"Absolutely ruined"? We still get value from flight, just now trade wait time and privacy for security. It's clearly still worth it for the vast majority of the world, see global flight stats.

> And we got less than 100 years out of it before it got absolutely ruined by bureaucracy

Took the internet even less time to become a corporate strip mall.

Is it that much worse? I was in my late teens by the time 9/11 happened. But I flew a lot both before and after that, and it still feels similar, except security is a bit worse (unless you have PreCheck and Global Entry, in which case it's actually quicker and easier than before). Once you're on the plane, the experience is mostly similar except you can't visit the cockpit and talk to the pilots anymore.

Don't get me wrong, the service has also gotten a lot worse: less legroom, shittier food, fewer drinks/snacks, etc., at least in the USA. But that's more just capitalism and airlines being greedy than the government doing anything.

It's also been my experience that American airlines are pretty bad across the board. The European and Asian ones are typically much nicer, and even their regional/budget airlines have very nice accommodations and check-in experiences compared to United, etc.

Pre 9/11 I used to routinely fly a commercial route with no security screening process. There was once even an attempted hijacking and the (lack of) procedures remained. The grandparent is correct, everyone went insane after 9/11. And this wasn't even in the same hemisphere as the USA.

> except security is a bit worse (unless you have PreCheck and Global Entry, in which case it's actually quicker and easier than before).

Security is worse everywhere, even if you have PreCheck.

For starters, the rules for PreCheck are completely arbitrary and up to both the airport, terminal, and the whims of whoever is in charge that day. Even using the same checkpoint at the same terminal, sometimes you'll have to take your laptop out, sometimes you won't, sometimes you'll have to go through the scanner, sometimes you'll be able to use a metal detector, etc. Before 9/11, it was much more consistent (in large part because they didn't care about most of those things).

In addition, the inability to take arbitrary liquids (and more recently powders) is a huge inconvenience that wasn't in place before 2006 (and 2018).

> It's also been my experience that American airlines are pretty bad across the board. The European and Asian ones are typically much nicer, and even their regional/budget airlines have very nice accommodations and check-in experiences compared to United, etc.

This is a common perception, but having flown a lot within Europe and Asia, I disagree with this. One reason people perceive this is because they're used to comparing European airlines on international routes (where they are often, but not always, better), and because of the geography. Many of the popular US domestic flights are coast-to-coast, which results in a six hour flight. There's nowhere in the EU where you'll get a six-hour domestic flight - LIS to HEL is only 4.5 hours, and that's about as long as you'll get[0]. If you fly, say, AMS-WAW or AMS-BER, even on KLM, you'll get pretty minimal service on a narrow body with no in-flight entertainment or WiFi. And that's considered acceptable because it's a pretty short flight. But it's not exactly a step up from what you'd get on a comparable length in the US.

This isn't to excuse US airlines - as a frequent flyer, I'd really love better service on domestic flights. But it's an apples-to-oranges comparison: flights within the EU are shaped differently from flights within the US, and if you compare flights of similar lengths and similar levels of competition, the gap is pretty small.

As for the regional/budget airline difference... I don't know if I'd agree with that either. Is Spirit really worse than Ryan Air?

[0] You can stretch further by going as far as KEF, but at that point you're flying FI, and even though they've gotten a little better now that they have to compete on their international flight routes, I would not want to fly them for any long-haul flight if there's another option.

Yeah, the liquids thing is a real bummer. And there is definitely variance -- smaller airports tend to be way more friendly and accommodating -- but in general, I would say PreCheck has been a huge blessing for me. 90%+ of the time I don't have to take anything out, take off my belt or vest or shoes, etc. Usually in and out of security in 2-3 minutes.

Global Entry is even nicer, letting you skip the hours of immigration lines.

I don't particularly like flying, but I do love airports... just hanging around in them, having a drink while watching the planes do their thing... so it's really valuable to me to be able to get through security easily and be able to enjoy the scenery and people+plane-watch :)

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edit: either you edited your comment after I posted, or I missed the second half of it:

> One reason people perceive this is because they're used to comparing European airlines on international routes (where they are often, but not always, better), and because of the geography.

I can believe that!

> you'll get pretty minimal service on a narrow body with no in-flight entertainment or WiFi

I don't care about that so much, but the seating is sooooooo uncomfortable, at least on the short-haul United, Delta, and American flights I usually take.

https://www.seatguru.com/charts/shorthaul_economy.php

Has a good comparison... United's seat pitch and width are typically pretty bad, especially for their regional short-hauls, but they're very often the only airline that flies where I live :(

> As for the regional/budget airline difference... I don't know if I'd agree with that either. Is Spirit really worse than Ryan Air?

Don't know, haven't flown either.

But NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER fly Frontier: https://www.flyfrontier.com/

Worst experience of my life, ever. I'd rather go to the dentist than fly with them ever again.

Scenes from the 1990s:

In 1991 a friend needed to fly home. She was anxious about flying. I went with her to the gate until loading, to help her keep her calm. Not possible now. You could also meet people at the gate when they arrived.

In 1998, working for a startup, my boss came in on a late flight. I volunteered to pick her up. I got to the airport about 15 minutes early. It's late, and not busy. I park right in front of the terminal and wait. While waiting, I cleared up some trash from my car. Now, due to concerns about possible car bombs, the airport prohibits parking in front of the terminal.

