Nonesuch's Journal: How the Events of 9-11-2001 will affect me personally.

I don't know anybody who was directly harmed by the events of this past Tuesday, or even anybody who lost a family member. I fly quite often for business and vacations, and in fact I had very nearly taken a business trip to the East coast just last week, a trip that would have taken me through Pittsburg.

After the initial shock was over, I felt that these terrorist hijackings would not deter me from flying in the future. However, the immediate changes to the way air travel is conducted may lead me to curtail my use of commercial aviation.

I do not see the benefit in digging through the carry-on baggage of all passengers, or giving up the choice to carry on my laptop and duffel bag, or taking away my option to carry on a non-threatening swiss army knife or multi-tool. Half of the reason I choose to fly for business is the speed and convenience of air travel without checked luggage. Losing that speed, the convenience, will cause airlines to lose my business.

I'm more fearful of what the airlines, the FAA, and Federal lawmakers will do in reaction to the perceived threat than I am of the terrorists themselves. Perhaps I would feel differently if I had lost somebody in this event, but that would be emotions overruling rationality, leading to rash decisions that would be regretted later, just as decisions currently being made by the legislature and FAA may be regretted down the road.