Current Air Travel Restrictions: Thoughts?

[Applespider]

The problem with this reasoning is that triacetone triperoxide, the likely composition of the planned bombs, is made from two, clear liquids.

There's no test they could do to check that this was plain water? Fine, then let me buy water airside and take that onboard. I don't object to paying £1 at the WH Smith at the airport for a big chilled bottle. It's the £3 on the flight for a smaller warm bottle that takes the mick

 

[®îçhå®?]

That surprises me given that the US people donated more money per capita than most other countries' populations managed. That's a very condescending remark - just because a few of your mates didn't know tarring a nation with ignorance. I'll bet there were teenagers in the UK who had no idea what happened in New Orleans last year.

As for the restrictions, I think they'll have to become slightly more relaxed than currently. I can accept no unsealed containers of liquid - or only if contained in clear containers - but I can't recall the last time I got on a flight without a bottle of water - the airlines just don't give out enough for you to hydrate yourself. And they're going to have to let phones back too - how on earth are you supposed to sort out lost luggage if your phone and all your details are in it.

That is very true, I'm sorry for offending people but i have heard things like this a lot from friends going on holiday (but then i suppose you never really watch the news then). I daresay there were people who didnt know but i certainly did and felt bad too. In the UK, mothers have to test baby food before it is let on in case it is poisoned.

 

[IJ Reilly]

There's no test they could do to check that this was plain water? Fine, then let me buy water airside and take that onboard. I don't object to paying £1 at the WH Smith at the airport for a big chilled bottle. It's the £3 on the flight for a smaller warm bottle that takes the mick

I suppose they could make you drink some of it. Mmmm, acetone!

Are you really being charged for water on board? If this is the current policy on any airline, then they're going to have to change it, or a lot of people are simply not going to fly when they don't absolutely have to.

I also wouldn't mistake the current emergency/panic-driven policy for the final rules. The duty free shops in particular are really suffering now. More sensible/realistic rules will probably be developed pretty soon, I expect.

 

[emw]

Perhaps having people dump this stuff yesterday and even over the next couple of days makes some sense because they didn't know how widespread the plan was and this was a reasonable way of trying to prevent the plan in it's current iteration from being carried out.

However, moving forward, why couldn't terrorists just sew pouches of liquids into their clothing? Or wear fake fat suits or whatever?

Preventing people from bringing obvious liquids onto the plane now foils terrorists who don't watch the news or get the memo not to use last week's plan. But next week they'll have something new that won't involve sports drinks. In fact, if I were a terrorist I'd devise a plot that uses something so common, so seemingly benign, as a weapon that in order to prevent it's use, you'd have to shut down air travel or spend tremendous amounts of money installing prevention systems.

They wouldn't have to destroy anything and they'd still be able to cripple the air travel industry and with it a large contributor to the world's economic machine.

So do I think the restrictions make sense? Not after the initial "panic period" while they sorted out who did this. I think it's another knee-jerk reaction to a past problem that does little or nothing to prevent future mishaps.

It reminds me of the old joke where a guy walks into a doctor's office complaining of pain in the shoulder.

Patient: "It hurts when I do this..." *raises arm*
Doctor: "Then don't do that."

 

[Thanatoast]

I also wouldn't mistake the current emergency/panic-driven policy for the final rules. The duty free shops in particular are really suffering now. More sensible/realistic rules will probably be developed pretty soon, I expect.

You mean that soon I'll no longer have to go through the airport barefoot?

Yeah, I have little hope of reasonable flying rules being adopted any time soon. In fact, I've pretty much abandoned flying. I'll drive.

Until, of course, they start asking for my papers at the state border.

 

[Applespider]

Are you really being charged for water on board? If this is the current policy on any airline, then they're going to have to change it, or a lot of people are simply not going to fly when they don't absolutely have to.

To be fair, it depends on the airline. British Airways still give you complimentary drinks (alcohol included) on any of their operated flights for example

But many of the 'budget' airlines don't give you anything unless you pay for it although since they're generally short-haul flights, it's not a major issue.

 

[eenu]

AppleSpider

I have to comment on your tsunami post a few back. Well done to the USA for raising the money but you will actually find the US public were VERY late in finding out the info from their press. I have over 100 contacts in the states and it took one or two days for US news to report anything there. I was shocked how long it took compared to the BBC here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk

Again your Orleans comment, actually i believe the vast majority of the UK would have know about the Orleans incident thanks again to the BBC. I believe i knew before it occured (BBC Reports it was going to happen) and the minute it hit.

