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Aug
10th

Fight Terror, Ban Luggage

Posted in Business, Politics, Technology by Douglas Karr at 8:00 pm

I’ve done quite a bit of traveling for both business and pleasure all over the world. Airlines are a premium target for terrorists for many reasons:

  • The target is an international threat, so there is world-wide media coverage.
  • There are hundreds of people in a contained space that can not escape.
  • It plays upon our fear of flying.
  • Amateur films, black boxes, and computer recreation make the horror of the event visual
  • An airplane filled with fuel is a premium target.
  • I’ll say it… poor airport security.

With airports and airplanes such a simple target, why are we waiting to simply ban luggage? There are already companies popping up, like Luggage Forward who make it simple to ship your luggage. Along with reducing the risk of terrorism there are other benefits:

  • You make flight and hotel arrangements ahead of time, so you already know where you are going and when you need your luggage. Pack and ship it ahead of time!
  • You don’t have to drag luggage all over airports, through security, in and out of buses, cars, and terminals. Shippers can pick it up at your house and drop it off at your hotel.
  • If your luggage is lost, you’ll know ahead of time thanks to shipment tracking.
  • Airports would be so much easier to get through
  • Airport lines would be easier to get through.
  • Ticketing agents wouldn’t have to spend so much time handling baggage.
  • Agents wouldn’t have to ask you that stupid question on whether someone else had access to your bags.
  • Baggage screening could happen days ahead of time, away from airports and people.
  • Shipping costs could be included in your ticketing.
  • Airlines could use the space for other cargo items.
  • Airplane manufacturers could build airplanes that carry more people comfortably, saving fuel and transporting more people = profit.
  • Airlines could build luggage airplanes designed for luggage transport.
  • No more worrying about getting your bags stolen at the conveyor.
  • No more standing around the baggage conveyors waiting on your bags.
  • No more damage to bags from slamming around the baggage conveyors.

I’m sure there are some more great benefits to banning luggage on airplanes (please comment!). I think the first airline that figures this out is going to make some huge profits!

For a list of the current changes to TSA measures, check out Schneier on Security.

  • So the luggage gets passed to a freight forwarding company that loads it onto potentially the same plane you are sitting on, to be forwarded and dropped at your hotel/house/ tent where it will be available for all to pilfer... Freight forwarding is not a solution. The solution is political stability in the countries involved. You can't run a terror campaign when you are worrying about who collects the garbage.
  • Bob,

    I'm right with you... that's why I advocate the airlines building in the efficiencies. They should build passenger planes and luggage planes. Keep luggage where it won't kill us. The nice thing about that is that the airlines could load more passengers per flight. As well, they could make intermittent baggage flights.

    I think you should pay a single ticket for both, I just think the two should take separate routes. You'd be surprised at how inexpensive it is to ship the luggage.

    Thanks for visiting!
    Doug
  • Bob
    Just one little thing, instead of paying $100 and up for a ticket (at the best!) a passenger will instead have to pay $100 for a ticket, and another $50-200 shipping their luggage. I don't know about you, but I can barely afford to fly these days as it is, the last thing I need is for the cost of it to double.
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