A Stitch in Haste

Britain has (partially) restored sanity in its air travel policies:

[P]assengers are now allowed to take items bought in the departure lounge onto planes.

Airports operator BAA put up notices telling passengers that they could buy any goods from shops in departure lounges, including liquids and electrical items.

However US airlines have maintained a ban on carrying liquids onto planes bound for America.

I presume that the U.S. TSA will relax the "no nothing, no way" ban on liquids within the next week or so. I pray that they do so before my trip to Prague.

The "no liquids past security" policy is debatable, but not ludicrous. The "no liquids on the plane" policy is, however, pure hysteria and the Politics of the Warm Fuzzy Feeling.

What does it say about the current state of air travel safety and security if we can't trust what is sold in the airport terminal itself? Is it not screened? Are the vendors not background checked? Do the employees not also go through security?

Either the "no purchases" policy is unnecessary, or we have much bigger problems than "Gatorade and a camera flash."

Let's hope — let's pray — that it's the former.

UPDATE: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff hinted Sunday that the restrictions will be relaxed very soon -- perhaps in less than 24 hours. Good.