This is all a matter of RESPONSIBILITY!

The airlines throughout the years have consistantly demonstrated they have very little responsibility when it comes to protecting their customer's property. Then when the "rubber meets the road" and the airlines have to "shell out" the bucks for lost property, they make it so their customers are victimized twice...or even three times. When customers are even allowed to collect on the damages, the compensation generally takes months to get to them and it is usually a fraction of the total loss.

Combine this with some of the most dishonest and irresponsible employees the airlines hire who have been filmed playing "basketball" with people's luggage, pillaging through people's suitcases and stealing electronic items from suitcases (all of these things are still occurring today).

Personally, the technology MUST be placed in the security areas of the airport and on the airplanes. We have the technology to do this. I have absolutely no problem planning my day to get to an airport two hours before my flight departs. I have no problem going through a thorough personal screening and inspection of all of my carry-ons and on my person.

However, I DO NOT TRUST ANY EMPLOYEE OF ANY AIRLINE OR FOR THAT MATTER ANY OTHER COMPANY IN THE WORLD TO HOLD OR PROTECT MY NOTEBOOK COMPUTER! My laptop has my professional life in it. Yes, it is completely backed up but when I travel to do a presentation, if my computer is lost, that means I have to go out and purchase a new $5,000 computer and load it with all of the data. Then because of the arrogance of the airlines, I will only receive $2,000 for my lost or stolen computer.

The moral of the story is that if the airlines or the FAA pulls this nonsense of banning carry-ons and computers on board, I will immediately regionalize my business and completely discontinue any flights and all of my employees' flights. They will lose millions of dollars of our business and I will just sit back and watch this industry go into the tank!

They do not have to ban laptops on planes. Sky Marshalls and better pre-flight screening will work great. In Israel, El Al Airlines allows notebook computers on their flights and they have some of the most rigid screening in the industry. Yes, you have to get to the airport 3 hours before your flight, but you do not die on their planes.

Our government and our airline companies can make this work with some common sense and no panic. I am just sick and tired of seeing things run with "knee-jerk" reactions and reactive reasoning. It would be refreshing to see some proactive behavior and return to the "customer comes first" attitudes in both security and service.

Remember, if things were done correctly in the first place, and the airlines hired the right people who do not get on TV playing games with their customer's property, stealing their valuables and losing their luggage, this might all be a very moot point...but, the reality is 180 degrees different and the points are very vaild.

Let's see the airlines hire the best people to secure their planes. Let's see the pride of America (military, police or National Guard) screen the passengers instead of minimum-wage help who make less compensation and are trained less than a convenience store employee. Let's see armed Sky Marshalls on our flights. Let's keep the cockpit doors closed throughout the entire flight and let's fortify the doors to make them unbreakable (the captain's responsibility is the safety of the passengers and safety starts and ends in the cockpit...you cannot fly a plane from Seat 16B). Let's "bond" all employees who have to handle the customer's baggage and completely eliminate the financial limits on lost, damaged or stolen baggage...and make the airlines and their insurance companies responsible to pay the full compensation in seven days and not seven months...

And one other question...Since airports have been charging expensive PFC's (Passenger Facility Charge) for each person landing at the airport, how much of those billions of dollars have been allocated to airport security? Shouldn't the airports and their municipalities have to pay for the security? I personally think it is ridiculous to make the airlines have to pay for security personnel. This is the reason why one airline has better security than another. Security should be consistant and not based on which company the airline has hired. If the airports find it necessary to charge these stupid PFC's they should use this money to ensure our safety.

Remember, they have only been charging these PFC's since the early 1990's.

There is a lot wrong with our system. Now that we have experienced a tremendous tragedy, it is the best time to fix the system and operate it the way it should have been done in the first place. Let's see a better mix of intelligence, thought, proactive behavior and common sense go into the final decisions...and completely eliminate knee-jerk reactions, panic and stupidity...and rumors and gossip!

Then and only then will people have a reason to get back into the air and pump money back into the travel economy. With the gossip about eliminating carry-ons on flights, banning pre-booking seating, no curb-side check-in and everything else I have heard, we are going to create an environment where the mainstream will never get back into an airplane...and when that happens the problem will be eliminated because there will be no airline companies in business whatsoever.

Who is planning to ban all carryon and computers? I noticed that PanAm -- the small airline that laughingly calls itself PanAm -- has done this. But anything else is idle speculation and fear mongering. I have flown on six flights and two airlines in the past two weeks. And while I have been subjected to varying degrees of additional scrutiny and visual search of my carry-on bags, I have not yet been denied access to the terminal airside areas with a large shoulder bag, and a second smaller catch-all bag or duty-free shopping bag. I have seen other travellers rolling their somewhat larger carry-ons, and with them either a briefcase or large shoulder bag, plus purse if female. These people have had no problems at ORD, SJC, TPE or YYZ, the four airports where I base my experiences from.

I don't mind the extra scrutiny, though thought the removal of a plastic disposable razor was as silly as those who have had to surrender nail cutters and the like. Only in TPE was I required to turn on my computer, though I had expected this at all check points, so kept it on "sleep" for that possibility.

I agree with the notion of responsibility. In the past I have also opposed some of the excesses displayed by those abusing the carry-on rules, either by bringing an excessively large amount onto an airplane and expecting it to fit somewhere in a cramped coach cabin, or by those who stuff their bags in the First Class storage areas and then tromp off to the coach section.

So, please. Until you can prove that all carry-on will indeed be stopped, don't foment idle gossip and panic.

As for the assignment of Passenger User Fees for security, Congress mandated this as the responsibility of individual airlines, not airport authorities. The airports themselves have a large responsibility to ensure the buildings and land are secure airside, so I suppose you can say some of those fees are going to a side of security we don't see much of.

