Afraid to Fly?

[dizzydisneydee]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

From the FAQ section of the TSA site:

Q:
Media have also reported that laptops, cell phones and electronic items are no longer allowed. Is that true?

A:
No. TSA continues to allow laptop computers, cell phones and other electronic items.

The above is for only domestic flights and some international. If I am not mistaken, any flights to and from the UK have no laptops, cell phones, PDAs and so forth (for right now).

You can bring along the gel and gel-like items but they need to be in checked-in baggage.

[pveticket]

Oh gosh....im crying right now, im so scared about flying next week
On the way here to Newark we had a lightning storm above Vegas so we had about 15 minutes of a light show and terrible turbulence

[pveticket]

I just had a thought..
What if all thats going on recently (the liquid bombs) are just ideas to distract us from something else that will happen..

[Monorailred]

There are a lot of good points on this and I hope I can add a couple more.

There is a reason this terrorist plot was broken up and that is the fine work of counterterrorism professionals both in the UK and in the US. I am not naive nor do I think everyone is safe. However, unlike pre-9/11, people are really looking hard at PREVENTING these types of incidents. It is also incumbent upon all of us to be alert, especially when traveling. Alert a flight crew member is something does not seem right. I would rather be embarrassed and safe!

The only other advice I have is to sift through news reports and do not take them at face value. Think about how the media covers the industry you work in. They get it wrong (or somewhat off the mark) in a shocking number of cases. Especially aviation stories (I have worked in aviation since 1989).

As for a general fear of flying, I can say I do not personally understand the fear (my dad got it out of the blue after flying his whole life). While the stats are true (e.g. being safer in a plane than a car), I can understand the feeling of helplessness. Let me offer some insight most do not know about...

As for turbulence, I know it is not a good analogy, but think of it as a bumpy road - that is in essence what it is. The plane is not going to break. Planes are tested to the breaking point when being certified. One of the tests is the wing is bent upward until it breaks. The wings can deflect upward 20-50 feet (depending on the aircraft) and still not break. Turbulence does not move the wing anywhere near that far. People not buckled in are in far more danger.

I know that may not help much, but think about it a bit. Planes are really safe and the flight crews on them are people too.....they want to arrive at the destination safely just as much as you do
</IMG>

[pveticket]

Originally Posted by Monorailred

There are a lot of good points on this and I hope I can add a couple more.

There is a reason this terrorist plot was broken up and that is the fine work of counterterrorism professionals both in the UK and in the US. I am not naive nor do I think everyone is safe. However, unlike pre-9/11, people are really looking hard at PREVENTING these types of incidents. It is also incumbent upon all of us to be alert, especially when traveling. Alert a flight crew member is something does not seem right. I would rather be embarrassed and safe!

The only other advice I have is to sift through news reports and do not take them at face value. Think about how the media covers the industry you work in. They get it wrong (or somewhat off the mark) in a shocking number of cases. Especially aviation stories (I have worked in aviation since 1989).

As for a general fear of flying, I can say I do not personally understand the fear (my dad got it out of the blue after flying his whole life). While the stats are true (e.g. being safer in a plane than a car), I can understand the feeling of helplessness. Let me offer some insight most do not know about...

As for turbulence, I know it is not a good analogy, but think of it as a bumpy road - that is in essence what it is. The plane is not going to break. Planes are tested to the breaking point when being certified. One of the tests is the wing is bent upward until it breaks. The wings can deflect upward 20-50 feet (depending on the aircraft) and still not break. Turbulence does not move the wing anywhere near that far. People not buckled in are in far more danger.

I know that may not help much, but think about it a bit. Planes are really safe and the flight crews on them are people too.....they want to arrive at the destination safely just as much as you do
</IMG>

Your words always offer me a little relief Thanks

[DMof2]

Nope, not afraid to fly... (I am a fan of turbulance- which totally makes DH's blood boil on any flight we take)

I take one day at a time and when it is your day to go well, it's your day to go.

As for the terrorists and everything going on in our world... you just have to live your life and not fear them. Living here in the NYC area we have become very use to this way of life after 9/11

[Nephythys]

Originally Posted by Barbaraann

Afraid to Fly?

No- I refuse to be afraid to live my life because it may end. I would never leave the house if I did.

[Joe User 99]

I've never been afraid to fly. I tire of the hassles of all the tigtened security, but I understand it, and applaud them for at least TRYING to prevent something.

I remember the days following the bombing of Pan Am (Miss them) 103 over Lockerbie. I was traveling to visit family in Germany.

Berlin was the tightest security I had ever been through. You could not even go to the ticket counter without going through a security check. All luggage was scanned (even checked luggage), and people went through the metal detector. Just to get to the ticket counter!

Then, you had to have a ticket to even go through the main security check to get to the gates. So family had to say their goodbyes at the security check, no watching them board at the gate.

Then you had to go though another security check AT the gate, and then as you boarded the plane, you were checked AGAIN using the "Wand" scanner.

All this was on top of the soldiers that patrolled the airport with bomb sniffing dogs and machine guns. (And it caused kind of a ruckus when the bomb dogs sniffed out the donuts I had in my carry-on!)

So, don't fret over some lost time due to tightened security. It could always be worse. Just take it into account, and plan ahead.

[Druggas]

Afraid to fly?.....No

Afraid to crash...Yes!

[alphabassetgrrl]

I'm not afraid to fly, just annoyed at security. That's actually why I haven't flown in quite a while, in spite of enjoying it immensely.

[twinmom]

Like several others here I am not afraid to fly just annoyed with the new rules. We are flying to Australia in a little over 2 weeks and I had hoped to give the twins some cold medicine to help them sleep. Guess I have to find chewable stuff now. I will also miss not having the hand sanitizer or toothpaste -- 17 hours is a long time to go without brushing your teeth!