With the recent developments that occurred in the UK, I am very curious as to what will become of air travel these days. There's a few questions that have popped up in my mind that I'd like to discuss.
First up, Carry on luggage. I don't understand the logic anymore in placing restrictions on what you can/can't bring on a plane with you. From what I've read, the terrorists were planning on using a "British sports drink" and a "Gel-like substance" which once mixed in the plane, could be used as an explosive. Of course, the TSA goes and bans all liquids, gels, pastes, etc from being carried on a plane with you. This takes care of that situation of course, but in no way solves the problems. If terrorists found a way to take what seems to be two inconspicuous substances and turn them into an explosive capable of taking down a plane, what's to say they don't know of many other methods to do the same.
Like I said in another post, I kind of don't like thinking that the airport security agencies JUST realized that there was a possible way to make bombs out of such seemingly innocent liquids. If they didn't know, who is not doing their job here? If they did know, are they just gambling our lives hoping that terrorists don't find out how to do so, and just time it perfectly so that they ban all liquid carry ons in time to foil a terrorist plot? Also, why wouldn't the bomb detection protocols detect this deadly cocktail. I don't buy that the gel like substance would be undetectable... and well if it was, well then sadly our technology is getting outdated by terrorists.
My point? It's just stupid to go banning item by item in reaction to intelligence. Tomorrow terrorists will have found how to make laptop batteries into explosives, so they'll ban all batteries from planes. Did we not know that this was possible before hand? Is our intelligence not up to par with theirs to know about possible combinations of materials that can be turned into explosives? To me, it seems that the only real (read: complete) solution to this problem is to ban carry on items all together.
This is of course a major problem and in no way a viable solution. The current airport infrastructure can barely support the baggage load that we are placing on it today. If we stop carry on allowance, ALL baggage will have to go through the infrastructure and we know what a pain in the fucking ass that is (I flew today, still bitter about the 1.5 hour wait for my bag). This would cripple the airline industry quite a bit, and make flying an inefficient method of transportation for minor flights.
I think that air travel is getting out dated due to the changing times, and I sure as heck hope that the more agile, nimble technologies (smaller planes, quicker air travel, look for it on the news) takes over the clunky, old, massive days of jumbo jets. Leave those for international travel, when I have 3 hours of my life to waste so that you can be sure I won't try and take the plane down.
This kind of brings me to my next point... what is it about aircraft that makes them so attractive to terrorists and so seemingly unsafe for us travellers. What is it about flying that makes us take these extreme measures to protect our skies? I'm sure it has to do with the fact that air travel is a stressful/scary experience for many, and part of the efficiency of terrorism is, well, inciting terror in the people. But so why have we let it become this?
I don't think any of us share the same fear in being blown out of the sky by a sports-drink wielding terrorist... compared to being blown up in a good old fashioned building bombing. It seems that there is something inherently dangerous about air travel, when really there isn't, and we let it grow out of proportion. An average jet packs what, 150 people? Your average corporate building has many more than that and is an even easier target than an airplane. Yet even if the plane has a warning light come on and has to make an emergency landing, it seems like a bigger deal to all of us.
I really do think it's just that air travel has been made into a monster. I mean seriously, think about it. The airport is a daunting place. Theres massive crowds of people, lots of activity going on. Lots of noise, no real sense of control ever (planes are late, baggage is lost, no idea where to go sometimes). The whole ordeal takes around 4 hrs of BS time (check-in, security, boarding, waiting for plane, etc) and that's not even counting real travel time. You're hungry, you're thirsty, everything in the damn terminal costs an arm and a leg. You finally get on the plane and you're already irritated even if things have been uneventful so far. And now you have to strap yourself to the most uncomfortable seat ever which restricts all of your movement. Then we get the whole act on safety on the plane, and even if you're not afraid of flying, you know that should anything happen and you were to have to remember these instructions, you're probably doomed. The whole experience is just overly complicated and stressful when it really shouldn't be. Only when you land and get out of the airport do things start to feel better.
I travel about 2-3 times per month, and I can say I'm not afraid of flying but there is one thing that does make me uneasy and it is that I am defenseless on a plane. If somehow the terrorists outwitted security and brought along a pair of scissors and some explosive device, I know that I am fucked. I have no viable weapon to defend myself. No room for maneuver. My guns are all back and locked up at home. My sharp objects are either at home or in checked luggage. There is absolutelly nothing to do. It doesn't help either that there are only one or two people that can fly the plane to safety should the unthinkable happen. This is what stresses me out the most, and what I'm sure terrorists know in the end. On that plane, they have free reign. No one is gonna pull a gun on them. No one is gonna try and defend themselves. Once they take out those pilots, it's all going downhill from there.
So what happens now is truly a mystery to me. Airtravel will only keep getting more of a pain in the ass day by day, and at some point we're not gonna want to take it anymore. It takes me about 8 hours to drive from Dallas, TX to Monterrey, MX to visit my dad whenever I want. I can take all the bags I can fit in my car, and I can stop to eat real food anywhere on the way. With the new restrictions and lead times I need to leave on time, it would take me about 6-7 hours to do the same on plane (2.5 hrs pre departure, 2 hrs flight time, 1 hour to get my bags, clear customs, arrive home... and that's assuming everything is on time) and costs me 3-4 times more. I don't see a reason to take a fucking plane anymore.
