This week I am on the road; well so to speak. I flew to Johannesburg, South Africa Monday night out of Los Angeles International Airport, and I’ve taken this route through London many times. In fact, sometimes 2-3 times a year. Now, I must tell you that I have traveled around the world much like most of you reading this, but I have never had quite an experience as I did this week.

When they asked us to start arriving 3 hours prior to departure for international flights after 9/11, I completely understood. I didn’t like it, but I understood. When they asked us to start taking off our shoes, I was annoyed, but I understood. When they asked us to leave our liquids at home or in our checked baggage I groaned, but once again, I forced myself to understand. We are a society afraid of everything and sure of nothing. Up until now, I have understood, but something seems to have snapped somewhere and I am wondering how much more we can take before we as travelers begin to snap ourselves.

First of all, it took an hour and a half to check in with the airline, but to their credit they did a fantastic job trying to sort through a full flight. So far, so good, but then of course comes the security line. I always have my laptop easily accessible and I only wear slip-on shoes for convenience, but this time none of that mattered. At Terminal 2, the security line was out the door and down the street. Okay, three international flights leaving at the same time from a terminal not built to handle the traffic; I get it. What I don’t understand is stupidity! Three international flights leaving at the same time and THREE open security lanes out of six available. TWO airport personnel checking passports and boarding passes at the end of the line, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Where is the sanity? We all realize that the fun has been taken out of travel, or at least the journey. Granny subjected to frisking, buying new toiletries in every city, barefoot on cold, dirty floors and more all in the name of national security, but what is next? Four hour check-in times, five hours? Missed flights and fist fights, planes departing half empty but full of baggage? You might think this sounds ridiculous, but if things don’t change soon that is exactly where we are headed.

I must, however, commend the three professionals from Virgin Atlantic

that took charge of the situation on their own and made sure all of their passengers were brought to the front of the line and ushered through despite the crowd growing increasingly more threatening.

Will I go through this again? Probably, because I have to, like most of us, but it is my sincere hope that some sanity begins to prevail or we will be destined for disaster.

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine