New flight rules to and from Cozumel?

[ggunn]

Hey all you globe trotters, give us a report as soon as you can when you make a flight to and from Cozumel and let us know what new pains in the rear we are going to have to endure in reaction to the latest attempted plane sabotage insanity, OK?

Soon the rule will be: "Sit perfectly still looking straight forward with your hands neatly folded in your lap for the entire flight. No looking from side to side, and NO TALKING!!!"

 

[Jim Baldwin]

Hey all you globe trotters, give us a report as soon as you can when you make a flight to and from Cozumel and let us know what new pains in the rear we are going to have to endure in reaction to the latest attempted plane sabotage insanity, OK?

Soon the rule will be: "Sit perfectly still looking straight forward with your hands neatly folded in your lap for the entire flight. No looking from side to side, and NO TALKING!!!"

My son and his wife flew out of Cozumel on Continental on Sunday afternoon headed back to Houston and I talked to him last night and got an update.

As usual all carryon baggage was searched and they examined the small bag containing any liquids that you have to show to TSA.

THIS PART IS NEW. Before they arrived in Houston they were told that they had to put their liquids in their checked baggage if they had a connecting flight or it would be confisacted.

Also new in Cozumel is the actual physical patdown search of all passengers. From you wrists to your armpits and ankles up. Everyone got the treatment.

One hour before landing all blankets were taken up. All tray tables were put up and all electronics were required to be up and no books. No one out of their seats until landing. Hands were required to be seen.

My brother-in-law, sister-in-law and mother-in-law are on the same flight this afternoon. If they have a different experience I'll post.

 

[faq88]

I flew from Cancun last night. The changes that I saw was that you could only have one carry-on. No personal bag anymore and as said above that you will have your carry-on and your body searched before boarding the plane.

 

[RICHinNC]

..... and NO TALKING!!!"

There are times when I would LOVE that rule. The terroist just keep winning and winning and winning. Their goal is to upset our lives. We let them do it. Of course there is a need for security, but common sense too.

 

[billindenver]

There is no common sense in any of this. No books? The one carry on thing is simply the airline trying to get more money by making you check more luggage. I'm sure they've been waiting for a reason to do this for a while now. The rest of it is typical over reaction....like one moron trying to light his shoe creates billions of barefoot Americans in security. Ridiculous....

 

[Christi]

My son and his wife flew out of Cozumel on Continental on Sunday afternoon headed back to Houston and I talked to him last night and got an update.

As usual all carryon baggage was searched and they examined the small bag containing any liquids that you have to show to TSA.

THIS PART IS NEW. Before they arrived in Houston they were told that they had to put their liquids in their checked baggage if they had a connecting flight or it would be confisacted.

Also new in Cozumel is the actual physical patdown search of all passengers. From you wrists to your armpits and ankles up. Everyone got the treatment.

One hour before landing all blankets were taken up. All tray tables were put up and all electronics were required to be up and no books. No one out of their seats until landing. Hands were required to be seen.

My brother-in-law, sister-in-law and mother-in-law are on the same flight this afternoon. If they have a different experience I'll post.

No BOOKS???? And if the electronics have to be put away too, that means you are literally sitting there for an hour with nothing to do. If you have airline issued earphones, I wonder if those are allowed through the end of the flight?

Can someone explain to me why the one hour cut off before landing is significant? How is cutting off reading and typical, innocent flight entertainment an hour before landing going to prevent an attempted attack? Especially if the terrorists KNOW that this is the time frame they have to work within. I simply don't "get" this part.

 

[Cozoholic]

Books, Ipods - allowed.
It is my impression they want your lap to be seen during this time. I asked the FA speciffically if we were allowed the ipods, books and she said yes.

 

[lamont]

No BOOKS???? And if the electronics have to be put away too, that means you are literally sitting there for an hour with nothing to do. If you have airline issued earphones, I wonder if those are allowed through the end of the flight?

Can someone explain to me why the one hour cut off before landing is significant? How is cutting off reading and typical, innocent flight entertainment an hour before landing going to prevent an attempted attack? Especially if the terrorists KNOW that this is the time frame they have to work within. I simply don't "get" this part.

Its all security theater. The "last hour" bit is particularly stupid. Trying to blow that plane up during the middle of the flight, at higher altitude, over water would have had a higher chance of success at destroying the plane. If AQ wanted the spectacle of burning wreckage on the news, then simply anywhere over land would be sufficient. There's no particular vulnerability in the last hour.

And the ban on electronics, books, reading, etc is going to start to seriously piss off the business passengers, which is the airlines bread and butter. We're likely at, or close to, the point where passengers aren't going to put up with this anymore, and the TSA may have start to lose the cooperation of the airlines themselves at some point. These changes are not going to be good for business.

 

[Christi]

Its all security theater. The "last hour" bit is particularly stupid. Trying to blow that plane up during the middle of the flight, at higher altitude, over water would have had a higher chance of success at destroying the plane. If AQ wanted the spectacle of burning wreckage on the news, then simply anywhere over land would be sufficient. There's no particular vulnerability in the last hour.

And the ban on electronics, books, reading, etc is going to start to seriously piss off the business passengers, which is the airlines bread and butter. We're likely at, or close to, the point where passengers aren't going to put up with this anymore, and the TSA may have start to lose the cooperation of the airlines themselves at some point. These changes are not going to be good for business.

Thanks - that's kind of where my brain was with it - but thought maybe I had missed something.

I realize that this particular security breach was not on US soil (was it Amsterdam?) but I really think that if they want truly efficient and more secure check-points in the airports, why not hire military personnel to replace TSA OR make it an employment criteria for TSA agents that they have military background. These minimum wage paid rent-a-cops aren't properly trained nor do they have any incentive to be good at their jobs! Of course, I could be totally off base - but 90% of the TSA agents I've been face to face with in security check-points seem to have the IQ level of a flea and the motivation/initiative of a doorknob!

 

[Cozoholic]

although she made me put away my portable dvd player