Terrorists are slowly taking control of airtravel and I don't like it one bit.
First up, Carry on luggage. I don't understand the logic anymore in placing restrictions on what you can/can't bring on a plane with you. From what I've read, the terrorists were planning on using a "British sports drink" and a "Gel-like substance" which once mixed in the plane, could be used as an explosive. Of course, the TSA goes and bans all liquids, gels, pastes, etc from being carried on a plane with you. This takes care of that situation of course, but in no way solves the problems. If terrorists found a way to take what seems to be two inconspicuous substances and turn them into an explosive capable of taking down a plane, what's to say they don't know of many other methods to do the same.
Like I said in another post, I kind of don't like thinking that the airport security agencies JUST realized that there was a possible way to make bombs out of such seemingly innocent liquids. If they didn't know, who is not doing their job here? If they did know, are they just gambling our lives hoping that terrorists don't find out how to do so, and just time it perfectly so that they ban all liquid carry ons in time to foil a terrorist plot? Also, why wouldn't the bomb detection protocols detect this deadly cocktail. I don't buy that the gel like substance would be undetectable... and well if it was, well then sadly our technology is getting outdated by terrorists.
My point? It's just stupid to go banning item by item in reaction to intelligence. Tomorrow terrorists will have found how to make laptop batteries into explosives, so they'll ban all batteries from planes. Did we not know that this was possible before hand? Is our intelligence not up to par with theirs to know about possible combinations of materials that can be turned into explosives? To me, it seems that the only real (read: complete) solution to this problem is to ban carry on items all together.
This is of course a major problem and in no way a viable solution. The current airport infrastructure can barely support the baggage load that we are placing on it today. If we stop carry on allowance, ALL baggage will have to go through the infrastructure and we know what a pain in the fucking ass that is (I flew today, still bitter about the 1.5 hour wait for my bag). This would cripple the airline industry quite a bit, and make flying an inefficient method of transportation for minor flights.
I think that air travel is getting out dated due to the changing times, and I sure as heck hope that the more agile, nimble technologies (smaller planes, quicker air travel, look for it on the news) takes over the clunky, old, massive days of jumbo jets. Leave those for international travel, when I have 3 hours of my life to waste so that you can be sure I won't try and take the plane down.
This kind of brings me to my next point... what is it about aircraft that makes them so attractive to terrorists and so seemingly unsafe for us travellers. What is it about flying that makes us take these extreme measures to protect our skies? I'm sure it has to do with the fact that air travel is a stressful/scary experience for many, and part of the efficiency of terrorism is, well, inciting terror in the people. But so why have we let it become this?
I don't think any of us share the same fear in being blown out of the sky by a sports-drink wielding terrorist... compared to being blown up in a good old fashioned building bombing. It seems that there is something inherently dangerous about air travel, when really there isn't, and we let it grow out of proportion. An average jet packs what, 150 people? Your average corporate building has many more than that and is an even easier target than an airplane. Yet even if the plane has a warning light come on and has to make an emergency landing, it seems like a bigger deal to all of us.
I really do think it's just that air travel has been made into a monster. I mean seriously, think about it. The airport is a daunting place. Theres massive crowds of people, lots of activity going on. Lots of noise, no real sense of control ever (planes are late, baggage is lost, no idea where to go sometimes). The whole ordeal takes around 4 hrs of BS time (check-in, security, boarding, waiting for plane, etc) and that's not even counting real travel time. You're hungry, you're thirsty, everything in the damn terminal costs an arm and a leg. You finally get on the plane and you're already irritated even if things have been uneventful so far. And now you have to strap yourself to the most uncomfortable seat ever which restricts all of your movement. Then we get the whole act on safety on the plane, and even if you're not afraid of flying, you know that should anything happen and you were to have to remember these instructions, you're probably doomed. The whole experience is just overly complicated and stressful when it really shouldn't be. Only when you land and get out of the airport do things start to feel better.
I travel about 2-3 times per month, and I can say I'm not afraid of flying but there is one thing that does make me uneasy and it is that I am defenseless on a plane. If somehow the terrorists outwitted security and brought along a pair of scissors and some explosive device, I know that I am fucked. I have no viable weapon to defend myself. No room for maneuver. My guns are all back and locked up at home. My sharp objects are either at home or in checked luggage. There is absolutelly nothing to do. It doesn't help either that there are only one or two people that can fly the plane to safety should the unthinkable happen. This is what stresses me out the most, and what I'm sure terrorists know in the end. On that plane, they have free reign. No one is gonna pull a gun on them. No one is gonna try and defend themselves. Once they take out those pilots, it's all going downhill from there.
So what happens now is truly a mystery to me. Airtravel will only keep getting more of a pain in the ass day by day, and at some point we're not gonna want to take it anymore. It takes me about 8 hours to drive from Dallas, TX to Monterrey, MX to visit my dad whenever I want. I can take all the bags I can fit in my car, and I can stop to eat real food anywhere on the way. With the new restrictions and lead times I need to leave on time, it would take me about 6-7 hours to do the same on plane (2.5 hrs pre departure, 2 hrs flight time, 1 hour to get my bags, clear customs, arrive home... and that's assuming everything is on time) and costs me 3-4 times more. I don't see a reason to take a fucking plane anymore.
Terrorists are slowly taking control of airtravel and I don't like it one bit.