Until a few decades ago, travelers planning to fly from Chattanooga’s Lovell Field, or from most other airports even in huge population centers, had it “easy.”
We could park our cars conveniently, enter a terminal, buy a ticket and board perhaps a DC-3 Eastern Air Lines plane (or its later, bigger successors) and be on our way, with no hassle at all, assured of safe arrival at the planned destination.
But things have sadly changed in air travel as a result of worldwide terrorism.
Now there are multi-billion-dollar costs and great inconveniences for advance check-ins to allow screening by electronic gadgets and watchful attendants because of serious threats from a variety of terrorists worldwide.
Amazingly, many millions of people still fly safely on airlines. But we are all concerned because of some serious dangers. Just recently, for example, the lives of nearly 300 air passengers on one flight were “barely saved,” despite great precautions, because a suicidal terrorist’s bomb happened not to work.
Just think of all the dangers, costs and inconveniences that terrorists cause. We must guard against them, all over the world, with great difficulty.