Linux thought Drinks on a Plane
Aug 10

The end of air travel?

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As a result of the latest alleged foiling of a terrorist plot, new restrictions have been placed on airline travelers flying between the UK and US. Specifically:

  • No laptops.
  • No PDAs.
  • No iPods or other electronic audio or video players.
  • No books.
  • No cameras.
  • No beverages or other liquids.

As someone used to flying, I don’t set foot on a plane without at least a book, an audio player to drown out the screaming children, and a large bottle of water. Now, they say everything on the above list must be checked in to the hold.

An 8 hour flight, plus 2+ hours at the airport, with no music, no video games, not even a paperback book? Check my SLR and laptop in, so the baggage throwers can destroy them or steal them, like they stole my iPod charger and camera charger? Are they insane?

Yet according to the BBC, they’re thinking about whether to make these restrictions permanent. If they do, I think the airline industry is finished. I can’t imagine voluntarily flying anywhere with those restrictions in place.

I’ve had some pretty hellish flights. Like being trapped for 4 hours on a motionless plane stuck on the runway with no air conditioning. Like flying across the Atlantic, with the ‘flu, on a plane full of cheerleaders. (Really.) Try to make me go through something like that with no books and no music and I’d be a wreck.

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3 Responses to “The end of air travel?”

  1. dan4th Says:
    August 10th, 2006 at 09:12 -0600

    Don’t think of it as the end of air travel… think of it as the rebirth of the road trip. :-| With the Prius, at $3.50/gallon, it would cost us about $315 in gas to come visit you, as opposed to $520 for two airline tickets.

    WIth the extra time at security, the 38 hours each way doesn’t seem unreasonable either. :P

  2. dan4th Says:
    August 10th, 2006 at 09:48 -0600

    My friend novalis has written to say he won’t knuckle under to these shenanigans. I have too.

    TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov

  3. Jon Hopkins Says:
    August 11th, 2006 at 01:47 -0600

    I was meant to be flying back from London to Scotland yesterday evening and managed to get myself on a train instead.

    Door to door it was about 7 hours instead of 4.5 hours but I spent that time in one place, with a seat, a table and a chance to stretch my legs, had my iPod, book, PSP and the food and drink i’d grabbed on the way.

    i won’t do it when i’m commuting down early in the morning but I’ll give it serious though coming back as all in all it was a far nicer experience.

    this is the age of the train…