Will we be treated like criminals who haven't commited a crime yet?

[Joe Cool]

Trust me, I'm not exactly hyperventilating about this, but at this point, I'm Joe Uncool.

Last time I flew was the second week of August, and the security procedures at the airports I was at were pretty much ho-hum, 'wouldja like fries with that', etc. Since 9/11, i hear air travel horror stories about perfectly normal people being almost strip-searched in an apparent waste of time and effort, sometimes made to miss their flights. At times, I've heard of shifty airport security personnel ordering passengers in terminals to unpack their bags on sight...if they 'look' like there is something 'suspicious' in there. What about those 'random luggage searches' i've heard about? I wear stuff on my head a lot...i.e., visors, my lucky blue bandana, etc. Will I have to take it off and keep it off in the air terminal area? Is it like a rule for passengers not to wear hats in airports now!? I'm going down the week before Easter (3/23 - 3/31)...should I prepare to forfeit privacy in my luggage? Honestly you guys, I'm considering FedExing my stuff to the hotels in advance, kind of like how I mailed my laundry home a year ago. I also want to bring my guitar with me...will that sort of thing, um, fly? Or, do I have to look into mailing that as well? I'm being a spaz, I know, but better now than later. And...how early are we supposed to get to the airports? How long are the lines? Uh...can we carry ANYTHING on the plane? At all?

JC

 

[n2mm]

I flew late October and security was just fine. Flew out of Washington DC (Dulles). Security/Screeners were very professional and pleasant to deal with. Things were even better out of MCO. My daughter has flown several times recently and no one should lose any sleep over this. These folks are just doing the best they can do to keep us as safe as possible. Let them do their jobs and cooperate. My daughter was recently selected for the ultimate screening and had to be hand-scanned. Not a big deal she said, she just didn't make eye contact with the other flyers who were rubber-necking. Better safe than sorry. My husband wears his grumpy hat on the plane, no problem. We even carried 3 pin bags on, which, of course, were inspected. Just note the new carry on rules, especially since a backpack is now considered a carry one, not a personal item. Most airlines are enforcing the 1 carryon and 1 personal items (i.e. purse, diaperbag, briefcase).

 

[seashoreCM]

The national guard should be inspecting suitcases, not just standing around like Toy Story characters.

Those long lines at the airport would have been prevented and people made a lot more confident about flying if the military stationed one soldier for every gate in the airport for the purpose of inspecting passengers and baggage.

More Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

The National Guard is not there to search luggage, passengars or perform routine security, they are there to Guard. IE: High end security.

 

[Bill From PA]

Joe,

I'm from Pa as you are and here's my take on making our next flight to MCO easy. We're not taking ANY carry-on bags or wearing anything other than what is called for on the ground in Orlando, which should be shorts and sneakers as we'll arrive @ 10:29 pm in Nov. The flight from PHL is 2.5 hrs give or take and I can do without my fanny pack for that long. There's little to be done about being randomly selected for a luggage check and I'd only FedEx stuff I'd be embarrassed to be seen with. We're not taking any of those items to the Land of Mickey! If you suspect that some of your garb might single you out for unwanted attention, don't wear it or accept the risk.



Bill From PA

 

[Minnie96]

At first, I hadn't given the added security measures a 2nd thought. However, my counsins traveled to St. Pete for Thanksgiving to visit my aunt, and that changed my perspective totally!

They have 4 kids, ages 7-12. At the Tampa airport for the flight home, the oldest was pulled aside and had her purse searched - not a huge deal, but c'mon...what harm could a 12-year old do?. The 2nd oldest (10) had a pocket full of quarters (courtesy of grandma), so he beeped when he went through the scanner. Instead of having him empty his pockets, they took him to another area and used the hand scanner. Again, they still didn't have him empty his pockets - instead they "patted him down". My cousins were occupied with keeping the other 3 kids and they carry-on's under control, so neither could follow right away, By the time my cousin's wife was able to get over there, her son was almost in tears! Again, what harm could a 10-year old do (not to mention the fact that security took him aside and did all of this w/o either parent being right there!)?

So now, I'm prepared for anything. I'm flying into the St. Pete area at the end of February, and was thinking of shipping my stuff ahead 'cause I hate checking luggage. However, I only have a 1-way ticket (I'm driving her back up to IL), and I'm sure with a one-way ticket, and no luggage, I'd really be scrutinized!

 

[MartDM]

I think that any person getting on a plane could do harm. Who's to say the 10 or 12 year old wouldn't be smuggling something for an adult? Should we let all children through unchecked just because they're kids? I think not! Especially if they set the alarm off because they didn't follow the rules and empty their pockets.

Heightened security is a fact of life and, if you ask me, long overdue. The sooner we all understand the reasons for it, accept it, and get used to traveling with an eye toward efficient security checks, the better off we'll be.

Frankly, I think people are getting far too dramatic about the security procedures. I've flown four times since 9/11 and have witnessed the increased security in a variety of airports. Nothing has been outrageous and nobody was violated. If you think your kids will be frightened by the checks, explain what they are ahead of time. You can even do a mock check so they'll understand how it works. You could even take them to the airport some time before your trip and let them observe the security drills.

