I'm very interested in travel. Most people who know me are aware of this. I love to travel, love seeing new places, but often hate flying to get to them. I have a very real fear of flying. Now, my fear doesn't stem from terrorists (I have a feeling that they aren't interested in our podunk Connecticut airport that much) or pat-downs or what have you. I'm just honestly uncomfortable flying in a glorified tin can at 35,000 feet in the air. Call me crazy, but that doesn't exactly seem normal to me. Too many things can go wrong with a plane, and at that height there is basicially nothing to do about it (Unless you have Captain Sully in the cockpit, of course, but he's retired now).
I've been reading about all the new goings-on with the airline industry almost every day now. I've heard about the new x-ray machines that show images of your body. I've read about pat-downs, and all the horror stories that go with them. This still isn't going to stop me from flying, however.
I think people are not getting most of the facts straight. Most pat-downs occur if you refuse to go through an x-ray machine. Or if you are wearing something that causes the machine to ding at the airport. Now, most people who fly should know not to wear their watches, jewelry, etc when going through one of those things. These are the people who slow down the line and cause backup. I still see people try to get through the line with huge bottles of soda or lotion. Where have these idiots been for the past 10 years???
I've heard arguments that people don't want to walk through the new scanners (which, not every airport has, mind you. You can find the complete list online if you want). They feel violated that their images are coming up on the machine. First of all: the person looking at the images is not even around you when you walk through it. There will be no eye contact, so thus no embarrassment. Second of all: these people want to get you in and out of there as quickly as possible. Do you think they are getting any excitement out of seeing these "neutered" images of you in ten seconds? Come on. The security line has to be the unsexiest place in the world!
Wouldn't you feel more violated if a terrorist got on your plane with some plastic explosive and, oh I don't know, blew you up at 25,000 feet in the air? I don't get people. They scream about safer airline security, and getting those terrorists, but they don't want to comply and do what they have to do to avoid situations like 9/11 or the 'shoe bomber.' Look at Israel. They have some of the best security over there. They even volunteered to help train the U.S. on better airport security after 9/11. And we said NO! Can you imagine? This is a country who knows a thing or two about terrorist threats and we demurred. Have you heard of Israel having any airline disasters lately? No, of course not. Because they know what they are doing, and aren't paying government workers minimum wage to search people at the airports.
If you do have something on you that makes the machine go ding, you can request a pat-down in public if you are scared to go off alone with a person. I'd much rather walk through the new imagining machine than get a pat-down of course, but I'll do my part and try to avoid wearing an underwire bra when I fly next time. *eye roll* I've had a pat-down before. Years ago my bra made the metal detector go off, and a woman had to wand me and just run her hands down my body. It was quick and professional, and I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I'm sure she wanted it over as quickly as possible too.
All I know is that our security is lacking in this country. If packages with explosives can still get on cargo planes undetected, and some people can get through security without i.d. (true story) then we have a problem. We need to protect ourselves the best we can. Now, I'm not saying all TSA workers are the friendliest of the lot (I had a guy in Texas harass me once because I had a small purse and a tote bag as a carry-on. I mean, come on. Don't you have anything better to do?), but their job pretty much sucks too. And I'm not going to give up seeing the world because I have to walk through an x-ray machine. I know there have been some bad incidents with the TSA people and pat-downs, which of course I don't agree with. The TSA needs some sensitivity training to deal with people and their medical conditions and so on. And no one wants their "junk" touched. But remember the jackass who tried to bring down the plane by lighting his underwear on fire? Yeah. That's why they search the area where your "junk" is.
I'm going to Vegas in a few months, and flying to Virginia this summer, and I don't care what I have to do to fly. I don't care if my "civil liberties" are being violated because of a pat-down. Because I won't have any liberties at all if some psycho gets on my plane and decides to do us all in. So please think about that the next time you are indignant that some TSA person wants to search your bag, or has to pat-you down because you made the metal detector go off.
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