In the early 2000s I flew from New Mexico to Sweden pretty regularly. The group I visited had a weekly sauna. I would bring a 6-pack of Modelo, tortilla chips and salsa as my contribution. Not possible now, due to the liquids rule put into place a few years after 9/11.

You say with PreCheck and Global Entry security is easier than before, but in the 1990s it was easy. Luggage in the X-ray machine, walk through metal detector, and done. No pulling out of laptops, liquids, no TSA id check. And I think even that security wasn't done 100% of the time.

There was still an id check at check-in but that was because in th early 1990s the airlines wanted to prohibit the ticket resale market. In the 1980s if you had a New York/LA ticket and couldn't make the flight, you could sell the ticket to anyone else. Even with the id check, a partial match was accepted - my mother and I have the same initial, so either of us could fly with "A. Dalke".

I heard from older people that in the 1980s kids who were plane enthusiasts would go to the terminal just to watch the planes. Back then there was no security check at all.

Each of these are small things, but they add up.

I can say that I have never heard of a single person not flying somewhere because of the TSA or other security ruined flying for them. Maybe it wasn't actually good and you're just blindly believing the nostalgia of older folks.

Oh I would absolutely fly more if the TSA process was less onerous. Hands down. But the entire airport process is so painful that it's just not worth it for a lot of things. Like Houston to New Orleans would 100% be a flight, but with the current security (and check-in process)...I just drive instead. It also regularly makes me reconsider flying longer distances and I choose leisure destinations/activities that are more drivable instead.

This reduces my flying by a potential 4-8 round trip flights per year for me personally.

Those seem to be two different things though.

But to you first point, I definitely fly less than I would if we got rid of TSA. They're a fucking nightmare in my city.

Maybe get out more? I know _lots_ of people for whom this is true and who take multi-day road trips rather than deal with air travel.

I routinely flew for business before 9/11 and would typically show up about 15 minutes before boarding time at one of the three busiest airports in the US and typically got through security and would then had to wait 5-7 minutes before boarding would start. Air travel is radically different than it was pre-9/11.

> I have never heard of a single person not flying somewhere because of the TSA or other security ruined flying for them.

There have been quite a few flights I've not taken because of the security gauntlet. I really only fly when there is no other realistic option -- which means I that I only rarely do it recreationally anymore at all.

Getting to the plane has become utterly horrible.

It's really not that bad if you have GlobalEntry/TSA Pre. I've been through quite a few airports since getting it and never had an issue.

Not as easy as when I was pound atd you could walk right up to the boarding gate to meet someone getting off a plane, but definitely not horrible or even challenging.

However, that's with TSA Pre. I recently flew through Orlando and good gods that security line was a disaster.

I'm an Abolish-the-TSA type, they do more harm than good, don't get me wrong, but if you want to fly just go get GlobalEntry, and everything is quite painless. (right up until you get to the gate and the airline starts screwing you, but that's a different problem.)

GlobalEntry only helps if you're flying international, and even then it only helps you once you land and everyone else is standing in the line at passport control.

It doesn't do squat for you if you're staying in the same country.

Global entry gives you pre check.

> It's really not that bad if you have GlobalEntry/TSA Pre.

Yes, that's what I hear. That's well beyond what I am willing to do, though.

Here's my anecdote.

It was really good, as someone who flew pre 9/11. I remember reaching Logan airport 20 minutes before my scheduled flight in 2001 thanks to Boston's traffic. I walked to the gate unimpeded (nothing to check in). Zero stress.

Part of it is also that flights used to be much less overbooked and the overall experience was better and this isn't just nostalgia.

However I don't think it's completely fair to blame the TSA for the worsened experience. The threat model has changed since then. Add to that shrinking seats, worse customer service, more crowded airports, and the experience is much worse.

A few years back, we decided to minimize air travel and take a lot more local vacations. Yes, we miss flying but at some point the hassle exceeded the desire to visit exotic locales.

Europe, mid-1970s: Bader-Meinhof is in full swing; Palestinian, Armenian, and other groups were planting bombs. Plane hijacking was a new tactic with much news coverage. The modern age of assassination hysteria that started with JFK was still going.

Did we fly like those nostalgic pics of businessmen and their wives smoking and eating steak? No, we stood like scared refugees, with heavily armed military personnel and German shepherds walking around scanning the crowd. I was a little kid in Zurich but remember it well.

9/11 may feel like a turning point in airport security, but it just brought to America what has been happening in other places at other times. And apparently made it permanent.

Eh also add that most years number of people traveling by flight increases. 2009 and 2020-2021 were outliers. We're dealing with around 20% more fliers than 2000 but most major destination airports have not expanded in kind to deal with the additional traffic.

Also add in housing incursion to most airports where development has got closer making it near impossible for current airports to expand.

There are lots of issues with flying. Fees galore, fewer amenities on the plane, smaller seats, etc. Yeah, you can't blame any of that on TSA. But having to arrive at the airport several hours before my flight, yeah I can blame that on TSA or it's equivalent counterpart in foreign countries. But what is worse is there is no obvious upside for TSA. It costs time and money with no apparent increase in safety. In fact the only time I'm unsafe is when I'm going through the security line. That is standing in a bottleneck next to barrels of suspected explosives and letting my bags out of my sight.