As a rule . . . . Yes
Allow American citizens to carry weapons, per the Second Amendment, and any potential hijack problem will be resolved well before it begins!
Walter Williams, once again, points out the obvious to the oblivious.
They did have curbside check-in which I used much to my dismay. Turned out my luggage that was being checked was subject to search so the "moron" checker took my ticket to the counter and I had to carry the luggage to the point where they were checking bags.
Let me give you an example of who they were checking -- Mom and daughter traveling together (me), two Marines on leave, an older couple in the 70's, two women who had just returned from overseas that had cleared customs a few minutes before, young family (husband/wife/child in carseat), and an elderly woman I would guess in her late 70's/early 80's. My daughter and I stood in line for 45 minutes and we were second in line. The two people checking the bags spoke little or no English.
After they took everything out of the suitcase and threw it back in unfolded, they told me to carry the bag over to the counter where it would be checked in and to get my ticket. I went up to the counter to ask for my ticket -- they handed it to me when I said the name without ever checking my ID and the guy at the counter could not have known who I was because my ticket and my luggage were separated before my luggage was checked.
We proceeded to the gate going through the metal detectors and screening for carry-on luggage. I went up to get my ticket, and found out all my carry-on luggage had to now be searched right before going on the plane. I was with four of the people that had come from the search of our checked baggage. I was getting madder as the plane was about ready to be boarded and I finally told the screener if my daughter and I were separated on the plane due to the way they searched my bags (slow and slower) and the fact that they searched by number and if the person wasn't there they didn't take the next in line, I was going to never fly Southwest again. I have never met such rude people in my life until I met the last person to do the checking who kept apologizing. He finally admitted to me and the couple behind me that he could not figure out why we were being searched and some of the passengers from another plane were not. At that point in time he pointed out two gentlemen with turbins (early 20's) who were walking right on the plane no questions asked at the gate next to ours. Two gang looking men boarded our plane with carry-on luggage on no search.
The checker then announced that the people that had been waiting for over 1/2 hour to get their carry-on bags checked would be boarding first. When we got to Phoenix and checked in, the lady at the ticket counter said there would be no further checks as she had received notification from San Diego Southwest that we had been searched enough.
At least for this flight, none of us being searched fit the profile of a terrorist (not by a long shot). We were made to wait in line to have every item we had with us searched by hand by people not even citizens of this country that were rude and incompetent. The sign said the owner of the baggage was not to help in any way with the search and not to touch their bags while being searched. The lady that was searching my bags asked me three times to unzip a portion that she was having trouble opening. Told her to do it herself because I was obeying the law!
Don't know when I have been so mad and treated so rudely. I find the FAA a bunch of incompetent morons! Did I feel safer traveling -- *?** NO! When they pick out the people they did for their searches while allowing people that scared me to board (from Arabs to gang members) without checking them out, I say these new rules are a waste!
That's me. Since 9/11, I made four round-trips flights and was searched and patted down three times. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, a 51 year old WASP guy wearing a suit is a nefarious looking character."
I will not fly on (domestic travel) commercial airlines again until these ass-breaths straighten out their act.
As O'Reilly would say, "Last Word?"... Boycott the airlines.