# New Airline Security Measures **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-airline-security-measures/522704 "2009-12-27T15:00:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-airline-security-measures/522704/41 "2010-01-01T18:16:55Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > G) Ask any non American world air traveler about US airline security… The laughter will be overwhelming. We are the joke of the world in that area… Not to get into the rest of the debate, but I certainly have to disagree with this point, as others have. I’ve been through security at many airports in Europe, Asia, and Canada and for the most part they don’t seem much different than in the U.S. I don’t know how we got onto Israeli security – that’s obviously a very special case. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-airline-security-measures/522704/42 "2010-01-03T01:50:37Z")
> [@ScatteredFrog](#): > > J…just the usual “turn off all your devices” announcement (which I still don’t understand; I guess that means that I can still use my iPod Classic since hard drive-based iPods literally do not turn off unless the battery completely drains) right before landing… This rule isn’t about whether your iPod turns on or off, or even the theoretical risk of interference with onboard equipment. This rules has to do with the simple fact that landings and takeoffs are the riskiest phases of flight, and if something is going to go wrong, it’s most likely to go wrong during these phases, and if it does go wrong, things are going to be happening very quickly and they want you to be able to hear the flight attendants rather than listening to music, see what is going on around you, and not get trapped in your seat because you’re tangled up in headphone wires or unable to close your laptop/stow the tray table fast enough, etc. Also: keep your shoes on. Broken glass and metal, burning jet fuel, snow, ice, etc which may be encountered during an emergency evacuation suck even more when you’re barefoot! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-airline-security-measures/522704/43 "2010-01-03T03:16:21Z")
> [@ScatteredFrog](#): > > No rule about nothing in your lap during the last hour of your flight – just the usual “turn off all your devices” announcement (which I still don’t understand; I guess that means that I can still use my iPod Classic since hard drive-based iPods literally do not turn off unless the battery completely drains) right before landing… As well as what **mnemosyne** said, it’s another object that’s likely to fly off and hit someone (you are the most likely target) if things get bumpy. There was an Iberia flight a couple years back which had a rough landing, with a result of some bruises and a couple of broken arms: the people who got hurt had all taken off their seatbelts already, some got hit by their own items. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-airline-security-measures/522704.md?page=2)