CoasterBuzz Podcast #179 posted

It never ceases to amaze me how complacent most people have become to these (for the most part) unnecessary rituals. The issue for me wasn't lack of knowledge about the rules. It was that I didn't know I had this item in my purse in the first place.

It's fortunate that you don't use that many liquid/cream/gel type items and have no problem fitting them in a quart-sized bag. That's not the case for everyone. Think about all the items that people may use that fall into that category (contact solutions, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, shaving cream, etc. and that's not even getting into discretionary cosmetic items like hair gels or facial washes which are the first to be excluded in order to fit the regulations) And being forced to check luggage for a weekend trip is silly.

Isn't a big issue though the differing levels of travel experience? I know a lot of people who fly all the time. Since 9-11, I have been on less than 5 flights. My first post 9-11 flight was 3 years ago and at that point, all of the new security procedures were totally new to me but other folks had been used to them for 5 or 6 years. Most folks around me knew what to do at the checkpoints but it was all new to me. What has become second nature to them was and is not to me. And to the extent there are airport by airport variations or changes that happen from time to time in general procedures, frequent air travelers are much more likely to know them than infrequent flyers.

And I agree that much behind the security procedures is theater. It makes people feel better because they are doing something. Much like it makes parents (most typically moms) feel better to put a hat on their kids in the winter to prevent colds. And a lot of the rules are incredibly silly to me but some of that is due to the infrequency with which I fly.

It never ceases to amaze me how complacent most people have become to these (for the most part) unnecessary rituals.

Take one or two trips a month, every month, and it gets pretty easy to deal with pretty quickly---just like anything, you habituate. And, still, the US is relatively easy to get through/out of compared to some of the international trips I've taken. I got grilled on my most recent entry to Canada (Canada!) much harder than I ever have returning to the US. I'm also not particularly fond of the inquisition one gets at AMS/Schiphol before boarding a US-bound flight. My last flight out of London Gatwick, a few years ago, had not one but *two* different security checks comparable to or more thorough than what one does in the US.

The issue for me wasn't lack of knowledge about the rules. It was that I didn't know I had this item in my purse in the first place.

Well, whose fault is that?

Don't get me wrong, I don't think most of these actually matter much. But, it still takes two to tango, and you could have spent a few minutes going through your purse before flying to check to see what you might/might not have, just as you might check your prockets for loose change before going through the magnetometer.

It's fortunate that you don't use that many liquid/cream/gel type items and have no problem fitting them in a quart-sized bag. That's not the case for everyone....And being forced to check luggage for a weekend trip is silly.

I'm married to one of those people. But, for a weekend---even a long weekend---she can do without some of the more esoteric bits of the morning regimen without permanent scarring.

Carrie's accidental carrying of contraband isn't the same as people who just don't have a clue. I'm sorry, but as much as the TSA sucks, they're pretty big on signage, and the airlines are all fairly proactive about reminding you about security procedures. So are the travel booking Web sites. This is not exactly a new and unexpected world at this point.

I like that here at SEATAC they've got different lines for different experience levels and groups. Sure, it's voluntary, but people seem pretty honest about it. One is for "experienced travelers," another for "families and the elderly" and another for "casual travelers."

Carrie M. said:
It was because it wasn't in a clear one quart bag. That's ridiculous.

I agree, that is ridiculous. The people I saw last month were clearly over the limit even if it was in a bag. They had large bottles of lotion. They were obviously not aware of the rule in the least.

Carrie M. said:
It never ceases to amaze me how complacent most people have become to these (for the most part) unnecessary rituals.

Yeah, to me, that's the worst part of all the post-9/11 fallout. A lot of this "security" was questioned at the beginning, and those questions were met with but the terrorists will win! Now, we're just sort of going along with the asinine process, apparently assuming that it's saving lives (and Amurrikah!) in the process.

Rather than spending millions of dollars confiscating plastic bottles (which are made from oil, by the way), perhaps we should be exploring actual helpful methods of keeping flights as safe as reasonably possible.

Jeff said:
I like that here at SEATAC they've got different lines for different experience levels and groups.

That's cool. If you've seen the movie "Up in the Air" with George Clooney, you'd know what I do. When approaching the lines for the metal detectors, he scans each line trying to decide which one is filled with people who won't slow him down as much. Similar to the system Jeff mentioned at SEATAC.

Well, the significance of my accidental contraband isn't really that I wasn't following rules, regardless of what you're thinking about it, Brian. The significance is that I was able to take said contraband on three flights before it was intercepted. And that includes the international flights. Something's wrong with the process when that happens.

And while I agree that I and anyone else can do without some of our cosmetic comforts without scarring, why the hell should we? Especially given it's only for the purpose of preserving the asinine appearance of safety.

The US may be easy to get into and out of for you, the American citizen, but I'm not sure that's the case for those foreign to our country. Just as you had issues entering countries for which you don't hold citizenship, the same is likely true for entry to the US.

It's the habituation of our culture that frightens me most about it. It seems we'll pretty much accept anything.

Jason Hammond said:
That's cool. If you've seen the movie "Up in the Air" with George Clooney, you'd know what I do. When approaching the lines for the metal detectors, he scans each line trying to decide which one is filled with people who won't slow him down as much. Similar to the system Jeff mentioned at SEATAC.

I do that at store checkout lines all the time. You look at the customers in line, whats in their carts and the checkout clerks running the lines to determine which line will be fastest.

Given that we're on a coaster site and most of us could probably write books on how to make the most out of multiple lines, I would be surprised if someone didn't scan the security lines and try to predict their movement.

It's not unlike the grocery store. See the woman with two 8-year-olds in tow, you can almost assume that she's going to have them buy their candy separately (three transactions instead of one). Avoid that line at all costs.

I have been told (veracity not guaranteed) that TSA does indeed "intentionally switch things up" a little bit in terms of how security checks occur - to keep people from doing reconnaisance. Would-be evildoers would have a harder time getting around security measures if they don't know specifically WHAT security measures will be in effect at any given time/place....or so goes the theory.

I think here in Charlotte they recently added the "low-medium-high" experience level security lines too along with the full body image scanners. I haven't flown anywhere for a while but I can only imagine what an improvement it would make, especially for families with small children who feel the pressure of others behind them forcing them to move faster.

One thing that I just don't get is why do people bring practically everything with them on a plane, including the kitchen sink it feels like?!? I hear from my flight attendant friends all the time the major issues this causes with people bringing way too much crap on airplanes. Any of us who have been a ride operator know it carries over to that as well. I can't tell you how many times I would be checking restraints on a busy day with multiple trains running and all I want to do is yell "come on all ready, give me a friggin break!" with all the junk people try to sneak on rides. That goes to show why so many parks have cracked down and gone the pay locker route.

Jeff said:
I've flown through CAK a few times, and yes they enforce the normal rules (I'm kind of surprised you weren't already aware of the "3-1-1" rule), but they were always reasonably friendly about it.

I was aware of the 3-1-1 rule. My traveling partner obviously was not. My point was that enforcement isn't consistent from one airport to another.

I responded to the podcast but under the topics news page.

Group wants to revive Whalom Park

I was happy to hear that the project is looked upon positively. There should be more news coming n the next couple weeks.