What were airports like pre 9 11?

[Ninapertree]

I'm in the airport getting a flight and its taking ages. Ages through the security queue. Then i got patted down. Ages through the boarding queue.

My mum said "do you remember the old days before 9 11, when airports were much easier to get through".

I cant remember. I was 16 when 9 11 happened and I think i only flew a few times before 9 11. I asked my mum and she cant remember specificially but she remembers it being easier and quicker to get through.

What were they like back then. I'm interested. Was security different?

Morning...

There's a vague chance it might just just possibly be the latter, depends on where in the world.

Occasionally when I was in the industry and this matter got discussed you'd hear vague rumours that some national authorities allowed members of the crews' families on the flight deck in flight on the basis they were a known individual.

Never heard that verified one way or the other though and it's definitely not the case for UK carriers, or AFAIK US ones either.

I always thought that but on a recent flight ( ryanair from UK to Ireland so not transatlantic or anything) my 2 kids aged 3 and 6 got invited into the cockpit to have a chat with the pilots. They were buzzing

During the flight or on the tarmac? They can still do it in the tarmac but it’s strictly forbidden during the flight.

My first flight was 1999 to Thailand with Emirates. You could definitely smoke on the flight as you selected smoking or non smoking. I chain smoked the whole way there! Crazy. I genuinely don’t remember bags or me being scanned, etc. might have happened and I don’t remember it.

Which airport?

i recently flew from Gatwick and the security was so quick! Its so efficient

its the bag drop that takes forever

Yes, I have photos of my DC in the cockpit in 2014

Ryanair (the group) have quite a few aircraft operating across their network that registered in interesting locations such as Malta, where the rules on flight deck access may not (not sure) be the same as UK. From.memory I'm actually not convinced even then they should allow access whilst in UK airspace but that's maybe another matter.

Fundamentally the default these days, most places, most UK/European/US is no access for the public in flight....

By all means ask for a visit if you or yours fancy it but if the answer is "no" please don't be offended or think the flight crew are being miserable sods - the reason may be national/company rules.

Late 90s I used to regularly fly into Luton as a day trip to meet a friend and go for lunch and shopping.

It was just like a bus - no allocated seating and a big scrum to get a window or isle seat when you got onboard 😅

I flew in the States 3 times in the week before 9/11. On one flight it was discovered just before take off someone had boarded the wrong flight, not everyone's ticket was checked before you got on.

Another occasion I had a connecting flight through an airport, at that airport I was able to wander out front for a smoke then make my way back to departures and make my flight with no checks. I remember saying to my partner at the time I'd have thought security would be a little tighter. Things changed massively just a week later.

The liquid rule was introduced in 2006 after a plot to take explosives through in multiple soft drink bottles, was narrowly averted. There was the potential for huge loss of life, hence restrictions on the amount of liquid was introduced.

Some airports now have new generation scanners enabling the liquid rule to be lifted.

Safety razors without a blade and those with a sealed blade are permitted.

My 6 year old got invited to go in the cockpit and have his photo taken with the pilot when we returned home from the UK after Christmas 2024. This was flying from LHR. I was very surprised, I thought it was no longer a thing!

They were flying Finland to Mexico so perhaps more lax rules once in Mexican airspace. I'm very jealous if she did get in the cockpit!

The shoe bomber didn't fly. He was stopped beforehand. He had been due to fly with his pregnant partner.

Apologies - I'm wrong about him being found before the flight. Will find who it was who had a pregnant partner and was arrested at the airport before travel.

I was going to say this. I’m not American, but lived in the IS in the nineties, and that always blew my mind. People seeing you off could walk you right to your gate.

Possibly, it's complex.

I flew for an operator (G- registered aircraft, UK HQ) where immediately post 9/11 the rules changed and were very clear and straightforward - no public access to the flight deck once engines running, regardless of where you were in the world...and those rules came from the UK Department's Transport Security (Transec) unit.

I know other nations might do it differently but I'd be concerned and asking questions if I saw a UK operator facilitating visits on a G- reg aircraft... not just because of the security angle but because I'd also be concerned about what other procedures, rules and regs that operator (or the individuals involved on the day) would be willing to ignore.

Nezar Hindawi sent his 5 months pregnant fiancée on an El Al flight to Israel with a bomb in her bag. She had no idea. He then tried to fly to Damascus, had second thoughts then took refuge in the Syrian embassy where his appearance was changed. He left there and was eventually arrested. He got 45 years in prison.

International flights were always higher security due to hijackings, terrorism etc which existed pre 2001, especially for certain countries. The 9/11 flights were deliberately domestic for this reason- there was very little security on US domestic flights then.

BVP's were valid for a year. They were just printed on a piece of card. Obtained from the Post Office - the counter clerk even filled in the details by hand using indelible blue ink. I got mine for my first school trip to Germany - very few of my classmates had been abroad so hardly anyone had a proper passport.

The British Visitors Passport - The Simplicity Of A Travel Document

They were much easier to travel through! There were no limits on liquids (excluding customs-related restrictions), there were no drug tests on you/your carry-on bags, there was less pulling aside of hand luggage for security to rifle through, there were no giant x-ray machines you had to stand in with arms and legs in some sort of weird hostage position, you could meet the captain and co-pilot and see the cockpit.

The cockpit being directly behind a pair of curtains and children just going in to meet the pilots.

Now that I see the photo I remember that I did have one at some point!!

Everyone passenger or not could walk up to the gates (remember Friends?)

Ah Yes..very true..and that could be interesting at times...

On one occasion mid flight on a 747 the two of us upfront heard the Flight Engineer behind us exclaim:

"Oh hello, where have you come from...???"

We both looked around to see a toddler stood at the back of the flight deck, with no adult in tow, or anywhere.close...

Turns out he'd escaped from Mum who was sat on the upper deck and gone for a toddle.

No harm done and yes it was a different world..

I flew by Aeroflot in the early 2000s, and you could smoke on the back of the plane! It was so gross.

Circa 1998 my Dad forgot about a Swiss Army knife he had in his pocket while going through security- the security guards laughed and gave it back to him after he went back through the metal detectors