2008 Woodie Awards
Airport security regulations frustrate travelers
Lauren Wickboldt
Issue date: 9/14/06 Section: Opinions
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Call me femme but I need to carry a rather long list of items with me on a plane-my makeup being one of the most important, second only to my iPod. Not only can makeup be smudged, sweated off or rubbed off during an in-flight nap, but what about when my luggage gets lost? Do they honestly think that I-or the people around me-can stand to go two or three days without even the slightest cover-up?
The new rules state that you can not bring anything that squirts, squeezes, drops, melts or swishes. Essentially, all liquids and gels are forbidden. Forget looks, can we talk about hydration? Sure, you could ask for 20 little bottles of water during your flight but wouldn't it be easier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly to just let me bring my Nalgene bottle full of water onto the plane? If it helps, I'll even take a sip. If it is an ingredient for a bomb, at least the guards will have a good laugh as I flop around on the floor, and if I don't, then clearly it is water.
I wouldn't mind it as much if I thought that the transportation security officials were actually doing all the other things they are supposed to be doing. For example, in my hometown there is a parking lot on top of the airport, just under a hotel that holds hundreds of tourists each day. After the attacks on September 11, they temporarily closed this lot (there are two others which are much larger but farther away). Eventually, they put two people at the entrance who looked in and under your car with a mirror to make sure you were not carrying a bomb. Six months later, these checkers disappeared and parking reopened. Even with the new rules about liquids, there is more security going into a restaurant in Baghdad than when you are about to fly on a jet plane loaded with fuel and over 200 people leaving from an international airport.
The rules affect airports as well as businesses. Half of those cute little stores that sell common travel items, including snacks and drinks, have had to close because fewer people are willing to spend money on things they have to finish before they get on the plane. Of course, that means that all the people that work in the airport shops are also now out of jobs.
If they are going to take drastic steps to try and prevent terrorist attacks, that is great. But really, my lip gloss? Come on! How about enforcing some rules that actually make sense, like not allowing knitting needles on airplanes, or confiscating scissors. In many ways, badly-administered airport security is worse than no airport security at all.
The new rules state that you can not bring anything that squirts, squeezes, drops, melts or swishes. Essentially, all liquids and gels are forbidden. Forget looks, can we talk about hydration? Sure, you could ask for 20 little bottles of water during your flight but wouldn't it be easier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly to just let me bring my Nalgene bottle full of water onto the plane? If it helps, I'll even take a sip. If it is an ingredient for a bomb, at least the guards will have a good laugh as I flop around on the floor, and if I don't, then clearly it is water.
I wouldn't mind it as much if I thought that the transportation security officials were actually doing all the other things they are supposed to be doing. For example, in my hometown there is a parking lot on top of the airport, just under a hotel that holds hundreds of tourists each day. After the attacks on September 11, they temporarily closed this lot (there are two others which are much larger but farther away). Eventually, they put two people at the entrance who looked in and under your car with a mirror to make sure you were not carrying a bomb. Six months later, these checkers disappeared and parking reopened. Even with the new rules about liquids, there is more security going into a restaurant in Baghdad than when you are about to fly on a jet plane loaded with fuel and over 200 people leaving from an international airport.
The rules affect airports as well as businesses. Half of those cute little stores that sell common travel items, including snacks and drinks, have had to close because fewer people are willing to spend money on things they have to finish before they get on the plane. Of course, that means that all the people that work in the airport shops are also now out of jobs.
If they are going to take drastic steps to try and prevent terrorist attacks, that is great. But really, my lip gloss? Come on! How about enforcing some rules that actually make sense, like not allowing knitting needles on airplanes, or confiscating scissors. In many ways, badly-administered airport security is worse than no airport security at all.
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