Last year I travelled with my wife and our six month old baby to the United States to visit my wife's sister. We have been in the U.S. several times after 9/11 so we were well aware of the hysteria in American airports, but this was the first time we travelled with a baby.
To those of you that have children, there is no need to explain the effort invested in leaving the house with a baby. You need to take a bag with diapers, several clean bottles, pacifiers, clothes for all weather, blankets, soft wipes, baby cream, baby sun protector, a stroller, toys... and much more; and I am talking only of the things needed to leave the house for the afternoon. Just imagine the synchronization needed to fly overseas with a baby, a national intelligence agency would have its hands full with this mission.
To those of you that have children, there is no need to explain the effort invested in leaving the house with a baby. You need to take a bag with diapers, several clean bottles, pacifiers, clothes for all weather, blankets, soft wipes, baby cream, baby sun protector, a stroller, toys... and much more; and I am talking only of the things needed to leave the house for the afternoon. Just imagine the synchronization needed to fly overseas with a baby, a national intelligence agency would have its hands full with this mission.
Anyone that has been in a U.S. airport in recent years is well aware of the security routine check you must pass through prior to entering your gate. You need to take off your shoes, your belt and all your personal belongings, pass them through the X-ray machine, go through the metal detector, and then dress and pack back your belongings.
For an adult by himself this procedure is annoying (delicately speaking), but when you are with a baby it becomes no less than a juggling act. First of all you have to take all the baby bags with all the above mentioned baby accessories through the X-ray machine, then you have to take the stroller and try to make it pass through the X-ray machine, not an easy task. By the way, don't forget to take the baby out of the stroller before you do this. Yes, you have to take the baby out, even if he is sleeping. Yes, I know that babies sleep a lot, so just wake him up.
Luckily my wife was with me, so she took the baby while I tried to push half of our house through the X-ray machine. All this time, dozens of passengers behind me were waiting patiently for me to finish this assignment, probably feeling a bit sorry for me, and wondering if there was any chance they were going to make it to their flight on time. Of course my assignment wasn't over, afterwards I had to put all the pieces back together before we could continue to our gate. To my surprise, most of the time our baby didn't cry even if we woke him up. My guess is that he was in too much of a shock.
I tried to imagine what would a mother with baby twins do in this situation by herself? Hold her babies in both arms and try to put the stroller in the X-ray machine with one leg while balancing on the other?
My question is : is all this really necessary?
Before you start shouting at me about world terrorism, let me say a few things:
It seems to me however that security routines have been driven by fear and panic, and not by logic. I think that security checks could be changed in order to make life a little easier for the passengers, without restricting security measures.
I have spoken with many people that enjoy travelling as much as I do, and many of them have told me that travelling through airports in the United States is such a frustrating experience, that it has become a crucial factor on deciding their future destinations.
For an adult by himself this procedure is annoying (delicately speaking), but when you are with a baby it becomes no less than a juggling act. First of all you have to take all the baby bags with all the above mentioned baby accessories through the X-ray machine, then you have to take the stroller and try to make it pass through the X-ray machine, not an easy task. By the way, don't forget to take the baby out of the stroller before you do this. Yes, you have to take the baby out, even if he is sleeping. Yes, I know that babies sleep a lot, so just wake him up.
Luckily my wife was with me, so she took the baby while I tried to push half of our house through the X-ray machine. All this time, dozens of passengers behind me were waiting patiently for me to finish this assignment, probably feeling a bit sorry for me, and wondering if there was any chance they were going to make it to their flight on time. Of course my assignment wasn't over, afterwards I had to put all the pieces back together before we could continue to our gate. To my surprise, most of the time our baby didn't cry even if we woke him up. My guess is that he was in too much of a shock.
I tried to imagine what would a mother with baby twins do in this situation by herself? Hold her babies in both arms and try to put the stroller in the X-ray machine with one leg while balancing on the other?
My question is : is all this really necessary?
Before you start shouting at me about world terrorism, let me say a few things:
- I am not saying that security isn't necessary, not at all. I perfectly understand that security is a vital aspect of our daily life. Furthermore, I think that apart from airports, there is a lack of security in the United States. Terrorist acts could happen in different places where security is not as tight as it should be : bus and train stations, shopping malls, stadiums, concert halls.
- I have no understanding whatsoever on security or counter-terrorism. I have no intention in explaining how or what security measures should be taken in airports.
It seems to me however that security routines have been driven by fear and panic, and not by logic. I think that security checks could be changed in order to make life a little easier for the passengers, without restricting security measures.
I have spoken with many people that enjoy travelling as much as I do, and many of them have told me that travelling through airports in the United States is such a frustrating experience, that it has become a crucial factor on deciding their future destinations.
