Modern Air Travel--Having Our Wings Clipped?

Even before this issue arose of the invasion of privacy in airports, I had always thought that a more efficient way to get your baggage where you were going or get something you'd purchased home again was to mail it to yourself. You can overnight it and have less hassle with lost luggage, wasted time going through customs, and having your luggage searched or your valuables confiscated. I know I have a very good pocketknife that I don't like to go anywhere without--it's full of gadgets like a screwdriver and scissors--that would most certainly be confiscated if I tried to fly with it. Lost forever! And they don't even make these anymore. Last time I searched online to see if I could buy a spare one, a private dealer had one marked up to $50. They only went for less than $20 brand new 10 years ago. So I'd have to sail the unfriendly skies without my trusted survival knife. (Big sigh.)

Yes, overnighting packages costs money. But how much hassle are you willing to put up with, and how much is it worth to get on and off the plane more quickly?

If we all started traveling with nothing, not a single parcel, just our ID and some money and ourselves, maybe things would go a lot faster at airports.

Need shampoo?  Buy a tiny bottle when you get where you're going, and discard it before you fly back again.  Same for toothpaste and other health and hygiene items.  We can outsmart this problem, or at least make some small part of it less hassling.

How much indignity are we willing to endure in order to get somewhere in a hurry? In the name of making our flights safer, we have gone insane. I think except for those who absolutely must fly, we should start bailing out in high proportions, opting instead for cars, trains, and ships. Sure, it takes more time, but it's so much more dignified, and we are not going to be accused, harassed, or pickpocketed.

Or what about the private flight industry? Those of us who have the money to hire a smaller plane and a private pilot may end up having a more enjoyable journey. It may end up growing into a flying taxicab service, with everybody hiring their own flight or a family flight. Corporations already hire their own corporate flights, and members of our government fly a better way. Perhaps this will become a trend. I am watching to see if anything changes. I am hoping the power of the consumer will effect a metamorphosis in the way we do things. The boycott is still in our power, and I hope we use it.