Flying the Friendly Skies

After the foiling of the bombing plot to destroy airplanes flying from the UK to the US, security experts are saying that the real security measures that we need to actually prevent a plane bombing would drastically change how we travel in the air. Already any liquid, gel or cream is banned on flights and the experts are saying more needs to be done.

When we flew from the UK to the US earlier this summer, it seemed like security in the UK was as strict but better integrated into the system than it was when we changed planes in Chicago. In the UK we were scanned etc. (without having to take our shoes off) and our tickets and items were checked several times prior to boarding. When we changed planes in Chicago, we had to enter the domestic terminal and go through security again which was a far different scene. The security agents were screaming at passengers and we apparently missed the bark that told us we had to have our boarding passes for the THIRD time in the security line. We got yelled at and well, we felt like terrorists or at least some sort of common criminal and have never been more insulted in our lives.

I know that they have to keep the skies safe and that airlines seem to be an easy and common target for terrorists because of the number of people in a small space and the relative vulnerability of the passengers aboard. Still, there still has to be some technological way to secure the planes without having to dehumanize the passengers by making them all feel like common criminals. With the new threats and security measures, I dread the next time I have to fly anywhere and have to subject myself to the screenings. I love to travel but, hate to fly.

And that is Today's Warm and Fuzzy Thought.