramatically. You’re much safer flying now than you were on Monday, September 10th.
Terrorists want you to feel this way! This is what terrorism is about - evoking fear from innocent people. They want to disrupt our lives, to make us weak. We can’t let that happen. We have to stand up to them, and the only way we average people can do that is to not give in to our fears. If we start cancelling trips and being paralyzed with fear, they’ve won. I’m not going to let that happen, and I hope you won’t, either.
You mean like those three guys did yesterday? With the penknives and phony pilots licenses? Looks like the security is airtight. Also, NBC’s robert hager reported this morning that three Northwestern Airline employees, trying to ‘prove a point’, were able to get through security with knives and NO I.D.
I’m not going to get on a plane and sacrifice my life to ‘prove my American pride’. I’d rather be alive, sorry. You don’t know that they aren’t done taking planes into buildings, and I, for one, can honestly say that I would be so scared to death in a hijacking that I would be unable to turn into a patriotic action hero like so many people say they would. I’d be too busy shitting my pants.
If you want to find me next week, I’ll be at home, where I’m not a target.
jarbaby
Yes, I’m scared to fly, but I am going to do it anyway. To do anything else would give these fuckers a victory over me, and I don’t want to let that happen. I have plans for a weekend away at the end of the month, then two dopefests in October. I am a nervous flyer anyway; I always think “OMG, we’re going to crash” on take-off and landing anyway. The first flight will be the worst; with every uneventful flight that occurs, and with every one that I am on, I will be a little less nervous. That first one is going to be tough, though. I am going to get a prescription for a mild tranquilizer from my doctor. I think I’ll need a half-hour hug when I get to my destination, too.
From an intellectual point of view, I know that security has been stepped up, and if by chance anyone get through with intent to hijack, the passengers will beat the shit out of them with their bare hands.
[quote]
You mean like those three guys did yesterday? With the penknives and phony pilots licenses? Looks like the security is airtight.
[quote]
They were caught.
I didn’t hear anything about that. Perhaps they were recognized by airport employees? They shouldn’t have been let through without credentials, but if they were know I can see how they would have been let in.
And after this week, I think it would be very difficult to take over an aircraft with just knives. As has been noted, they wouldn’t last long.