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New 'Rights' for Air Travelers
Opinion · January 18, 2002

Is the war on terrorism depriving us of our rights? Hardly. Look no further than the airline industry to discover a new set of "rights" we've received after Sept. 11. I'm astounded that no one's reported this because they've been here all along, in plain view for any air traveler to notice.

1) You have the right to diet. Most carriers cut back their meal service after the terrorist attacks, and most travel reporters saw this as a bad thing. They were wrong. Consider a recent survey that found eating an average economy class meal is equivalent to consuming a Big Mac, French fries and a strawberry sundae, and it's clear that the airlines did us a tremendous favor by putting their in-flight cuisine on the chopping block. Think of it this way: our domestic airlines are helping us keep our New Year's resolutions to eat healthy. We're slimming down, whether we like it or not.

2) You have the right to wait. With new and largely ineffective security measures in place - just ask Richard Reid, who nearly succeeded in blowing up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami in December - our patience is being put to the test at every airport. Last weekend, when more rigorous security precautions went into effect, some lines stretched out the airport door. A bad thing? Uh-uh. Didn't your mother always tell you that patience is a virtue? And really, isn't the federal government, in a roundabout way, teaching all of us the importance of patience by mandating that every bag must be painstakingly rifled through?

3) You have the right to pay more. Perhaps one of the most enduring myths about post-Sept. 11 air travel is that it's dirt cheap. Not necessarily true. In a survey of 65 airline routes, aviation consultant Terry Trippler found that half the fares dropped, one-quarter stayed the same and another quarter increased. Add to that a $10 ticket tax for security that goes into effect Feb. 1 and the myth becomes even more apparent. Instead of being honest with us, the airlines are running TV ads that perpetuate it. They even enlisted President George Bush to help drum up support for the industry with an ad campaign suggesting it's our patriotic duty to travel. So what does it matter if we're shelling out more money for airline tickets? We're being good Americans.

4) You have the right to take the bus. Or, put differently, you've got the right to be denied boarding for just about any reason. What kind of a right is that? An important one. Think about it: Wasn't the American Airlines captain who refused to fly an armed Secret Service agent from Baltimore to Dallas on Christmas Day really sparing him from 3 ½ hours of unpleasantness that typifies today's flying experience? I think so. Sure, Wallid Shatter reportedly threatened to sue American if it didn't apologize, but shouldn't he instead have thanked the pilot? Most Americans would rather file taxes than fly on a commercial airline, according to a study released by the University of Michigan last month.

5) You have the right to die. It is obvious to all but the most naïve observers that the steps undertaken to improve airline security are for show and won't increase safety. What's particularly unsettling is that the government knew that security was woefully lacking before Sept. 11; CNN reported that the General Accounting Office had spelled out the shortcomings of airline security for lawmakers in at least five reports since 1998. The government knew its post-Sept. 11 measures were nothing more than grandstanding, and only the public and a few uninformed newspaper columnists were surprised by the Richard Reid incident. Now, insiders within the U.S. Department of Transportation are telling me that the government is worried about the threat of Hezbollah-style suicide bomber at U.S. airport. They believe a terrorist could kill hundreds of innocent passengers before reaching the first security checkpoint.

And what's the government doing about it? Why it's turning to the Walt Disney Company for advice on how to make the lines move faster, of course. The likes of Jack Kevorkian fought for our right to die for years. But why go to court when you can visit an airport?

If you're uncomfortable with these new rights, take a number. I can't imagine anyone is. But now at least you're aware of them - whether you take advantage of these new "liberties" is up to you.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.