My sis was warning me about special restrictions on baggage, and I was worried about my laptop, so I looked it up. Nothing about the laptop, but this:

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,...6/08/11&time=24

I see why they are concerned, but it still sounds stupid. Blame those terrorist bastards.

Pretty soon we won't be allowed to fly. You'll pay $199 + airport fee + 9-11 Security fee + taxes and be told to imagine you were where you want to go.

I heard people won't be allowed to leave their houses forever and ever. I think a lot of people are overeacting. This is just a safety measure that people will have to get used to. No big deal especially when you consider the alternative: crashing into sky scrapers at full speed and dying.

Yeah, like security actually does anything. I feel a lot safer now that granny had her nailclippers taken away.

This is why I fly myself...

And at the rate airline ticket prices are going up combined with the general lack of service and amenities and the added security and the hassle and the discomfort and the reliance on their schedules, I seriously plan on purchasing my own light aircraft within 10 years.

And for everyone else, VLJs will fly you from secondary airports in major cities to exactly where you want to go - not just where the airlines fly - at jet speeds.

This is why I fly myself...

And at the rate airline ticket prices are going up combined with the general lack of service and amenities and the added security and the hassle and the discomfort and the reliance on their schedules, I seriously plan on purchasing my own light aircraft within 10 years.

And for everyone else, VLJs will fly you from secondary airports in major cities to exactly where you want to go - not just where the airlines fly - at jet speeds.

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Let's see... flying a Cessna across the Pacific Ocean to Asia isn't exactly the best idea...

Let's see... flying a Cessna across the Pacific Ocean to Asia isn't exactly the best idea...

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I wouldn't recommend it..

If I was a bazillionaire, I would definitely have my own G5 with pilot..

How about this: put all packages and luggage on a remote drone that is linked to the passenger plane.

The entire airport security process needs overhaul, not just adding layers upon layers of steps and more restrictions. TSA personnel fail to operate as a cohesive unit, which doesn't help anything, but that's another story for another day. I don't know if this is feasible or not, but moving the security checkpoints to the individual gates (as opposed to one spot in the terminal) could speed things up quite a bit. Basically, you walk in, check your luggage, and head right to the gate. As they board the plane by seat number, those people go through the security checkpoint, and if they pass, they get on the plane. If not, they pull them aside.

Just a thought

I agree with Fly's idea. Most my travel will be in the US, so after I get my pilot's certificate back, I'm going to purchase either a Cessna 172, or maybe a Piper Cherokee and fly all myself. Besides, its like taking the backroad somewhere, you're going to the same place, you're just seeing more of the country while doing it.

two words- tough tits.

just the way it is now. maybe one day security will mirror total recall. giant x-ray machines and such...

Flying yourself isn't exactly something everyone can do. Everyone owning & driving a car causes enough chaos, imagine everyone having their own personal plane...

Maybe passenger rail travel will become more feasible. Last time I was going to take a trip and checked on train tickets, they were rediculous. Flying is quick, even with high security, if you are going far enough. Just be patient, and have nothing to hide.

How about this:  put all packages and luggage on a remote drone that is linked to the passenger plane.

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And you think you have lost luggage problems now.

This is why I fly myself...

And at the rate airline ticket prices are going up combined with the general lack of service and amenities and the added security and the hassle and the discomfort and the reliance on their schedules, I seriously plan on purchasing my own light aircraft within 10 years.

And for everyone else, VLJs will fly you from secondary airports in major cities to exactly where you want to go - not just where the airlines fly - at jet speeds.

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There's always the train—more scenery, less waiting, better food and no worries about cellphones, laptops etc.. On some trips it's actually quicker overall. For Flybrian's comparison it would definitiely be quicker than the airline, and not too far behind flying yourself.

Yeah, the train is normally a healthy alternative, if you have rail service into your city, unlike me. I'm stuck doing one of two things. I can either go buy my FBO (Fixed Base Operator) and rent a trusty Cessna, or I can hop in my Impala and drive wherever I need ot. Either way it goes I'm going to have to pay for something in order to get there.

Somebody had better hurry their ass up and invent the teleporter. People are getting impatient, and if the people can't get what they want, when they want it, how they want it, revolts start. Then it's WWIII because the convenience of air travel is becoming less convenient.

I wonder, without all these security measures, if air travel would not still be safer than ground travel as a crap-shoot for whether or not you'd get to your destination alive?

I wouldn't recommend it..

If I was a bazillionaire, I would definitely have my own G5 with pilot..

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Somebody had better hurry their ass up and invent the teleporter. …

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Once they do terrorists won't bother hijacking planes—they'll just teleport bombs wherever they want.

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Ha-ha..clever... I meant a Gulfstream V.

Anyway, the new regs are definitely a pain to business travelers the most... my g/f flies usually every other week (mostly Denver to SF and Denver to Chicago) and my sister flies every week (Phoenix to Houston, Phoenix to LA, etc). I'm glad I only fly once a month at most for work (Denver to San Francisco usually).

I'm wondering if the regs have changed any in Canada.. I'll be flying to the Yukon (Denver to Calgary and then Calgary to Whitehorse) in Sept and Oct for a week at a time..