UK Ferry Tickets

As millions of people were delayed for hours at airports following the security alert, a man who made a voluntary confession to being present at the death of a six-year-old girl was whisked on to a US-bound flight, where he was served champagne and king prawns in business class. I wonder, were there strict rules on the hand luggage John Mark Karr was able to bring in to the country?

Enhanced security measures are no doubt sensible in the current climate, but it makes you question the sanity of the world we live in when you read about Karr’s 15-hour flight from Thailand.

We don’t yet know whether he was involved in the infamous killing of JonBenet Ramsey in Colorado on Boxing Day 1996 or whether, as some reporters are suggesting, that he is merely a fantasist. But surely he could have flown economy. Or was it more to do with the fact that his entourage of security personnel felt like hob-nobbing in business class?

No doubt they didn’t stop to consider the very different experiences of travellers at UK airports and whether they were entirely necessary.

For example, are the strict regulations on the size of cabin bags (45cm x 35cm x 16cm) really important and do they improve security in any way? Many observers doubt it.

I’ll resist the temptation to go over old ground or bore people with my reactionary views, but it will be fascinating to see how these new measures pan out.

Undoubtedly, there will be subjective judgements over hand luggage, with some people allowed to get away with bags that are slightly larger than stipulated.

Meanwhile, how do we ensure that airports do not grind to a halt during the next terror threat? Airlines like British Airways and Ryanair have been particularly critical of BAA, the airports authority, but there is some history there. The carriers desperately want to put the boot into BAA and show it in a bad light because it is keen to break up the operator’s monopoly.

Furthermore, is there really any point to all this security when there are currently no such rules on flights coming into the UK from most other countries?

And most importantly, how will it affect your attitude to travel? Will you, like me, continue flying, or instead prefer to drive or take the train? Perhaps you’ve been worrying about the environmental impact of flying and this has given you the nudge to stop it altogether?

There’s no doubt that some travel companies have been hit in the short term by a drop in bookings, but is that just a blip?

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

Thursday, August 31st, 2006