Flights with no e-readers?!

[whitearrow]

Originally Posted by kazbates

If people feel every safety precaution has been taken, they are more likely to travel by air.

Really? Ask frequent business travelers how they feel about the absurd liquid restrictions, taking off their shoes, taking the laptops out of their cases, etc., etc., etc.

It may sound cynical, but air travel is a business and a business exists to make a profit.

Yes, they do, and these security measures actually cost the airlines money by making it such a hassle that their best-paying customers, business travelers, are starting to avoid flying as much as possible. (Businesses like gotomeeting.com, though, are thrilled every time flying gets a little more time consuming and unpleasant.)

Making Ma and Pa Kettle who fly once a year on extremely discounted coach tickets feel "safe" does not make the airlines profitable. Making it convenient for the most frequent travelers, however, does.

What most Americans seem unwilling to accept is a simple fact: there is no way to prevent 100% of suicide terrorist attacks, not on airplanes or anywhere else. Any measure taken has a potential countermeasure. Make people stay in their seats for an hour? Ok, they'll blow the plane up 80 minutes before landing.

What should be done before inflicting new "security" measures is determine whether the additional burden outweighs the potential benefits. Making people sit like statutes in their seats for an hour without anything at all to do before landing does not truly make the plane more secure. It just makes the paying customers miserable.

[NeilHawkes]

Originally Posted by tompe

Actually, Abba seemed to be more popular outside of Sweden.

They do indeed, I may even get an upgrade if I'm convincing enough.

[NeilHawkes]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I know it will be a long time before I fly to the US again. Not because I'm afraid of flying (due to terrorism), but because I'm automatically a suspect because I want to fly...

Agree entirely.......be thankful you're not going through the US to join a ship as crew, fortunately I haven't had that 'pleasure' for many a year.

[petercreasey]

So what is the answer -- Can travelers take the non-WIFI eReaders on board the airplane? And can they be read?

[RDaneel54]

I haven't replied or written a thread in awhile, but this one really hits home for me. I have been a frequent, business traveller for over 20 years. In my last two jobs, I travelled about 20 weeks per year. About 5-7 weeks of that was international for the last 12 years.

I've been irritated by the US response to terrorism since 9/11. Each new security restriction has added to the hassle of travel. I have had to get to the airport earlier and often had more flight problems because of it. A little over a year ago I stopped flying internationally, with relief. Not because I don't like to travel, but because of the hassle of returning from outside the US. Then I stopped flying a year ago and only drove in the continental US. I would rather drive and lose my weekends then go through TSA's "security."

Now I've retired and I know the only flights I'll be on are occasional ones to South Korea (we have family there).

I am puzzled why an effective solution, like bomb sniffing dogs, is not even considered, while an ineffective solution is enacted.

In war, generals often fight the last battle. It appears, this is our solution to terrorism, also.

Flying, except as a necessity for overseas trips, is no longer an option for me.

The pleasure of travelling with my pocket knife in my pocket, all the liquids I want with me, keeping my shoes on, using the restroom when I need to, and having my possessions private, cannot be understated.

Ben Franklin was right when he said, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

We are well down that path.

Dean

[whitearrow]

Originally Posted by petercreasey

So what is the answer -- Can travelers take the non-WIFI eReaders on board the airplane? And can they be read?

From what I've been reading on FlyerTalk, you can bring any eReader on the plane and read it, subject to the usual rules about takeoff/landing and keeping the wifi off.

[eGeezer]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

What most Americans seem unwilling to accept is a simple fact: there is no way to prevent 100% of suicide terrorist attacks, not on airplanes or anywhere else. Any measure taken has a potential countermeasure.

It was only a movie, but Michael Corleone said it quite well: "If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that you can kill anyone."

The problem is that if they don't provide the window-dressing, if they don't provide the Security Theatre, when something DOES happen, us lawsuit-happy Americans will sue the airlines out of existence for NOT making our travel lives miserable with the mock-security, and then wonder why there's only one government-run airline available with limited flights to nowhere anyone wants to go.

[nick101]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Try humming Abba tunes - they might think you're a swede.

But then we'll get you for copyright infringement. Which, as we know from the content industry (as objective an interest group as one could hope to meet) is a far greater threat to our society than terrorism.

The evil of it is, that whereas terrorists are easily recognisable (beards, non-caucasian features, screaming "death to the infidel' at the tops of their voices), copyright stealers look just like us. Scary, man, very scary. You could be standing next to one right now

[Sparrow]

Who's jurisdiction does a passenger come under on an international flight?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by nick101

But then we'll get you for copyright infringement. Which, as we know from the content industry (as objective an interest group as one could hope to meet) is a far greater threat to our society than terrorism.

The evil of it is, that whereas terrorists are easily recognisable (beards, non-caucasian features, screaming "death to the infidel' at the tops of their voices), copyright stealers look just like us. Scary, man, very scary. You could be standing next to one right now

If you hum an ABBA tune is that theft or just a civil violation?

[nick101]

Ours

[nick101]

Originally Posted by kennyc

If you hum an ABBA tune is that theft or just a civil violation?

Theft, definitely. Also irritating

[nick101]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Who's jurisdiction does a passenger come under on an international flight?

Ours

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by DawnFalcon

Oh, and while I don't have a problem with countries where you can bear arms, I do have a problem where there's the right to bear them without having done a basic firearms safety course.

Any idea who it was said something along the lines of "I totally support your right to bear arms; but if you think I'd trust any of you with ammunition..." :-)

[Latinandgreek]

http://travel.ca.msn.com/canada/arti...entid=23209095

well, it seems books are allowed on planes, glad they cleared that up!