Okay, so now it’s no carryon, no liquids, and no auto-lock devices on keychains. And I think iPods were already banned (not sure about CD players). You have to sample your kid’s formula/food, even your own breastmilk; that was already in effect, though I don’t think it was across-the-board before yesterday.
I don’t expect this to change, since restrictions are like gas prices: they don’t go back to what they were. So how many more restrictions can there be? Will it get to the point where everyone gets a body-cavity search? That would be easier to do if the number of people flying is drastically reduced. So how about that? Will people eventually stop flying unless they absolutely have to? And if so, how soon?
I’m not kidding at all when I say that I can forsee a time when getting on a commercial flight will be the same as crossing into East Germany. And there will be the same number of people brave or desperate enough to try. So how long before it comes to that?
(The Mile High Club will be so much easier to join!)
I’ve already thought about how people are going to get rich because of this. Pre-packaged Male or Female Toiletry Kits. Itty-bitty deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, gel, foundation/base, etc. You can buy in 3- or 5-day supplies when you de-plane. Chi-ching!
I’m strictly a carry-on gal. I’m prepared to UPS my stuff to my destination the next time I fly. There’s no way I’m going to risk losing the necessities when my checked bag ends up in Tallahassee while I’m in Tucson.
Egg-zactly. And woe to any female who is on red alert while traveling. I’m not self-conscious, but I keep my feminine products and need to use them private out of respect for others. Imagine having to unwrap a tampon to prove that it’s not a concealed knife.
When they start making people check all their valuables, which will suddenly go “missing” from luggage, with airlines still refusing to be responsible, people will stop flying.
According to the TSA website FAQ you won’t have to sample formula or breast milk, approved electronic devices such as laptops, phones, mp3 players are still allowed.
Of course, they also say you won’t be required to take off your shoes unless you’ve set off the alarm, but I know frome xperience that the actual security screeners seem to not know or care about THAT rule.
And liquids are still allowed in checked baggage so it’s not like you have to arrive at your destination without any shampoo.
ideas on how to transform air travel to fit the new safety rules:
–Send TWO airplanes to on each flight, flying in formation like the air force does.
One plane carries your luggage , the other plane carries people. You could board the first plane, stow your own luggage in the overhead, then get off the first plane, board the second one and both take off together.
–airline travel could become glamorous again, like it was 2 generations ago, when being a member of the “jet set” was a sign of wealth. Great service provided in flight by pretty stewardesses offering to everthing needed to make you comfortable. Since passengers can’t bring their own ipods, fruit juices, books, or inflatable neck pillows, the airline would provide them for you. Like train travel on the luxurious railroad cars of old. Airline companies would compete based on their luxury service, not on the price.
-for people who want super cheap fares, there would be nudist flights. whoopee!!!
I don’t think they’ll ever go to having people fly naked. That could cost the airlines a great deal of money for cleanup.
Think of how much easier it would be if they just wrapped passengers in Saran Wrap and put them in cargo holds. They’d save money on cleaning and the “service pass” through the aisle and seating.
I don’t mind slipping my shoes off so much if they just had a chair or a bench or something to sit on so you could put them back on. Kneeling in the middle of the corridor tying my shoe laces or leaning up against a wall is just pitiful.
I find all this so irritating - look, if somebody wants to do something to a plane, odds are it’s not going to be caught at security. It’s going to be caught beforehand or on the plane. Making people sample the liquids wouldn’t even have helped in this plot, since the explosives were to be in a false bottom of a regular drink! You’re supposed to drink water on planes, it’s good for you, and now you can’t even bring it on? You have to wait for a flight attendant to show up? Grrr. I’m flying into Rome in October and then back out through Lisbon and I think through Gatwick, and I’m sure that’s going to be a laugh and a half.
