Poll: Will New Travel Restrictions Impact Your Plans?
In the aftermath of the terrorism attempt on an international flight on Friday, there are new restrictions on airline travel, reports The New York Times. While these restrictions are pretty vague, various airlines are taking steps that include limiting passengers to only one carry-on item, asking them to remain in their seats for the last hour of flight without any personal items (including electronics) on their laps, and more.
The Transportation Security Administration issued a pretty ambiguous statement, which is going to result in extra time for check-in. Now that isn’t going to help travelers, but an extra hour is worth our safety. Nevertheless, it’s going to be tough for people on the go. I, for one, plan to be smart about my flight plans — traveling only when I absolutely must. How is this going to impact your travel plans?
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Thanks for the news about what TSA has planned, but your comment …”Now that isn’t going to help travelers, but an extra hour is worth our safety. “… seems less cynical and informed than I normally hear from GigaOM.
I’ll let others (insurance actuaries) decide if an extra hour is worth ‘our safety’. Perhaps if additional safety were really provided it would be. But all this amounts to is more evolved security theater. We are not protected, just inconvenienced and pacified.
Security experts such as Bruce Schneier (http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/12/separating_expl.html), have acknowledged for years that a majority of TSA measures pacify us and at best protects us from copycats.
TSA doesn’t seem to understand how to skate to the puck. At some point we’ll realize that what we give up isn’t worth the limited, and probably mostly ineffective, protection.
Greg
I don’t go anywhere I can’t drive my pickup truck.
Smart man — I am pretty much of the same opinion except it is cabs/walking or public transport for me.
I am wondering where the restrictions will end. Shoes, liquids, now electronics. The bad guys will find one way or the other to do bad things, and they will keep finding holes, no matter how tight the security. It’s the good guys who will suffer not only during the ‘incident’, but for years and years after that. In a way, the bad guys always win. Even if they are stopped from carrying out the immediate attack, like on Christmas Day 2009, the resulting fear and inconvenience to the average people that goes on for years and years is pretty much a win for the bad guys.
You have summed it up perfectly. That my friend is the unfortunate tragedy of our modern lives.
“traveling only when I absolutely must” .. that’s the America I was born and raised in.
er, rather, that’s NOT the America I was born and raised in.
As a brown man, you can bet you will be profiled and get some hostile stares from fellow passengers. I remember instances well into 2005 and 2006 when I would get “horrified” glances from flight attendants and many passengers if I used my iPod or laptop or even got up to use the restroom.
Om, as a fellow brown man pls. avoid air travel.
TSA works according to stereotypes and not security knowledge. They have a lot to learn yet. Once I told a TSA agent about a full line of people skipping security checks because some logistics problem at the gateway and as a response I was called aside for further checking!!! Next time I know I need to say nothing and take the risk of a terrorist taking advantage of such situation or I will be under scrutiny. That is what they call security screens.
We are safer now because passengers now realized that it isn’t “some one else’s job” to watch for danger on the plan.
All the restrictions from the TSA are pointless and annoying. It is also extremely costly to the US economy to discourage travel so much.
-Wayne
Hello Om, Happy Holidays and thank you for exploring this topic. These added security measures will take it’s toll on the flying public but have little effect on a committed terrorist, the US should adopt the Israeli method of behavioral profiling, this is done with every passenger and their track record speaks volumes to it’s success. Our TSA is implementing this to a degree with BDO’s- Behavioral Detection Officers that are trained to observe for certain behavior that would prompt more stringent examination before you allow that individual on the aircraft, BDO’s are not in all airports, but in my opinion they should be. In the meantime flying has become an uncomfortable task as opposed to the wonderful experience it was in it’s early days, Om like you, until we see more unobtrusive and intel based security methods deployed here I will restrict my flying only to the most urgent of trips.
since the attempted shoe bombing incident we have had to remove our shoes at the security checkpoint. this latest incident involved explosives sown into underwear. logic can tell you what is coming next in the security lines. LOL!
I think this came up once on Bill Maher. They were talking about what would happen if a woman hid an explosive in her bra. Would all women be required to take off their bras and be checked?
War is not only about Physical warfare (bombs, guns …) today more important than ever is the Psychological warfare (changing peoples minds).
Now the question is which warfare do you have to win to change the society of any given country.
Physical or Psychological?
Looks to me like we are already changing our society.