Honestly, is it necessary to search an 80 year old woman who is in a wheelchair? Should the Transportation Safety Administration personnel be frisking down an old man that can barely walk without the assistance of a walker? Instead, maybe it should be just a quick once over with the security wand while treating them with some respect and dignity.
Sure, security at the airports needs to be vigilant but it does not need to be ridiculous as well. Please don’t tell me that it has to be random for the sake of being politically correct.
Bull crap! People that can barely walk, that are decrepit and frail, and that are using portable oxygen to breath are not terrorists. Don’t hassle the hard working retired Americans that have been law abiding citizens all their lives.
I went ahead and got a Clear card just to bypass the long queues at some airport security check points. The Clear card is an annual fee based membership that allows the user to go down a special, short line to clear security. You still go through the metal detector but it much faster and less painful.
In order to get a Clear card you have to fill out some lengthy personal information and it goes to Homeland Security for approval. Once approved, you are issued a card that has a biometric chip in it which your finger prints and eye scan information are embedded in it.
It does help bypass the sometimes very large security queues especially in places like Orlando. Lines are often filled with families, morons and complete idiots; airline personal often call some of these people the “Clampetts”, a reference to the family in the old television show the “The Beverly Hillbillies”.
Come on, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you should take off all the metal on your person when going through a “metal” detector. Yes, the large Mercedes Benz automobile hood ornament hanging around your neck on a bicycle chain and other bling-bling will in fact set off the detector alarm. The same goes for large rodeo belt buckles, garish jewelry, pocket knives, dozens of bracelets on each wrist, and, oh yeah, guns!!
It’s truly sad that people leave there brains at home when they travel. I have seen numerous times where a passenger gets on board a flight and thinks that they are sitting in first class only to hear the flight attendant tell the person; “Your seat is 35A not 3A!”
Won’t you actually be aware of the fact that you’re in coach and not first class?! It seems that many people are just trying to get more then they paid for which is becoming more typical of our society in general – the entitlement crowd as I like to call it.
By the way, sitting in first class really doesn’t mean that you can suck down as much alcohol as possible because it’s free. Getting hammered and making a spectacle out of yourself is not okay for the descent people sitting around you. And vomiting on yourself or anyone else in puking distance because you drank too much is also a socially unacceptable. Trust me I have seen it!!
Parents should not be allowed to bring inappropriate toys on board a flight for their children. I found it appalling that a couple brought a Fisher Price wooden toy on for their son so he could pound a peg, repeatedly, into a hole with a wooden mallet for three hours. They thought the little monster was cute, but in reality he wasn’t and they were amazingly inconsiderate of the other passengers.
It’s also not okay to bring drums or any other musical instrument, balls, remote controlled cars, loud toys, or let your children wonder aimlessly around the cabin. And for God’s sake, use the bathroom on board the plane to change you kids diaper not your seat in the cabin; soiled diaper stink! That’s not cute or adorable and only showcases the lack of common sense in the parents.
Lately, I’ve gotten to a point where I now wear what I refer to as “pajamas” when flying long haul flights to Europe or Asia. Those “pajamas” are a pair of flannel lounge pants a long sleeve pullover and a pair of slip on deck shoes; essentially I have no metal on me at all except for my watch. It’s not only comfortable but it allows me to glide through the security check points more easily without having to take off half my clothes like some people seem to do.
I also bring a nice pair of Bose headphones with me to at least drown out any unwanted noises regardless of which cabin you happen to be in.
Service has generally gone down hill across the board, and many of the airlines personal just don’t care because they’ve been screwed into the ground with pay cuts and many are just praying they make it to retirement before their carrier goes bankrupt, again.
Nope, air travel today is a shadow of what it was just twenty years ago. It now seems on par with what Grayhound or Trailways bus travel was probably like forty years ago; nothing more then a long metal container that you are herded onto and trapped for a set period of time. The bumpy roads are replaced with turbulence and it is still a roll of the dice when it comes to the passenger that is assigned the seat next to you.
If the financial crisis is any indication of what happens to a house of cards; it’s only a matter of time before the entire airline business collapses. Airlines are losing millions a day and are in the mode of nickel and diming passengers to death. Charging for extra baggage, pillows, blankets, and food is petty and should be included in the cost of the ticket.
How about this for a business model; charge what it actually costs per seat plus profit to fly from point “A” to point “B”including the $7.00 for the snack box. This will do two things; it will bring the airlines back to financial health and it will weed out the Clampetts which will make air travel a bit more bearable.
Dave Bossert- Commentary
Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.