No laptop? Big problems

That won’t fly: How new airplane rules could affect you By M. E. Kabay Network World's Security Strategies Newsletter, 08/22/06 Not having your computer with you on a transatlantic flight may change your perspective on the productivity costs of international travel. I recommend you bring a good book, because you sure aren't going to be answering e-mail, writing that management report you intended to finish, or even watching DVDs or listening to CDs or your iPod. And forget the sound-suppressing earphones: I don't see those on the approved list, either.

This insightful article came out early this week and I thought it put rather a fine point on the current and potential future security decisions being made by those who are trying to secure air travel and the dangerous slope we are now standing on. Hop down two entries to see my major objections, but let us investigate this for just a moment.

If you think that the costs of air travel are borne on the backs of tourists, you are dead wrong. In fact, the touring public almost gets a free ride (the current price of airline tickets not withstanding). While Mr. Kabay is highlighting the issues associated with international travel, I would argue that, if restrictions, both currently in affect as well as the potential restrictions of limiting or eliminating all carry on baggage, regardless of content, then airline travel as we know it today will cease to exist because businesses will not check laptops in checked baggage without some guarantee that they will arrive at their destination. And that is not likely to happen. Why? In case you have not been paying attention:

- you can no longer secure your bags. Oh, sure if you have a TSA approved lock, you can slap that on. And for 10 bucks on-line I can buy a set of keys for those "secure" locks. But TSA also says that they cannot guarantee the contents of your bags, nor will they.

- TSA fires more people every day for failing the criminal background check.

- Baggage handlers are hardly an upstanding group, with a churn of over 50%, many never staying long enough to even have a criminal background check completed.

- LCD screens do not travel well in suitcases.

Businesses might return to the days of private aircraft to shuttle those that have to be there in person, but by and large, most meetings that took place face-to-face will now be virtual, especially with the declining costs in bandwidth and video capture and file sharing solutions.

And, of course, this does not even touch on the issues related to airline companies that now will have to start providing amenities that they long ago cut out to save on costs.