Hand Baggage on Planes?

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Philosophical Fred

I agree with you, this is a serious matter.

I think one answer to today's news is that we have to accept that life has risks, and we must get on with it. London survived the Blitz and German rocket attacks in World War II, accepting that thousands died. We also refused to be intimidated by the IRA. Actually, we lived with Irish and anarchist terrorism in the nineteenth century too.

The trouble is that with the latest round of terrorism, which happens to be by Muslim extermists, is that the politicans do not have the wisdom of their predecessors, but want to ensure with certainty that the terrorists will never succeed. It can't be done. We just have to get on with life - which has many other greater risks such as cancer and car accidents - and not play into the terrorists' hands by letting them impoverish our freedom, undermining our values and way of life.

That said, if today's threat is as serious as the authorities suggest - and we have to take their word for it even though they have done little recently to win our confidence - it is only sensible to take the sort of precautions they want such as those in relation to hand luggage. The trouble is that these precautions cannot be sustained for more than a few days.

In the long term, aircraft are inherently unsafe because of the huge amounts of inflammable fuel they carry. We need to reorganise our global economy to make use of safer transport - why can't business people go by sea now that they are always in touch by satellite? - and to design better air services - how about a new generation of airships, which are lifted by helium and therefore need not crash like planes if there is an incident? Apart from the terrorism issues, aircraft are quite unsustainable environmentally. Terrorism only kills some people (even if it could be a very very large number): environmental change could wipe out the entire human race.

One action which would reduce the amount of flying, and therefore its attendant risks, would be to tax the use of fuel by planes at a rate comparable to that for cars in Europe and the UK. This could and should be done immediately.

It is important to emphasise that the vast majority of Asians in Britain are neither terrorists nor psychos.

Finally, before you worry about people seeing your tampons, think about the people in Lebanon and Northern Israel, and unfortunately many other places in the world today, who are living in the middle of war zones. How do they get their necessary "bits and bobs" at all?

ashley m

Its really bad that these people are among us!I really fear for the world as it is and what the future holds for our future generations.
I have kids and when we go abroad my hand luggage is full of stuff that they 'need' to keep them occupied on the plane,there will be loads of grouchy kids on flights that's for sure!

True Blue

Bad situation in England!

AndyG45

In some ways this is no bad thing, as people are increasingly abusing the hand baggage situation - I know of more than one person who tightly packs a large weekend bag, and then claims it as hand luggage rather than booking any luggage in.

MissBehave

It does impose an incredible inconvenience. You cannot even take a book or newspaper. No water. Not even glasses cases. No contact solution. The list is endless.

willows

my message is..if you don't like this country and the people that live in it and you want hurt innoccent people then you should not be allowed to reside here. END OF!

Muffin

It is getting bad, eventually there will not be able to be carry ons at all. It is a real shame. Basically, the whole country is going to be inconvenienced by this. I live in San Diego and there have been about 10 flights canceled so far. Maybe that was the plan all along, piss everyone off at once. I'm with ya girl!

Debster

I know...I was literally thinking the same thing as I was watching the news. It definitely makes train/car travel more appealing...but, I know that won't work everywhere. I hate what the world has come to, but it's more important to protect everyone's safety.

Re: your personal items (e.g. tampons), maybe hide them in your jeans pocket (or jacket pocket), and pack as much as possible in your luggage...anything that can wait until you land. I know...it's a huge inconvenience. But, better safe than sorry.

Richard B

For the sake of your own and others safety, personal embarassment is nothing to be compared with. Either dont fly, or accept the reasons for this and be patient and considerate.
They may be British born but I do not identify to them as British Citizens. If you have nothing to hide people seeing whats in your hand luggage is nothing what check in staff is nothing what they have not seen before. Our prime minister is not even coming home from his holiday, but we are having press conferences being given by Bush. What is this world coming too?????? It's not the illegal immigrants, but our colonial cousins biting the hand that feeds them.

Isn't it better to be safe than to worry about all your so called girlie bits? Any security measure that is inforced is for the benefit of the public. So what if there are delays! At least people are alive. 911 was horrific, remember that next time you want a moan!!!

Natalie R

I know it's a pain in the ar$e not having hand luggage, but i guess the airline will have to keep you entertained with movies and stuff, as for your tampons in a see thru bag, i have a little silk coin purse i keep them tucked away in, i'm sure they'd allow you to have them in something like that, if you allowed them to search it. and at least you have the peace of mind knowing all the other ladies are in the same boat as you. as for the terrorists, i won't deign to give them my time talking about them. b*stards. if they don't like the uk, then they can pi$$ of out of the country, we don't want them.

dlgrl=me

I feel the same as you--I could live without my cell phone and allergy medicine..but how in God's name can I go without my hairspray and lipstick!!!! Thankfully, I will travel again in a couple of weeks so maybe by then we will be able to have our "necessities"--AND I agree with you, this is a serious matter!

Minina

Very sad news. Good thing is those people were caught bad thing is, this won't be their last attempt.

jeff s

if i ever get my hand son the shoe bomber, i'm gonna kick his ****

liluvsanimals

look, stop whining and complaining and be grateful that u didn't get blown up!

Away With The Fairies

You think you've got problems - I'm flying with two children in a few days time - how am I gonna cope without colouring books and pencils????

Tribute

If you'd have read the news then you'd know that they DO allow hand luggage. The thing is, they WILL search through your bags while the airports are on high alert

Jessi

the only thing "banded" right now in the states because of it is:
gels
lotions
liquid anything...other then medications

all other things can be carried on

beiterspace

Ok ! see my question "They say flying is the safest way to travel ?" - but you need to blaime the airlines and government first all for always putting money before safety in the first place ?
It is not acceptable not to have an escape route from a public transport system - I bet there has never been any serious research done on ejector seats or parachutes for commercial airlines - 'cost to much money' - well they're going to have to think about something like it now aren't they ?

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