It is surprising to hear the travel industry’s talking heads pontificate about how the thwarted terrorist attacks of 8/10 have permanently changed the way we fly. It’s especially baffling to me because as far as I can tell, few of these experts have been anywhere near an airport since the Transportation Security Administration clamped down on carry-on liquids and gels. Fewer still have flown.
Now don’t misunderstand me. These folks could be right. It’s possible that we’re about to enter a new era of stricter security screening. Maybe carry-on luggage will be banned altogether at some point. Maybe the T.S.A. will grow into an even bigger bureaucracy.
Then again, maybe the experts are dead wrong.
During the last 24 hours, I’ve not only spoken with air travelers who are out there in the trenches. I’ve also subjected myself to the T.S.A.’s new, stricter screening process.
And you know what? It isn’t so bad.
Let me start with Mark Hatfield, the T.S.A.’s man in Newark. I spoke with him last night — briefly on the record, but mostly on “background” — and he described the scene at his airport. Long lines in the morning, yes, but by mid-afternoon, people were making it through security in minutes.
Hatfield’s statements were corroborated by a reliable source who flew out of Newark the same afternoon, and this morning on my way through the airport at about 11 a.m., I noticed there was no line at the T.S.A. checkpoint. That’s right — none.
My flight from Orlando to Newark was no different from my previous flight two weeks ago, except for the many makeshift signs that said liquids and gels were verboten. If anything, the Orlando T.S.A. line at 7 a.m. was shorter than it usually was. I know that the folks at the T.S.A. are working extra hours in the wake of the latest terror plot, so that may explain the speedy screening process.
Since then, I’ve talked with numerous air travelers, and they basically tell me the same thing. Despite the banner headlines and TV news bulletins announcing the end of the world (at least for air travelers) everything is pretty much normal.
I don’t know about the future. No one does. But my bet is that the government will do everything it can to make us feel that nothing has changed. The first rule I expect to be modified is the one about carry-on beverages. Screeners will probably start using common-sense sniff tests or taste tests of liquids that are meant for consumption.
How boring.
Perhaps the pundits wish there were a seismic shift in air travel that they could be the first to identify. But just this once, the government is right. Nothing has changed — at least for now.
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