Why does nobody talk about how 9/11 changed airport security overnight?

I remember flying in 2000 out of LaGuardia, walked to my gate 20 minutes before boarding no problem. Then after September 2001, same airport, I had to show up 3 hours early and take my shoes off for a guy named Mike in security. Something shifted so fast and nobody questions why the response was that instant compared to other events.

2 comments

2 Comments

faitha401mo ago

Nobody questions why the response was that instant compared to other events" - actually, I question it all the time, just not in the way you think. The truth is, airport security WAS a joke before 9/11, and the fact that we suddenly cared after thousands died makes perfect sense. We had years of warnings about hijackings and bombings, but nobody wanted to inconvenience travelers until it was too late. The shoe bomber on that flight in December 2001 proved we were still behind. I get the frustration with the wait times and the shoe removal, but acting like it was some overreaction ignores how easy it was to just walk onto a plane with box cutters before. The response was instant because the threat was finally real to regular people, not just intelligence agencies.

sean_perry1mo ago

So we only care once bodies pile up, got it.