My wife has been going through pre-flight screening now for 6 hours (Continental, Canada to NYC), and it's just getting worse. They announced "when half the people are screened, we'll leave" then changed it to 100%, even though some have left after being screened. It's outrageous to think this will help "make us safe." We are both multi-million mile travelers and this is the last straw. No more air travel for the foreseeable future. We will be using GoToMeeting, FreeConferenceCall, Skype, Basecamp and everything we can to not travel. I've just cancelled plans to go to China.

I believe that the hollywood movies: one flew over the coo-coos nest and dumb and dumber have taken residence in our capitol (DC). U. S. A. department secretaries and their rule making idiots have taken major steps in removing rights granted to the AMERICAN PEOPLE (this means legal citizens) in our bill-of-rights and constitution and for what? This combat enemy (you know soldiers don't ware a uniform from muslimville) that landed in America on an American Airplane trying to blow that darn infidel aircraft to hell was sent to our hospital first, then got a personal visit from one of our judges, and now somebody in government has appointed legal council and made attempts to schedule skin grafts. WHAT! Where is the military? Why isn't this guy being held at a military high security complex, maybe being waterboarded to find out if there are others out there approaching our boarders with simular ideas. WAKEUP AMERICA.

I have to fly out of Detroit next week for an international trip and I'm dreading it. What a load of garbage from Homeland Security - instead of investigating why this guy didn't set off flags in Amsterdam, they are instead punishing all air passengers "for our own safety." Mandatory pat-downs for all passengers? Confining us to our seats for the last hour of the flight? An ill passenger goes to the washroom for a while to relieve himself then gets annoyed with the flight crew after having his privacy invaded, and he gets arrested? Sounds like a page right out of the book of Communist Russia. Kudos to Homeland Security. Or should I say, Motherland Security. Do they really think terrorists are smart enough to sew syringes of explosives into their underwear but too stupid to figure out that with the new rules they simply have to get their device out and detonate it BEFORE the last hour of the flight? What's next for airport security: should I strip down, strap on a Depends, and put on an orange jumpsuit for my flight?

Its time for our country; govt officials, media, Hollywood, bleeding hearts, etc. to collectively pull their heads out of their P.C. clouds and quit being apologetic for these radicals. We all know who they are and where they come from. Its about time to allow our agencies the freedom to do their jobs, profiling included.

If we are to remain as a free society, its time to be aggressively proactive and not reactive.

I am in agreement with everyone's sentiments here so far, the department of Homeland Security have gone to far! I am an American and have lived outside the US for the past 16 years, but I travel back-n-forth very often and these changes make no sense. Staying seated for the last hr of a flight is not the answer, I live in Bangkok, it is 15 hrs non-stop from BKK to LAX and now in the last hr you can't get up streatch or even go to the can.... Wait until the first person uses their motion sickness bag as a bathroom and then hands it to the air hostess to dispose it. The Airline industry is loosing money now by the billions and with these new restrictions and complaints people will just limit their travel. Like the gentleman states above he is going to Skype, NetMeeting and other forms of video conferencing. Nothing in life is 100% safe but we can be smarter than this, can't we? Surely if the money was spent properly and had less politics involved we could get something done. Taking your shoes off still is a needless step, here in Asia many airports have special mats you step on that xray the shoe, see the metal strip in the bottom and let you go, if it looks odd then you take the shoe off. If small countries like Vietnam and Thailand can do this why can't the US be smarter about how they protect people instead of inconveniencing them with items that 'show' they are doing something but are not really doing much at all. As prj-477820 stated above forget about the PC attitude, profile people if you have to it may make some people angry but it will work better than these methods.

What if the flight is less than an hour. Does that mean you can't use the facilities at all?

It's time to require all elected officials to use the same transportation system as their masters do. They are after all public servants, not rulers!
They do not need the private jets to wisk them around the globe.
Things might change a bit as they experience the degrading humilation of pat downs, shoes off, and someone rummaging through your dirty underwear at the end of a long trip.

Well, if there's one thing al-Qaeda accomplished with 9/11, it's the destruction of the air travel industry.

These rules are the most ridiculous ever, and the press only makes things worse. Once again, passengers on this flight showed that a 9/11 event will not happen again, because passengers will not allow it to happen again.

The United States might as well just shut down all airlines because we have shown that we do not know how to handle security issues correctly.

Totally Ridiculous just opens the Private Aviation Sector up even more. For Some extra cash why not go point to point and No TSA lines.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

One hour before flight ends? Someone could do the same thing before that.

GPS disabled? Someone could easily look out the window!

These regulations are stupid and ineffective and do not solve the problem of preventing people from getting onboard the plane in the first place which is the root of the problem.

with a stent in my chest and a titanium knee, I get felt up for 5-10 minutes every time anyhow...

Hmmm why not just fill the passenger cabin with nitrous oxide prior to take off and refill with normal air on touchdown?
Step two. If an incident occurs in flight at altitude, the captain will immediately depressurize the passenger cabin and turn off the emergency oxygen rendering all passengers unconscious and extinguishing all fames. After making sure that it is safe, a armed crewmember with personal breathing apparatus can enter the passenger cabin and place any terrorist in a sealed container to be ejected prior to descending to a safe altitude.

in addition to my previous statement, last year in Sarasota, FLA, I watched the security staff take away the cane of an old man that could not stand up. he had to grab the sides of the detector. on top of that, they made him remove his suspenders so whiel trying to keep his pants up and hold on to the detector, it was just a marvelous experience for him.

I am a life long Dem, liberal leaning 60 YO...yet when white guys my age start committing terrorist acts (outside of blowing up clinics and shooting doctors to death) start with the freakin' profiling gdi!!!!!

I traveled out of Mccarran Airport, Las Vegas the day after Christmas and didn't notice any difference in screening. About 20 minutes before boarding 7-8 security guards arrived at the gate, surrounded everyone waiting in the concourse for Continental flight 480 to Cleveland and watched us board the plane.

BTW to the twits bitchin' about this admin...where were you the previous 8 years to this admin? I didn't hear you whining then??? You bent over for them or went shopping!!!!

Totally agree with you guys. The new knee-jerk TSA air flight rules are staggering in their stupidity and ineffectiveness.

Locking the toilets for an hour before landing? Banning in-flight entertainment -- or holding a book in your lap? Confining people to their seats? How exactly will that make me safer? Like chsmcs above, I live in Asia and am not looking forward to my next trip to the US. Even prisoners receive more compassionate treatment!

I have no problem with an additional pre-flight screening. But once I've gone through that process, I expect to be treated with dignity and respect in the air, not harassed, bullied and restrained like a criminal because the TSA can't get its act together on the ground.

i was goint to take an trip involving airlines this x-mas break but since it is likely to involve an even MORE intrusive and belligerent security harassment , FORGET IT!!!!

I have flown many times through Amsterdam. Their security measures have been top notch.

I was planning to fly round trip from Anchorage to Seattle in the last week of December. With the new TSA measures I will be boycotting flying unless a life or death situation arises.

I still cannot forget the TSA agent in Seattle taking my homemade Salsa and jelly because they are considered explosive liquids. When will it every end?