Spotted this over at PCWorld. When was the last time you fly? Things are different now after the September 11th terrorism attack. Tom Spring of PCWorld.com has posted an interesting article, here"s it goes..
Frequent fliers like Kevin Mitchell used to breeze through airport security checkpoints toting a notebook, personal digital assistant, pager, and cell phone. Today, passage is not so simple--and the only kind of procedure he and fellow road warriors can count on, apparently, is inconsistency.
Since September 11, boarding an airplane is like high-tech shakedown, says Mitchell, who chairs the 2-million-member Business Travel Coalition.
"In Dulles, my notebook got scanned separately," he says. "Flying out of L.A., I had to unpack my laptop, Visor, pager, and cell phone, turn everything on and off, and repack it all," Mitchell says. "I never know what kind of hassle awaits me."
The airline industry is walking a difficult line, trying to woo customers back into the air without unduly inconveniencing and frustrating frequent flyers. But in the spotlight of public scrutiny and law enforcement evaluation, security isn"t likely to get lighter. Continued, if sporadic, reports of weapons passing checkpoints are apt to toughen security measures. So, what can you expect now, and what"s ahead?