Is it really safe to fly?
 

People have said it is safer now than ever before, but then you see on the news all of the security problems. Any thoughts?

Airport security has nothing to do with whether or not it is safe to fly.

Airport security has nothing to do with whether or not it is safe to fly. What planet are you living on? If airport security had been better we would have had four planes that didn't have problems on September 11th.<BR><BR>However, Lori, security today is better than ever. Look at how many things have been stopped by security lately. They are doing a much better job. Your fellow travelers are also more vigilant and are keeping their eyes open as well. So, it probably is much safer to fly now.

It wasn't airport security September 11th that dropped the ball but National Security. How was the gate attendent supposed to know that these guys were going to hijack the plane?

NO NO NO...don't fly. And don't ride in a car either. There may be an auto accident. Don't take a bath as you could slip and fall. Don't eat 'cause you could get food poisoning. Don't breath...you got it, air pollution. And don't love and don't feel and don't leave your home. Your just the kind of person September 11 hoped to create.

It WAS airport security that dropped the ball on 11 September. The airlines too! The hijackers fir every known airline profile for TROUBLE.. one way tickets, purchased a few days in advance with cash! When I worked for the airlines we were supposed to notify security when passengers like this showed up and AA and UA just ignored it. They are at fault!

Sisilia -- Gate attendants are not there for security purposes. They are there to check people in and help board the plane.<BR><BR>Security is the going through the scanners and having your luggage checked. And, yes, they should have noticed box cutters. Just because no hijackings had occurred lately doesn't mean that they should let down their guard. I'm not saying that the security staff was entirely to blame for 9/11, but they must accept some of the blame. The airlines have to accept blame also. You have to admit that security has certainly begun to take more care and concern lately.<BR><BR>Chicken Little -- Lori is concerned about travel. If you want to reassure her that it is safe, please do so. But to lecture her about her fear is a little harsh. Yes, September 11th, created people who are afraid to fly. Is that their fault or the fault of those who started the problem? Yell at the people who started this mess. Help those who are scared move on. Yes, if people don't fly then the enemy wins, but let's not attack each other.

Box cutters, knives, etc...with a blade of 4 inches or less were allowable according to pre-9/11 rules. Even if airport security had seen them (they may have), they would have had no grounds to confiscate them.

kkj, yes, gate agents are considered the security. Maybe not technically but it seems like the gate agents are the ones "noticing" everything lately. The drunken pilots for example.

Hi Lori,<BR><BR>I have flown after September 11th and really didn't notice much difference to prior to 9/11. The only real difference I noticed was the military at the screening area and then before I boarded the plane one of the ticket ladies pulled me out of line and asked to look through my bag. <BR><BR>It is as safe to fly now as it was before 9/11. The one thing I recommend is wear something without metal, whether it is buttons, belts etc so the sensor won't go off when stepping through the metal detector. It makes it a whole lot easier for you and the other people behind you. <BR><BR>If you felt comfortable before don't worry about it now. It is as safe to fly as it is to drive to a desired location.

Lori,<BR>Since 9/11 I have flown almost 70,000 miles. Just to give you an idea what that means here it is(JFK-New York - LAX-Los Angeles) is about 2500 miles. I know people that did 5x more then I did. Back in April, while I was flying, a friend of a friend got killed on a motorcycle in our beautiful little SW Florida town. My point, it's just as safe to fly as it is to drive, walk or whatever you need to do to get to your destination. Life goes on, and to be honest with you, I rather fly then drive, and I really mean it!!!! And one more thing, we all saw Amtrak news over the weekend?

How many people died last year in airplane crashes?<BR>How many people died last year in car crashes?