We elderly people remember when one could walk up to an aircraft that was loading passengers for takeoff. There were no security personnel in sight. Flying commercially was a relaxed experience. The airline great pride in serving excellent in-flight hot meals. Everything during the flight was free except alcoholic beverages.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that has authority over the security of the traveling public in the United States. It was created as a response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The budget for 2015 exceeded $7 billion dollars. Traveling by commercial airlines has become a hassle.
Thousands of people in terminals across the nation wait in long lines to board their scheduled flight two or more hours late. That results in missing the next leg of their flight, which adds additional problems en route.
Surely, all individuals in commercial aviation management realize that the current situation is futile. In my opinion, the cost and delays are not making air travel safe. A large flight bag filled with explosives can be rolled into any terminal in the world and detonated by a determined person. The only alternative is to not allow flight bags at all. Each traveler would be limited to one or two carry bags.
Lou Barber
Ruston, La.