I think you were quick to react and a bit fierce though i agree that the poster you were commenting to was making a sweeping judgement. HOWEVER i do agree with the fact that unless the news directly affects the USA those guys get the news very late compared to most countrys.

Moral of the story....read the above site

 

[jsw]

you will actually find the US public were VERY late in finding out the info from their press

Completely and utterly false. It was all over the news here when it happened. I know because we had friends who were in Taiwan at the time and we were watching the news to find out what was going on. As soon as we woke up, we knew about it. There was no delay. I don't know where your 100 friends live, but they must not watch CNN or read any major newspaper. Or watch any local news.

Edit: for example, this story was following up on stories from the previous day; CNN's archives have broken links that far back, but links to no-longer-offered pages can be seen.

 

[Applespider]

eenu... I'm a Brit not an American so I'm very well aware of the BBC news site

My reference to New Orleans was to UK teenagers rather than the UK population as a whole since I know that Richard is relatively young and made a correlation as to the age of the Americans who might not have been aware of the tsunami.

If you read these boards regularly, you'll find that most of the Americans, who I'd say were a good cross-section of educated Americans, are pretty well informed on world events in a timely fashion. I know that several of my US friends were busy organising fundraising activities at the same time as London Underground started shaking buckets on the Tube.

Just as educated Brits tend to be reasonably well informed. However, I'd disagree that just because we have the Beeb, means that people know what's happening. Even within my office, there's a terrifying amount of ignorance about world affairs combined with an equally scary knowledge of all things celebrity or Big Brother.

 

[Sharewaredemon]

Man it sucks about phones but the only thing I can think of is having a system where the phones are checked before you board the plane, but are not anywhere near you, because a phone can be rigged to detonate a bomb.

The way I see it, if you are allowed to check a phone you should be allowed to do my system, as the phone is not in the reach of the owner during the flight either way, so if there was a timer or whatever, it would be able to go off either way.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Until, of course, they start asking for my papers at the state border.

Why, aren't they in order?

 

[BoyBach]

In the end, I think economics will put an end to all of these disruptions and prohibitions on hand luggage.

The airlines and airports need a quick turnaround on flights, simply because empty planes cost a lot more to 'run' than planes full of passengers. Since queues of people having to prove that their babies rattle-toy and milk are not a 'risk' to any passengers or that the magazine or book in their bag is not a weapon slows the check-ins far too much. All the while an empty plane sits idle on the runway when it could be in the air, clearing the runway ready for the next plane to arrive or depart.

But even more critical to the airlines are the business people who pay mega-bucks to fly Business Class. These are the most 'profitable' seats on the plane and they will not be wanting to fly with their laptop computers and other 'mobile office' equipment being taken away from them, not allowing them to work as they fly.

So whilst we all want to be safe in the air, the current situation cannot continue for longer than a few days. It's simply too expensive.

Plus, we'd be giving the terrorist's a 'victory' by changing our 'open and free' lifestyles because of their actions.

 

[®îçhå®?]

eenu... I'm a Brit not an American so I'm very well aware of the BBC news site

My reference to New Orleans was to UK teenagers rather than the UK population as a whole since I know that Richard is relatively young and made a correlation as to the age of the Americans who might not have been aware of the tsunami.

If you read these boards regularly, you'll find that most of the Americans, who I'd say were a good cross-section of educated Americans, are pretty well informed on world events in a timely fashion. I know that several of my US friends were busy organising fundraising activities at the same time as London Underground started shaking buckets on the Tube.

Just as educated Brits tend to be reasonably well informed. However, I'd disagree that just because we have the Beeb, means that people know what's happening. Even within my office, there's a terrifying amount of ignorance about world affairs combined with an equally scary knowledge of all things celebrity or Big Brother.

Totally agree applespider and sorry if i was too broad in my generalisation. Yes, I too think that the knowledge of Big Brother is too much. I prefer to watch the news than some truly crazy people (mostly Nikki) make total fools of themselves on camera. I personally regard myself as rather up-to-date with world affairs watching the news at least twice a day.