Thursday, August 10, 2006

The few that spoil it for the rest


Heathrow
Originally uploaded by noqontrol.
There is a lot that I love about airline travel. The little packets of "things" (peanuts, cutlery, and the like). But there's a lot that I don't like about airline travel. Queues and baggage restrictions just to name two. And now I can add "terror plots" to that latter list.

The knee-jerk reaction that has followed the recent terror revelations does not bother me. In fact, I think that grounding planes and screening passengers are two perfectly justifiable outcomes. Heavily restricting luggage allowances is drastic but I guess equally necessary. Because clearly no one can be trusted on airlines anymore - not the cabin crew, and certainly not the passengers.

A few nutjobs have ruined things for the rest of us. I'm not travelling any time soon, but I am nevertheless irritated for those people that are. Travel plans are now disrupted, long delays are now even longer and, in many cases I'm sure, vacations are in disarray.

Who knows what this current drama means for the long-term future of air travel. Perhaps we'll come full circle and be back to crossing the Atlantic on ocean liners and staying in stinky cabins, peering out of portholes and contending with rats and pirates. But if it means that I will be grounded forever, unable to continue exploring this amazing planet, I will be severely put out.

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