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Sunday, December 27, 2009

MOMMY... MOMMY...

...GOTTA GO POTTY!

Following the attempted bombing on Christmas Day of a Northwest Airlines flight, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) has decreed that no one on an international flight to the USA will be permitted to leave his or her seat during the last hour prior to landing.

A variation of this rule was in effect for all flights in and out of Washington Reagan National Airport after it reopened following the 9/11 attacks. The difference, then ,was that the restriction was in effect for only thirty minutes prior to landing and after take off.

Even though thirty minutes does not seem an excessively long time, several flight attendants informed me that, during the time that rule was in effect, it was normal to have to change at least one wet seat cushion on every flight. Working on the principle that forewarned is forearmed, I took to checking seat cushions before sitting down and, indeed, had to request a change more than once.

TSA wins yet another award for futile security theater by introducing a rule that will achieve nothing except to make many passengers uncomfortable and some of them very embarrassed.

See also 'our government at work'.

MOMMY... GOTTA GO POTTY.

1 comment:

Iceknight/Spicetruck (Nari) said...

Check out this post on how handle the ban on carryons by Canada.
your point on the wet seat question is quite valid, thankfully it has nt happend to me yet. whew.

http://ofallthingstrue.blogspot.com/2009/12/canada-restricts-carry-on-luggage.html