Afraid to fly since 9/11?

Stephen Kramer, Cartoonist ^ | 9/27/03 | Stephen Kramer

[gocartoons]

Are you afraid to fly since 9/11? Think twice before you get on this airplane...

Maybe they should make this cartoon into a movie?

[Monty22]

I was phobic of flying planes before 9/11. I'd spend a lot of time at the airport bar, have 4 or 5 drinks and 2-4mg of xanax before I could get on. Then I'd have 2-5 beers on the flight.

Post-9/11 I don't have these problems anymore. No more flying, ever.

[YoungKentuckyConservative]

I fear the TSA and being strip-searched while an Arabic Male betwee the ages of 20-30 skips through the line, unchallenged. Thus, I do not fly anymore. Until the government and the airlines clean up their Politically-Correct little world, I'll support the car rental agencies.

[Monty22]

Renting a car for cross country travel is actually a bargain.. And a lot of fun too.

[nightdriver]

"I fear the TSA and being strip-searched while an Arabic Male betwee the ages of 20-30 skips through the line, unchallenged."

Ditto what you said, although I'd substitute "hate" for "fear."

[alnick]

I was phobic of flying planes before 9/11.

Me too. It seemed as though the airlines would just use a plane until it fell apart in mid-air. We replace our cars with new ones every few years, but airliners just run those planes till they crash. No thanks.

[dtel]

Once our airports started resembling Mexico City's airport, after 9/11, that was it for me.
Slowly but surely, we denigrate into a third world sh1t hole.

[Concentrate]

I believe that it was in 2002 when there were ZERO fatalities on commercial aircraft. Not sure if that was the USA or the world, though. It's very safe.

I still haven't flown since 9/11 though. Go figure.

What bothers me most is the security checks and the fact that you can't even smoke anywhere in the airports between flights, much less on the airplanes.

I used to love to go to the airport bars, smoke, drink and strike up conversations with various people from nearly all walks of life. Muslim and Democrat extremists are putting an end to all kinds of fun. :(

[Concentrate]

It depends on the airline. It's safe to fly one that keeps and maintains modern fleets. United, American, and many others are safe bets. You are mch more likely to get into a deadly car crash than a commercial airliner crash.

Think about it; there are planes taking off and landing EVERY 2/3 minutes in every major city in the world every day of the year. The chances of you getting on a flight that is going to crash is truely infinitesmal.

[Cicero]

I fly maybe two or three times a year, but I hate it. Flights are cancelled, connections are missed, most airports are about as humanly welcoming as a tomb, the crowds resemble cattle lining up for the slaughter pen, and the food is unspeakable. I never check my bags, so at don't lose my luggage any more or wait half an hour watching the bags go round the carrousel. But I only fly when I have to.

[Mulder]

I'm not a afraid to fly, I simply refuse to fly so long as I will be treated like a turd world citizen. Also, I'm not going to fly again until my Right to fly armed is recognized.

After all, if I wanted to spend $300 to get treated like crap, I'd find some hot blonde with a whip.

[Think free or die]

I avoid flying now. The mis-directed security hassles just make it a miserable experience. While I have little confidence in the airport screening procedures, I feel a lot better about the likelihood of fellow air travelers actively resisting potential hijackers.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I don't have any fear of flying.

I just despise the airport Gestapo, therefore I no longer fly.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

After all, if I wanted to spend $300 to get treated like crap, I'd find some hot blonde with a whip.

Too funny.

[Monty22]

"I'm not going to fly again until my Right to fly armed is recognized."

That's another reason I won't fly. I might fly if they allowed that.

So of course I'll never EVER fly again.

[Mulder]

That's another reason I won't fly. I might fly if they allowed that.

The more they fail to recognize my Rights as an American, the more I'm going to increase my 'price' for flying again.

Here are my conditions:

1) I'm treated like an American at the airports, not some slave.

2) I fly armed.

3) If my flight is significantly delayed or cancelled, I get REAL financial compensation, not a "free meal" ticket to one of the local barfarants.

[Prodigal Son]

I just despise the airport Gestapo, therefore I no longer fly.

Yup. Although, I still fly (hard to get off an island without it) I agree with your sentiments.

[Just another Joe]

I flew a round trip two weeks after 9/11/01.
I flew again two weeks after that.
In 2002 I flew 5 times.
I have no fear of flying, I have a fear of the PC TSA letting another set of suicidal terrorist nuts on board an airplane.
I don't enjoy having to get to the airport 3 hours ahead of time just to get to the gate by takeoff time.
I don't enjoy letting some minimum wage flunky paw through my belongings, especially as there are many things I put in my checked baggage because it is no longer allowed to be in your carry on.

If a person wanted to bring down an airplane - it could be done without too much trouble. Of course, that would only kill 200 or 300 people. That is not what a terrorist wants.

Let the 2^nd amendment come into play everywhere, including on the airplane, and it is no longer a danger that terrorists could hijack an airplane to be able to kill thousands.

No, sorry, that's too sensible.

[BillaryBeGone]

It seemed as though the airlines would just use a plane until it fell apart in mid-air.

Wrong. I made the mistake of buying an airplane once upon a time. Mind you, this was a small single-engine, 4-seater for private use. The first annual inspection cost me $4,000 - in 1980. The regs are so strict and so severe, for all practical purposes, it's impossible to put an unsafe plane in the sky. Then, of course, there's the down side of planes falling out of the sky for lack of maintenance - it's called "bankruptcy". I'd take a plane trip over a car trip any day. Flying is MUCH safer. How many people die in car wrecks every year? How many from bad airline maintenance? Think about it.