Airplane security is the most backwards thing I've ever experienced. They still don't allow liquids on the plane.
I had a bottle of water – actually, a fiji bottle (see my previous post about bottled water), but it was filled with tap so i'm ok. The guy says no liquids. I said, but sir, I'm DRINKING it, clearly it is not a) volatile b) poisonous or c) explosive. It also is not a snake. And it isn't a knife. It's a fucking bottle of water. No, they don't let me enjoy my NYC tap water on the plane. I get it... they're just following orders. But I don't feel safer on a plane where the security is instructed to simply follow a silly set of rules enacted AFTER the fact. What pisses me off is not that they don't allow liquids. Fine, certain liquids should not be allowed on board. But water?? There are obvious exceptions, one being that if you drink your liquid in front of security, it's probably safe to allow on board. Two, “no liquids” doesn't make us any safer on board. It simply inconveniences the fuck out of everyone for no good reason. El Al is the prime example of good security practices. You hire skilled people (not imbeciles), pay them real money (not 8.50/hr), and train them (real training, not “press this button, then press that button”). El Al has never had a hijacking. They deal with quite a bit more terrorist threat than America ever has but their security works. They never made you take your shoes off or confiscate beverages before boarding, but their security works. Why? Because have a little more common sense than we do. You do psychological assessments of people, profile (not racial profiling, terrorist profiling... looking for signs in facial gestures, motions, things like that). The American way completely fucked up the notion of security in an airplane by following terrorist tricks rather than catching them – ah, someone used a bomb in his shoe, now we don't allow shoes. Ah, someone used liquids to make a bomb... now we don't allow any liquids. I watched as the guy behind me had to open his bag. The woman took out his ziplock with small bottles of toiletries and eyed one that was a slightly larger bottle and unmarked.
“you can only have up to 3 oz of liquid. This doesn't say how many ounces it is, and i can't measure it, you can't take it.”
“but its less than 3 ounces, look at it, its not filling up that container, its only partially full” the guy protested.
“no, sorry”
she's following rules, its not her fault. But the rules don't serve anyone and don't make us any safer, just more pissed off.
I had a bottle of water – actually, a fiji bottle (see my previous post about bottled water), but it was filled with tap so i'm ok. The guy says no liquids. I said, but sir, I'm DRINKING it, clearly it is not a) volatile b) poisonous or c) explosive. It also is not a snake. And it isn't a knife. It's a fucking bottle of water. No, they don't let me enjoy my NYC tap water on the plane. I get it... they're just following orders. But I don't feel safer on a plane where the security is instructed to simply follow a silly set of rules enacted AFTER the fact. What pisses me off is not that they don't allow liquids. Fine, certain liquids should not be allowed on board. But water?? There are obvious exceptions, one being that if you drink your liquid in front of security, it's probably safe to allow on board. Two, “no liquids” doesn't make us any safer on board. It simply inconveniences the fuck out of everyone for no good reason. El Al is the prime example of good security practices. You hire skilled people (not imbeciles), pay them real money (not 8.50/hr), and train them (real training, not “press this button, then press that button”). El Al has never had a hijacking. They deal with quite a bit more terrorist threat than America ever has but their security works. They never made you take your shoes off or confiscate beverages before boarding, but their security works. Why? Because have a little more common sense than we do. You do psychological assessments of people, profile (not racial profiling, terrorist profiling... looking for signs in facial gestures, motions, things like that). The American way completely fucked up the notion of security in an airplane by following terrorist tricks rather than catching them – ah, someone used a bomb in his shoe, now we don't allow shoes. Ah, someone used liquids to make a bomb... now we don't allow any liquids. I watched as the guy behind me had to open his bag. The woman took out his ziplock with small bottles of toiletries and eyed one that was a slightly larger bottle and unmarked.
“you can only have up to 3 oz of liquid. This doesn't say how many ounces it is, and i can't measure it, you can't take it.”
“but its less than 3 ounces, look at it, its not filling up that container, its only partially full” the guy protested.
“no, sorry”
she's following rules, its not her fault. But the rules don't serve anyone and don't make us any safer, just more pissed off.
posted by Jeffro @ 10:10 PM
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