As Jay Leno joked during his Thursday night TV monologue, the next thing you know, we'll all be lining up nude at airports around the world. If the stakes weren't so high and the fight against terrorism so deadly serious, scenes of airline passengers dutifully emptying their toiletry kits into garbage cans could be mistaken for a Monty Python skit on the absurdity of real life.
Nearly five years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, travellers face another string of security restrictions in the wake of this week's revelation that British police foiled a plot by terrorists to board U.S.-bound jets at London's Heathrow airport and blow them up over the Atlantic.
Fred Lazar, a business professor at York University who specializes in the airline industry, says it isn't far-fetched to imagine a future where many passengers travel with little or no luggage, and typically show up at least three hours before departure. Those wishing to check bags would do so 24 hours in advance. On short-haul flights, bags would reach their destination by train or truck. On long-haul routes, there could even be dedicated cargo planes.
Another idea would involve allowing some carry-on items, but once stored in the overhead bins, flight attendants would lock them up and only allow access after landing. "It's the rise of the hassle factor," says Lazar, who says consumers would come to accept, if not embrace, the looming changes.
Based on current trends, another future staple of air travel may involve issuing "smart" boarding passes to passengers based on biometrics, the science of scanning biological data such as fingerprints, eyes and facial features. Such technology isn't fool proof, however, since identity theft would remain a problem.
Karl Moore, a McGill University professor who also keeps close tabs on airlines, believes new travel restrictions are a necessary response to terrorist threats. While he views a permanent ban on hand luggage as an over-reaction, he envisages a day when hotels will come to the rescue of laptop-deprived business travellers. Higher-end hotels, he predicts, will start installing computers in individual rooms, and all a guest has to do is bring along a memory stick and get to work.
Then there's the delicate matter of dealing with the ever-growing consumer obsession with electronic gadgets. Whether it's a cellphone, BlackBerry or iPod, those devices are considered potential detonators by authorities. If gadgets are banned worldwide from carry-on bags, airlines may have an opportunity to install or provide their own high-tech devices for phone, e-mail and music access.
Despite the sudden ban on carrying liquids and gels, there could still be ways to quench your thirst on arrival. Here's one scenario: Just order your duty-free booze from high-tech screens in the seat in front of you. That coveted bottle of wine or whatever you desire would then be either available at the airport where you land, or it could be couriered to your home address.
Understandably, duty-free shops around the world have the jitters this week, but one security solution would be to form alliances with airlines. That would allow flight attendants to temporarily store creams, perfumes and alcohol before handing them over to passengers at the final destination. Or if scanning technology can be improved, it could be used to distinguish Chardonnay from dangerous liquids.
In the meantime, there will be hand-wringing over whether it's wise to pack a $45 bottle of Glenfiddich whisky, now that carry-on liquids are banished from the cabin. Even when cushioned by socks and underwear, it will be a nerve-wracking experience in the air, crossing your fingers that turbulence won't rock the cargo belly enough to somehow crack the bottle and, gasp, release the smoky Scotch.
Amid all the uncertainty about commercial flights, owners of private jets have been quick to point out that for the price of a ticket in executive or first class, business travellers have the option of chartering a plane. Air taxis could also become popular for the corporate crowd, as well as so-called fractional ownership of aircraft, which is similar to time-sharing a condo.
For leisure travellers, however, the rigours of mass-market flying came into sharp focus this week. Jay and Mary Ann Branch of Regina met their homeward-bound Air Canada Jazz flight in Toronto on Thursday morning, just in time to experience the new security restrictions.
They arrived at Pearson International with more than two hours to spare. Fortunately, they say, they didn't have to throw away their suddenly villainous liquids and gels, which seemed so benign the night before.
With the help of their two kids, Ben and Kaitlyn, they spent 20 minutes on the airport floor, carefully taking liquids and gels out of their carry-on bags. They stuffed the items into their check-in luggage already bulging with clothes and souvenirs. On the flight back home, they unfolded their plastic trays and dined on granola bars they brought aboard. Granola good, gels bad.
Welcome to the new normal.ƒo