Actually, I wish it was just idle gossip. I saw the articles on FoxNews.com and MSNBC. According to what I read it was the FAA and Congress who were considering the changes in carry-on rules along with prohibiting people from pre-selecting their seats. According to the article, by prohibiting the preselection of seats, this will not permit people to plant weapons to use to hijack a plane.

When I see articles like this, like you, I get quite annoyed. My livelihood is computer and Internet consulting. My notebook computer is my professional life and if I do not have my computer, I am literally out of business. If I am out of business, my employees and I cannot fly.

I firmly believe if these new laws were enacted, it would put the commercial airline industry out of business. As for PFC's...up until the early 1990's they were not necessary. It is money from taxpayers in the local jurisdictions that support what you stated in your previous post...the PFC's have been criticized from day one and are being criticized today as an unnecessary tax on the traveller. Perhaps the PFC's need to be more focused on security and the airlines need to be relieved of this responsiblity.

Congress did not enact the PFC charges, it was a domino effect from local airport jurisdiction to local airport. In fact, several airports do not charge PFC's or landing fees. Perhaps Congress or the FAA should mandate that the PFC's go to airport security. That would be in the best interest of travelers.

There are many public places you can hide a weapon onboard a aircraft. By taking away assigned seats you gain nothing but unhappy customers.

While PFCs were not mandated by Congress, it did take an act of Congress to pass a bill allowing them. It also took another act of Congress to raise the maximum from $3.00 per airport to $4.50. I think it was called the "Airport Food Court Act of 1993" or something.

Friends, we are watching every enemy of the traveller at work. The 9/11 attack has given the airlines and government carte blanche to pull out their wish lists.

2 hour check ins? (check)
eliminate curbside? (temporary check)
eliminate food, no matter how nasty? (check)

restrict concourses ticketed pax only? (check that i might be in favor of)

find a way to seperate travellers from their baggage without having to spend money upgrading baggage service? (pen ready to check)

thats all it is, my friends, nothing more, nothing less....

The Atlanta Journal Constitution ran an online poll recently asking if Carry On Luggage should be banned. The last time I checked 70% said Yes / 30% said No. All this poll tells me is a lot of people with Internet access don't travel very much.



Diver90

Agreed 100% with you Diver!

Let the government take away carry-on privileges and then let them all figure out why businesspeople are not flying anymore.

I can understand knives and sharp objects...but laptops and expensive electronics need to go with the traveler...or there had better be insurance adjusters in the baggage claim areas handing out money on the spot to completely compensate for loss.

Also, it might not be a bad idea to make the consequences of stealing and abusing people's luggage not worth commiting the crime. Right now a slap on the wrist is not enough to stop this multi-million dollar crime wave. In this time of tragedy and war, the consequences must be severe because their actions just add to the public's perception of negativity toward the industry. Also, the industry will not recover with this negative publicity.

I agree with a few earlier posters. This is not a reality, at least today. So,let's not get quite so upset about it.

The negative response would be so dramatic when or if every announced, that it would not happen.

As to the poll, I agree. I doubt most of those people fly often, especially for business. And, I would bet many of them made up their own definition of what "carry on" is and were actually referring to the heavy duty carry ons, maybe even roll ons.

It's the people who carry on what looks like the inventory of a small luggage store that makes the passengers who follow the rules want to ban carry-ons. I've been thwacked in the head more than once by carry-ons that someone just has to take out of the overhead compartment ASAP when the plane lands.

Rigorous enforcement of gate checking on full flights would be a big help.

While we're on the subject of carry-ons, how about:

1. permitting briefcases/laptop cases/purses, but;
2. forbidding wheelies?

I think the person who wrote this thread is somewhat self riteous and self centered.

Listen folks, do you realize WHY they want to ban carry ons?

It's because new regulations may require HAND CHECKING of ALL CARRYONS. So by limiting folks to a briefcase or purse (and nothing larger) you allow this to happen while still allowing security to move quickly. This is because it doesn't take very long to check a purse or briefcase as compared to a roll on, garment bag, or laptop case.

This means you may have to check your bag, BUT you will not face a long line at the security checkpoint.

Personally, I think if they allow briefcases they should allow a MODEST size slim style laptop case (not the huge ones that double as a laptop case and briefcase).

That'd be great if the airlines could guarantee your luggage would arrive on time with some level of certainty.

I travel with a laptop, and uniforms that are both required when I reach my destination. Neither one gets there, I cannot accomplish what I need to do.

I am more than willing to check my uniforms and wheelie when returning home, but cannot afford to do so on the outbound leg.

BTW, I had a bag "lost" for about a week, and was going through the reimbursement process when it was located. Let me ask you, how many receipts do you have for your luggage? With just the cost of my bag, I was well on the way to the reimbursable limit...If I could find all my receipts.

So....take away my carry-on, and I will have to drive from ATL to DC/VA/etc.

It is too easy for any of us to agree to do without something that is critical to a minority of the population. But don't be surprised when that minority finds other means to travel/conduct business.

Today's version of the news seems to be offering the idea of one carry on per person plus a 'purse size bag'. I can do that! No problems. As far as laptop computers are concerned, that are we supposed to do with all that time? Waste it?

I wouldn't ban all wheelies, just the big ones. I have a 16" TravelPro that works real nice.

If they make it too hard for us to fly on commercial airlines, we'll figure out another way to fly or for trips of under 300 miles, drive, as that's about the break even point now.

Why not install locks on all overhead bins and other luggage storage areas. No carry on allowed under your seat.

If the airlines do ban all carry-on except for a purse/diaper bag, I would be the first to start carrying a rather large purse on all of my plane trips.

i think i'll have to invent a nice black leather "diaper bag". maybe one with a laptop sized pouch inside it?