Airports and observations two years after 9/11

Well, I got back from my trip late last night and left for work late after having breakfast with my kids. By the strange intersection of travel and fate, I found myself driving down the same road (I-91) at almost exactly the same time than I had two years ago.

I was late for work that day too: I had to put the kids on the school bus because my wife had to leave early for a seminar in Worcester. At a little before 9 a.m., the first news reports started coming in that a “small plane” had struck the World Trade Center. By the time I arrived, the immediacy of the Internet made whole the enormity of the attacks. Today, the radio station I had on held a moment of silence at 8:46a.m.

The New York Times has a story today titled “Slip-On Shoes, Long Waits: Air Travelers Still Adjusting” about the changes at airports since 9/11. As for me, I’ve tried to avoid checking luggage in the past but bringing anything through the metal detectors has become a drawn-out chore. For the flight back to Bradley, I checked my duffel that contained a charger for my cell phone. Perhaps in hindsight, it wasn’t a good idea to stuff it into a sneaker, but at some point the TSA opened my bag for a look-see. They left the note saying “We looked in your bag” but then tie-wrapped all my zippers closed so that nothing could be opened without cutting them off. Thank heaven a traveling companion had a heavy-cut key to cut across the tie-wrap since my car keys were in that bag.

I’d never seen this technique before and I wondered if it had something to do with that dope who air-mailed himself to Texas. Are they worried about stowaways gaining access to luggage and assembling something from spare parts? I just can’t fathom why the TSA decided to lock down a duffel bag unless they were afraid somebody would get into it before landing.

Something to think about, I guess, in the aftermath of 9/11.