[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Centurion2000]

Not afraid to fly at all. I love flying. I just won't surrender my rights and my dignity to the airport gestapo to get on one.

[Squantos]

Afraid.......No !
Angered.......Yes !

Stay Safe !

[winker]

Ever since I had two close calls in the Air force; I have flown on occasion; maybe 3 or 4 times since 1970. I don't have what I would consider a phobia about it but the thought of flying now is something I don't long for because the novelty of flying wore off long ago with me.

If I had to get somewhere in a hurry, I would not hesitate to saddle up and go! My infrequent flying excursions have a negligible effect on the industry. The public phobia about flying comes from the media sensationalizing the subject when something bad happens. I am not saying that ignoreing it altogether will make tragic circumstances disappear either! The airline industry like all big business ventures is profit or possibly greed driven and the board of directors generally only care about the bottom line.

There are fixed costs involved in operating a large and expansive business like an airline. Expendable items like fuel,food,replacement parts engines etc. have to be included because things break and wear out. Passengers ultimately have to choose to use your services and perceptions carefully play into a carrier's longevity. Media critics many times fail to verify their sources before reporting on things like crashes when they occur and in many cases they voluntarily or ignorantly make assumptions that may or may not apply.

Do I enjoy flying ...NO! The flying experience is in my estimation a voluntary game of russian roulette not induced by the media or anything else conspiratorial in nature. Its just that since 9/11 none of us here will ever view things in the same way before it happened. The industry may never fully recover its financial footing partly due to acknowledged bad management in the industry and partly because our trust has been shattered and we never reall know who might have been missed on a pre-boarding inspection at the terminal.

It doesn't take a brainiac to tell you things are different nowdays; its a calculated risk these days because you really don't know who is sitting next to you!

[hadaclueonce]

The key to flying post 9/11 is to carry a hip pack. Send it through seperate. In that hip pack put your keys, and everything metal in it. Along with a couple good paperbacks. I am talking belt buckles, all your change, anything metal.

Once on the Plane, the hip pack with the paper backs will make a good defense against someone with a "box cutter" that "Barney Fife" at the gate did not find.

It is sad that they are making the "security of the planes" an upward position path for they persons that use to bag our groceries at the food store.

I do not mean this as hostile. I am just speaking my mind.

[Bon mots]

Afraid to fly?
Nope.

Afraid to crash?
Well...

[Pan_Yans Wife]

On Friday, I will be taking my first flight in over ten years. I have no idea what to expect at the airport, or on the plane.

Praying it will be an uneventful round trip. :)

[Sam Cree]

Jes, thanks

[Joe Hadenuf]

With all the hassles, and inconveniences of flying, and you finally get on the plane, only to sit next to some guy that smells like a campfire and looks like Yasir Arafat.

I'd rather go to the dentist that have to fly somewhere...

[MattAMiller]

It happen that I've flown with greater frequency since 9/11. I was always mildly unnerved by the whole thing, and that hasn't really changed much. I haven't really noticed the security being more intrusive either. You can't wait in the terminal if you're picking somebody up, but that's the only change I've seen.

[Fester Chugabrew]

Thanks for the cartoon.

I'd be eager to fly if I could afford it. Even more eager to take some terrorist bastard by the balls and usher him into the netherworld free of charge.

[Central Scrutiniser]

I took early retirement after 14 years with an airline, still have flying benefits (though not as great as before!), I fly all the time, other than it being a pain in the butt (they took the blades off my razor last week in Mexico) I will continue.

I've had to buy acutal tickets lately, hope to go to Cambodia in November, just gotta remember to stick to the walking paths there...

[LPStar]

I fly as much as I can. I'm more afraid of insane drivers in the merge lane than I am of flying, and statistics prove I am correct.