I was pleasantly surprised to see sanity slowly creeping back into airport security rules, as the TSA allows liquids on airplanes:
The new rules, which will go into effect Tuesday, allow travelers to carry liquids, gels or aerosols in containers of 3 ounces or less, as long as they all fit into a clear 1-quart plastic bag that can be screened at the security checkpoint. Drinks and other items purchased in the secure part of the airport, beyond the checkpoint, will also be allowed onto planes.
The new regulations will apply to all domestic and international flights departing from United States airports, the agency said.
It’s good to know that travelers will face the minor inconvenience of placing their liquids in a zip-lock bag, rather than the major inconvenience of having to check their luggage. I fear, however, that this is as far as the TSA will go in the direction of sanity. The TSA appears to have singled out shoes and liquids for extra scrunity solely because a terrorist happened to try to use those items in terrorist plots in the past. But as they say in the investment business, past performance is no guarantee of future results. Chances are, the next terrorist will use a different approach. It’s a little silly to automatically place an item on the heightened scrutiny list–forever–every time a terrorist even attempts to blow up an airplane with it.
So bravo to the TSA for relaxing a silly rule. Let’s hope that it’s the first of many such decisions. I’m not going to hold my breath, though.
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.
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