Remember when all the bad boys in the school would congregate in the toilets (or around the bicyle sheds) for a quick and illicit smoke? This happened for a while on commercial aircraft after smoking was prohibited on international flights. Well it isn't just health-minded headmasters who want to stop that practice of 'congregation'. The U.S. government is stretching its paranoia of the skies to new limits by asking airlines to stop passengers queing for the loo on flights to the United States. Flight crew are being told to act as 'toilet police'. I guess you'll have to take a ticket and wait at your seat until you're called. What exactly do they hope to achieve by this? If they're not happy with security on the ground before the plane takes off they should ban flights from that country. Easy. No one gets in and no one gets out. That's what they really want. Isn't it?
Posted by Joe at January 7, 2004 10:50 AMI'm waiting for the day they just sedate the passengers at the start of the flight and stack 'em in like cordwood. In unisex jumpsuits too, so nothing hidden in the clothing. No stews, no toilets, no meals, and no uppity terrorists.
Of course you'd still get people swallowing bombs to blow up the whole schmeer in flight. But that should be easy enough to check for.
Posted by: DJ at January 7, 2004 12:11 PMSedation. Never thought of that. They're probably working on it though.
Posted by: Joe at January 7, 2004 01:13 PMUnlike our self-lauded air reader (what happened to Naipaul?)I think I could handle being sedated - I mean, that is usually what I try to do once I get some red in my hand en route!
Posted by: martin at January 7, 2004 05:28 PMIt's easier to read when travelling by oneself. As good an excuse as I can make up in this haze. Naipaul will be read. Promise.
Posted by: Joe at January 7, 2004 11:35 PMI usually try my dardest to sedate myself, particularly when travelling business, and yet nearly always find it impossible to sleep on airplanes anyway.
I think the last time I slept en route was on the way home from London (direct, that time) after being up all night in a strip joint with a local guide and then getting approximately two hours of sleep before getting up for a lunch date. Went straight to the airport from lunch.
Posted by: DJ at January 9, 2004 09:42 AM