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?

I remember people dressed up for flying men in suits women in smart dresses ! Yes you could go in cockpit even when mid-air, smokers were at the back and (this may not go down well) cabin crew were ultra glam !

I had similar last October. The cockpit door was open (as the engineers were going in and out) and I took the kids to have a peek and the pilots said they could come in and let them sit in their seats. I commented that I didn't think it was allowed any more and they said it was fine while we were on the ground. This was at Heathrow so assume it's a general rule.

. This was at Heathrow so assume it's a general rule.

I wouldn't assume it is because individual operators can have their own rules about flight deck access . We used to allow it on the ground where I worked, I know of at least one operator that didn't.

in any event if you/family are interested then in the case of a long ground delay it might be worth an ask.

On the ground it’s fine. It gets locked before take off and until landing. The door doesn’t get opened if any passengers are in/near the galley.

Main reason I'm being picky and chucking in the "don't assume" bit is there are occasions, even when the aircraft is on the ground, when visits can't be facilitated for all sorts of reasons.

This has been known to p* some passengers off on the past and resulted in threats of letters to HQ.

Nothing wrong with a polite ask....

I remember the first time we went to America as a family. We were going to Florida, I was about 7, so it would have been around 1992/93.
My mum took a knife in her hand luggage...! Her intention was that if we bought any fruit from a supermarket (in an effort to keep costs down), she could peel it. She had it just wrapped up in a couple of layers of kitchen paper towel. Not unreasonably, she got stopped at security and asked about it, and the guy let her keep it!! I can only presume he thought "White English lady, mid-30s, going to Florida with husband and 2 daughters... Unlikely to stab up the plane."
But STILL.

By 2001, security in UK airports was already pretty tight. It was increased after Lockerbie. I had flown fairly regularly before and after 9/11 and the rules around security didn’t change here that much in the aftermath. The tech is different but the procedure is the same. I remember flying twice weekly through Edinburgh and Manchester prior to 9/11 and had many issues getting through security despite having absolutely nothing that should set the scanner off. No belts, earrings, underwires. Shoes and jackets had to come off. Phones, keys, coins in a tray etc.

The only thing that did noticeably change was locked cockpit doors. There was also increased security for staff at airports.

One major change I’ve seen since 2001 is a reduction in the number of security lanes open when I fly. It used to be that most lanes were staffed, but now there are far fewer available at any given time. As airlines and airports try to cut costs to combat the “cheap flight” culture we have, staffing will always be one of their targets for cuts. They don’t care if people have to turn up early and wait for hours to fly. In fact, it benefits them to have more people in the airport for longer to boost retail sales. I used to catch a red-eye, I could turn up less than an hour before the flight and still be through the process on time, along with all the other business travellers. That would be impossible now.

Another reason security is busier is fewer people are first queuing to check in. For every plane you would have had 80% waiting at check in and 20% going straight to security. Now that is more likely reversed so you have a larger number of people heading for security at the same time.

I was doing a flying package around Europe in September 2001, visiting 6 or 7 countries. It was easier in terms of packing, you just didn't have to think about what went where. There were still weight restrictions I think. Security was still variable and sometimes queues were long, sometimes they were nice and sometimes obnoxious. I flew a few days before 9/11 and security in one airport was a nightmare, they frisked everyone, quite aggressively and searched every bag. I think online check in was possible in hotels but not for us as we had cheap hostels and B&Bs, so we still had to arrive hours in advance. No smart phone to distract you while waiting so you need to bring a book or something. It wasn't as simple as people remember. No bag drop so you had to queue with your bag. On arrival you had to go straight to an ATM because it was before the euro and some bus and train tickets needed to be paid for in cash. Then queue for the train or bus ticket machine which was sometimes complicated with different zones etc. That stuff couldn't be researched online in advance. Taxis were usually cash only too. It's hard to remember specifically but I don't think it was that much easier, air travel was always stressful. The biggest difference was carrying your deodorant or water bottle and not having to think about it.

@BoredZelda

By 2001, security in UK airports was already pretty tight. It was increased after Lockerbie. I had flown fairly regularly before and after 9/11 and the rules around security didn’t change here that much in the aftermath. The tech is different but the procedure is the same

Agreed, in many ways for the UK/Europe at least the mechanics of security for passengers didn't change that much, other than being perhaps a bit more thorough and of course the introduction for a while of plastic cutlery.

The liquids and gels restrictions were probably more of a PITA but they were introduced after an foiled attempt at another attack several years later..

As far as the immediate fall out of 9/11 went it was probably airline/airport employees who saw the biggest changes, for them some major revisions protocols were introduced within hours of the attacks happening.

