flying an option?
 

anyone out there leery about flying once war starts? we are planning a trip to florida and wondered how others feel.

Hi sunflake,<BR>We are leaving Saturday for Florida. We expect things to be a little more strict at security but otherwise, do not expect anything to change. <BR>We flew right after Sept 11 and while memories of those other planes are never far from mind, things are perhaps a little more safe now. <BR>Try not to worry:)

I feel the same as you. When I get on the plane I find myself checking everybody out! Solution: 2 cocktails.

Lol, that is an excellent solution. What do you like to drink, XBellman?<BR>I still drink the Bloody Marys..never drink them anywhere else but on airplanes:) The wine is usually so baaad~

Xanax has become my travel friend--I have my 'airplane stash.' Much better than drinking--no hangover!

Tess, question:<BR>Do you take the Xanax on the way to the airport? We are flying at noon, so I am afraid that I will be a zombie if I take the pill before we leave the house..then if I take it at the airport, it will just start to work when we land! Jeez, the complications of taking drugs at just the right time:)

I heard a great one by a interviewee on CNN yesterday... &quot;There is a much higher probability that you will be killed in a car accident while driving close to home so do you quit driving because of it?&quot;

I have a Bloody Mary at the airport and then one on the plane. Isn't it a shame to have to have a couple of drinks just to travel?!! I bet we have all lost family or friends due to a car accident and we don't think a thing about jumping in a car to go on vacation.

True, but when a car crashes, 200 hundred people don't die immediately.<BR>Cars crash and people walk away.<BR>How many people are on the road all day in cars? How many people are in planes all day?<BR>Someone in my family died recently due to a car crash, he was also an Army Sgt and served in the Gulf War. Maybe it is more of a matter of ..if it is your time or not.<BR>That said, I do wish all of us who fly, a Safe Trip!!!

I'm not leary about flying during the war. I don't have any trips planned, but if I did I wouldn't cancel them, and if something comes up, I would not let the war deter me from flying.

Please Sunflake, go on with your plans. I too had a hard time flying after 9/11.<BR>Champagne in the limo, more at the airport and more on the plane. I always felt it was up to me to watch EVERTHING. But that relaxed me enough so that I even dozed a little. Enjoy!<BR> Kris

Yes it's true that when cars crash people walk away but, for example,in the year 2000 nearly 42,000 people didn't. It's just that those 42,000 died with maybe a quick mention on the nightly local news. Now if a plane crashes, you'll still be hearing about it years later when Discovery Channel chronicles how the investigators reconstructed the accident. I think that media sensationalism really plays into people's fears. Not to say that 200 people dying in a plane crash isn't newsworthy (as well as incredibly sad), but they always go on and on with the coverage.

Scarlett,<BR>I would give the Xanax a trial run a couple of days before you leave home--sounds really silly, I know! I found that taking 1 Xanax about 45 minutes before boarding works best for me. If the flight's longer than 2 hours I take another one about 1 1/2 hours into the flight. It's not enough to make me pass out for hours--just makes me very relaxed and able to doze if I want to. But do test it out--a friend of mine needs a higher dosage than I do and she weighs a few pounds less so it really does vary from person to person. Talk to your physician about dosage--I found that they're VERY used to prescribing drugs for white knuckle fliers. Another thing that helps me is to tune into the headphone channel where the pilots talk to the tower...guess that gives me some sense of control even though I actually have none!

<BR>Tess, thank you very much:)<BR> When I take a X, I fall asleep in a matter of seconds :) so I can just picture my husband, with me hanging off of him, sound to sleep, going through security!Lol, what a sight that would be! <BR>How perplexed would those security people be?

We're flying to Ft Myers tomorrow night. Safer up in the air than slipping on the little bit of ice we still have up here in Minnesota. Have a couple of drinks before you leave and then sleep the whole flight away.

I'm drinking and taking Xanax right now trying to read through this thread.....

Please don't think I'm crazy but my concern now is the fact some idiot could have a surface to air missle in the middle of Kansas just waiting for the right moment to take my plane out. I am still not convinced the TWA flight from NY to Paris (a few years ago that just blew up in mid air) was not an act of terrorism.

Scarlett,<BR>Love that image of you stumbling through security! Actually the Xanax makes me quite chatty, as a nice man from Minnesota recently found out. My husband and I were flying to LA and he ended up sitting across the aisle from me. Usually I'm pretty quiet on flights and burrow in a book but not this time! Luckily the Minnesota man I sat by was a good sport and didn't request a seat change. Guess it's time to back off a bit on the old dosage!

Steady, everyone! Flying is still wonderful, and fun. And reasonably safe.

<BR>Tess,<BR> Yes, that would be me, either dopey and unable to speak more than a slurred &quot;Bloooody mmmmary puhleeease&quot; or I will be sitting there, bright and chipper, jabbering away at the speed of light without anyone having to even bother to listen:)<BR>Should I post a warning of when and where we are going so all the nice people who want a peaceful flight can change planes :lol