How is showing my ID at 4 locations making flying safer than showing at 1 location?
My sentiments exactly, Dave. I flew out of Boise last Wed for the holiday, and I had to show my ID 3 times (check-in, security gate, and boarding). While I like not having to deal with the extra, non-ticketed folks in the gate areas, showing ID like this is ridiculous and does not help with security. The terrorists had legal IDs.
What do you do if you don't have a gov't issued ID?
Why do people think the feds are going to do a better job with security? Without a visible threat, the current security measures would have not have been welcomed by the general public in the past. Given the fact that airline terrorist activity in the US was not a problem in the past, tougher security measures were not necessary.
Allowing families to sue the airlines for lax security and allowing the airlines to go out of business if they can't pay are vital parts of ensuring the airlines will provide real security. That's how changes are made in a free-market society.
Now that the feds are taking over security, does anyone really believe they will do a better job? We've had no terrorist problems in airports in the past, so what are unarmed NG troops going to do? The military is not trained for police work, and standing around all day looking stupid is not conducive to tight security.
It irks me, but ultimately I don't have a problem with screening bags and passengers for bombs. However, I am very uncomfortable being disarmed on a plane. IMO knives and other weapons should be allowed.
Now that we all are aware of what can (and will) happen with terrorists on an airplane, I'm fairly confident that we won't have any problems in the future. This is due to awareness, not extra security.
I wish I didn't have to fly for my job. Luckily I'm not traveling much these days.
BTW, no problems whatsoever with checking a firearm on this past trip in Boise and in Columbus, OH on the return.
