International Flights Cross Boundaries
International flights
International flights, as the term suggests, these are airplane flights that cross national boundaries. And, given the climate of fear that permeates the world today, they can be a traveler?s worst nightmare. Hard as it may be to believe, there was a time when travel was relatively easy. You would go to the airport, check your baggage, get your boarding pass and then get onboard. Metal detectors were something treasure hunters used at the beach, x-ray machines were in hospitals, and you got to keep your shoes on your feet at all times. In fact, most people were very grateful for the fact that everyone kept their shoes on! And, your friends and family members could come with you, right up to the gate. Ah yes, the good old days.
Today, the process of getting on a plane for another country is akin to getting top secret clearance at a government research facility. First, of course, there are the x-ray machines. They came in several decades ago when the first plane hijackings occurred. Back in those days, firearms were the chief concern, and an x-ray machine was fine for detecting any large metal objects in a person?s carry-on bags. Of course, this led to a back and forth tug-of-war between the hijackers and security experts. For every new protection implemented, the criminals / terrorists searched for a way around it.
With the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, simple box cutters and plastic explosives were used to take over the planes. The cutters were small enough to slip by the x-ray machines, and the explosives did not register. This, quite naturally, led to improvements in the scanning technology used. So, today, going on an international flight means preparing yourself carefully. First, proper ID must be presented. Next, anything going onboard is scanned and searched. Something as simple as a fingernail clipper will be confiscated! Then, there are the random searches. As we are a very politically correct nation, the idea of profiling is offensive to many people. So, the security personnel select several people at random for more detailed searches.
Only after all of this can the passengers - and passengers only - make their way to the gate to get onboard their respective flight. The entire process, from entering the airport to actually getting on the plane, can take hours - depending on the airport, time of day, time of year etc. So, these days, an international flight is quite the complex excursion.
frank j vanderlugt owns and operates http://www.airlines-in-malaysia.com 2 Airlinesinmalaysiacom