This won't be changing anytime soon. Just keep your carry on items to a minimum and keep your personal items discreetly packed (say, in a zippered cosmetic bag) to avoid embarassment. The security checks need to continue and the tiny embarassment of having some stranger glance at my skivvies during a luggage check is a small price to pay in my opinion!

 

[Bill From PA]

Minnie,

Once at PHL and once at MCO my young daughter had her backpack searched while her older sister breezed through. This was well before 9/11, we're all WASPy looking folks and the only thing I can think of is that she was young and there was a Pink Floyd sticker on the pack. They were probably thinking drugs, not weapons. I have no problem with these searches as they keep the bad guys guessing.


Bill From PA

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Matt,
Well said!!!!!

 

[DVC-Don]

The national guard should be inspecting suitcases, not just standing around like Toy Story characters.

The National Guard is there to engage terroists who try to pull an operation like what happened in Rome.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

Terrorists have no age discrimination.

Change has always set the detectors off. after all it is metal.

 

[Brer boy]

Here go a few spoiled Americans again. About 3000 citizens were killed only 4 months ago and already some are complaining about a"waste of time and effort" and forfeiting their privacy. Joe Uncool, you were probably the first to complain about lax security right after the attack. Loosen your lucky blue bandana and relax. If I am flying with my family I don't care if it takes an extra three hours to make sure the plane is safe.

 

[Joe Cool]

Context, my good man.

I'm not complaining...sorry if that was what I let on. I was just telling y'all about something that I heard about. A waste of time and effort is, to me, detaining a person who has no intention (or profile) of hijacking a plane. I just want the flights down there to be as un-stressful for my Mom as they can be. Last time I flew commercial with her, one of the planes air conditioning didn't work right...she subsequently got a lupus attack, panicked and ran off the plane, leaving me to carry both our luggage (we carried EVERYTHING on the plane, this was August 10). We ended up on an 11 p.m. flight out from Indiana and didn't get home til' 2 or 3 a.m.. Ya. I didn't complain to her about it, but since we'll be traveling together again I...just want to be prepared.

Thanks for all the replies, you guys. If it was just me traveling with my friends or alone, I wouldn't even bat an eyelid over the increased security. But...my Mom tends to be kind of high-maintenance, and I find myself scrambling to make most of the maintenance look like no big deal. Seriously, sometimes, she feels really inferior when she has to explain her health concerns to people who don't understand. Recently, we were going to plan a trip to Jamaica. My parents got really excited about it; Mom has never been out of the country before, and the last time Dad was in Jamaica was in the 70's. I kind of let them do their thing with planning...but...they went to this tacky travel agent from Trinidad who wore way to much makeup and made my Mom feel like she was a terminally ill hospital patient. Whew. Mom came home in tears, and it took her two days (and 2 hours at the mall) to cheer up. Heh...whadayagonnado. I mean, there was nothing I could do about the travel agent being insensitive. However, my planning a trip like this with the Disney Cruise is mostly intended to let my mother feel like she can do what doctors have told her she can't...only with slight modifications. She is like, really happy now, but is kind of worried about getting sick in the airports again. I feel her pain, but I don't want to step on anyone's toes on here with my tone.

Anyway, my plan is for us to look WASPy, check 2 suitcases, each carry on 1 small bag, and relax. Both the checked bags will contain Mom's stuff, with some small items of mine stuck in. I'm debating whether to carry a backpack or one of those shoulder packs (big enough to carry a laptop). I'm going to pack my suitcase about a week before, and FedEx it to the Portofino Bay Hotel, along with probably my guitar. The guitar only if I can conveniently mail it home without taking extra time. I'll use the suitcase itself on the cruise, and the FedEx box will be mailed home before the cruise with my dirty laundry from the first 5 days in Orlando. Heh...anyone done this before? We're checking 1 more bag going home than coming down, and I'll use the extra space in my suitcase for stuff bought on the trip. Hope it works. Thanks you guys for the replies,

JC

 

[Brer boy]

Very well Joe. But how does anyone know who has an "intention" of hijacking a plane??? If that were possible, Sept 11 would never have happened, nor any incident. That problem is no one knows, so they do random searches, screenings, all the things needed to keep all travelers safe. Your flight should be safer for your mom with the added security, which is what the real goal of any travel should be: arrive safely to your destination. Good luck.

 

[MartDM]

Keep in mind that they aren't just looking for shady characters. In some airports they simply do an extensive check on every so many persons coming through security -- say every 10 people or something random like that.

I think you have a good plan for not drawing any suspicion upon yourself but that doesn't mean you won't be randomly selected. I have been randomly checked on 2 of the recent flights I've taken and I'm about as WASPy as they come. Because I expected security to be a bit more of a process, I only brought my purse & a book so the check was no big deal. The scanner hit on my watch, my jewelry, my shoes & each time I was simply asked to make the item setting it off available for inspection (ie-pull up my shirt sleeve so they could scan my bare arm with the watch to verify that was what set it off...pull the jewelry out from under my collar so they could make sure it wasn't dangerous, etc.)

However, that being said, I think your plan is a good one for minimizing the fuss should you or your Mom get selected; the less stuff you have to check the smoother and more quickly the check will go.

I can sympathize with you on your Mom being high maintenance...you should definitely have a chat with her prior to the trip and let her know that EVERYONE may be subject to a security check and it's NOTHING personal. Tell her to prepare to be checked and it'll be a nice surprise if you aren't selected.