Monday, November 08, 2010

Why I don't want to fly anymore

Let me start out by saying that growing up I had very few chances to fly on an airplane; just two trips to Orlando, if memory serves. It was only after I started working that I had the opportunity to fly on a semi-regular basis.

And I loved it. My first business trip was to St. Louis and since then I've been all around the world either visiting customers or attending professional conferences. But on my last trip to Copenhagen, I was pulled out of line for a random pat-down and then the woman at the ticket counter wouldn't give me a boarding pass without my baggage ticket for the connecting flight (which I eventually found.)

Now I've heard that that airports are using full-body scanners and - if you don't want your body exposed to dangerous levels of radiation - you can opt for the will-you-buy-me-a-drink-first pat down. This is the latest act of security theater, designed to make travelers believe they're somehow safer by moving through security gates in their socks.

I'm just not sure I want to do it anymore. On the one hand, I like to travel and visit places I would never be able to see on my own dime. On the other hand, air travel is a dehumanizing event - a cattle call from check-in, through boarding and disembarking, and the multiple stages of identification confirmation.

(Well, this post has probably landed me on a TSA list of some kind.)

1 comment:

Bram said...

Agreed - Pre-911 I flew several times a month for work and used the miles to fly the family for vacation. I loved it. We would even fly with our big dog for an extra 100 bucks.

Now I avoid flying as much as possible.

I get nicked for checking bags, I get treated like dirt and frisked like a felon and I waste extra hours of my life for the privilage. No thanks, I'll drive or stay home.