Charger Opinion

Airport hassles: is travel worth it?

Jenna King, Design Editor

Airports. They symbolize reunions and bittersweet goodbyes. In the first year post 9/11, they became a scary place. All the security guards and dogs walking around is enough to make you never want to fly again, let alone having to take your shoes off and walk through a metal detector a hundred times before they figure out that the button on your jeans is setting it off. When you finally make it through the security checkpoint, you make the journey to the farthest stretch of the airport, namely gate C45, just to sit for another five hours because your plane is delayed.

In the past six months I have visited four airports in three corners of the U.S. Each one had a very unique way of handling the multitudes of people who poured in and out of it each day. First I visited Nashville International Airport where I was heading for Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. To make things function more smoothly, they have two main security gates back to the gates, one to gates A and B (domestic flights) and one to gates C and D (international and overseas flights). The only downside to leaving from Nashville is that during heavy traffic days, namely around holidays, it is hard to get through the hoards of people and their ski equipment or musical instruments standing around acting oblivious to your existence.

Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport is a much more efficient airport. Instead of having only one entrance, each terminal has its own. This means that you will not get lost and end up on the other side of the airport while looking for the baggage claim.

La Guardia International Airport in New York has a very similar setup. the terninals are divided up and have multiple entrances. Also, I discovered that La Guardia had the most efficent security methods of any of the other airports I have been in. There were no lines anywhere including baggage check and claim.

My last stop was at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It was nothing but lines and lines of people, most of whom were lost or too busy talking on their cell phones to know what was going on.
A lot of things have changed inside airports since 9/11. As most airports continue to boost their security meathods, some are uncalled for., such as making my 83-year-old grandmother get up out of her wheelchair to walk through the metal detecter. After that ordeal she stills has to take off her shoes and all her jewelry and repeat the process. Where has the respect for elders gone? Overall I do feel very safe traveling in this day and age. With these changes came the demand for efficency in the security methods. Most of the airports I have been to have met this demand. I feel very safe traveling now, probably more than I did before.