Completely unofficial update on the liquid and gel ban. I went on a trip last weekend to Idaho and flew across the country today (and boy are my arms tired, har har), and I was pretty surprised that none of the airlines checked anyone for liquid before boarding the plane. I’m not encouraging anyone to breach safety precautions, but I personally am totally undone by the fact that I can’t have my own bottle of water with me when I fly. It’s just inhumane. From what I have witnessed in the last week, it would be absolutely easy-peas to bring a beverage onboard as long as I purchased it post-security gate and stowed it in my carry-on. What’s more, I saw several off-duty airline employees waltz onto the plane today practically swinging huge delicious bottles of fresh water as they sashayed down the aisle to their seats. As far as I’m concerned, that’s like letting cops snort coke while they patrol the school yard. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad….

But now the plot thickens. My dad and I flew into the same airport today at the same time (on different flights). He was carrying a carry-on containing sunblock, after shave and various other liquid and gel products. When he departed on his outbound flight yesterday, he didn’t intend to break the rules, but he was late for his flight, grabbed a bag he’d recently used for another trip and forgot about the items. It was only after passing through security that he realized he was carrying banned items. Today, he took the return leg of his trip and decided to try to carry his bag on again, figuring he’d just check it if the security people gave him grief. For the second time, no one at security noticed the liquid items in his bag.

And all of this brings me to my point. If it’s so easy for travelers to smuggle liquid items onboard, then how safe are we? And are these new security measures even working? Or are they just making us run around like hamsters on a wheel? In my opinion, it doesn’t make any sense to have a security rule enforced primarily by the honor system. I mean, the conscientious travelers out there aren’t people you need to worry about in the first place, and the dangerous ones are going to quickly find holes in the system.

When next I board a plane, I’ll still be checking my liquid and gel items, but you’d better believe I’m sneaking on a bottle of water.