I think it’s obvious that a child with a family on holiday isn’t going to attack a pilot in mid flight or be a terrorist, but I suppose the airlines can’t take any chances and have to treat everyone the same?

I suppose 25 years on and the rules haven’t changed . I guess it’s bad for the pilots too, who prior to 9/11 could probably leave the cockpit and have a walk around , especially on long haul flights. Obviously not both pilots at the same time, but I suppose now they can’t move around and have to stay inside the cockpit in flight as they can’t open the door to leave , incase of a hijack?

So I guess the airline staff all suffer too even now, with more stringent rules as a result of 9/11?

You could arrive at London Heathrow 1.5 hours before departure, at smaller airports an hour before departure, check in at a machine, whizz through security and go. It was loads less hassle. You could take all the liquids you wanted, no plastic bags, no taking off your shoes, belt etc.

In the UK it was less strict but not massively. The liquids on was the pain in the arse and that was well after 9/11. The UK always had concerns cos of the IRA.

I do remember going into the cockpit on an exchange trip though. That was pretty cool.

The US was something else though. You would fly in and go through immigration and it was basically like a bus station with pretty much zero security. It was nuts. I thought it at the time pre 9/11 tbh.

I recall an international airport in the early 80s, check on and drop off an hour before the plane took off, a drink in the bar and, 10 minutes in duty free, which was all booze and fags and onto the plane, hopped off at the other end someone stamped your passport and off you went to catch a cab. Grossest bit was there was a smoking section at the back of the plane

I also once flew in the cockpit because they overbooked the flight, because usually about 10 percent of people missed the flight on a routine basis.

A couple of pilots broke the rules for us once then, circa 2014. My teen dc was horribly queasy on the flight and was having a bit of a panic attack as we landed. The cabin crew let us sit there while all the other passengers got off, and then the pilots opened the door to the cockpit and allowed dc to stand in the doorway to have a look around. Serious rule broken, but so much appreciated as dc has been able to go on future flights with no worries.

I think the liquids rule came in because of an attack on Glasgow airport in about 2007? It wasn’t down to 9/11 as such.

But the plane wasn’t airborne so I suppose there was no risk, in the airlines view so probably no rules were broken.
Im glad it helped your child though.

I suppose now they can’t move around and have to stay inside the cockpit in flight as they can’t open the door to leave , incase of a hijack?

Can't go into too much detail (my info is slightly out of date anyway) but not many aircraft have ensuite facilities so the rules do allow pilots to leave the flight deck briefly for what used to be called physiological purposes.....

As a another poster has said I wouldn't assume any rules were broken.. On the ground after engine shutdown a flightdeck visit would be perfectly legit and OK at most airlines.

I remember flying to New York in 1995 and was surprised people just left their bags and walked away which was a big no-no for us Brits. We were constantly reminded no unattended baggage due to IRA bombs etc.

security to get through the airport was still strict but there was no liquids limit.

I remember being agog at the security men with guns, something I had not seen before. Innocent times!

I got sent back to go through security again just this summer - we were shorter on space on the way back and I'd shoved a toy vehicle in one of the DS's backpacks without registering that of course the lights and sounds would have electrical circuitry. They couldn't make out what on earth it was on the Xray so I had to go back and take it out and put it through again. The people waiting for a tray were quite put out at me appearing from the wrong direction and taking up a tray myself D:

I think pilots can still leave the cockpit. IIRC with the Germanwings plane that went down, the pilot locked the copilot out in order to crash the plane on purpose.

Out of respect for the dead it's maybe important that blame is apportioned correctly - on Germanwings it was the co-pilot that locked the captain out.

As far as toilet breaks etc go - the only aircraft I know for definite that had a toilet within the flightdeck enclosure was the 747-400..(well on airframes where management hadn't removed it to get extra passenger seats on). It's possible the A380 may be en-suite but I don't know.

Hence pilots have to be able to leave the flightdeck for brief periods (and of course on Long Longalhual.sectors if you have relief crew longer periods off the flight deck are allowed a break to be taken away from the workplace)

Apologies yes. I had remembered incorrectly. In fact I can see from the wikipedia article that in fact one factor in the Germanwings crash was that the cockpit door was reinforced from the inside so the captain was unable to force entry, and that this was a change made to many cockpit doors post 9/11.

In a similar vein, thirty plus years ago in Spain, every bank branch in the major city I lived in had an armed security guard and security gates you had to pass through to get in. I found that shocking initially, coming from the UK where the police aren't routinely armed. Cash machines weren't open to the street either, you had to swipe your card to get into a lobby to use one.