Decades ago, I rode airlines constantly, in this country and a few others. We pax were old hands who didn’t worry about flying, but did worry about bombs at airports.
Inside a large and modern U.S. airport, I tossed a Styrofoam coffee cup into a trashcan. As I turned away, my heartbeat doubled and I gasped audibly. There was a piece of luggage in that trashcan!
I was sore afraid. This was exactly what we had been warned about. That harmless looking luggage could contain a bomb.
I got away from that bomb—uh, I mean that trashcan—ASAP.
Should I report this? Yes! That’s what we had been asked to do by media, word of mouth and airport signs.
I found an airport policeman and said something like, “Uh, there’s probably nothing to worry about, but, uh, there’s a bag in that trashcan over there.”
He took it seriously. I, deciding not to stay around, walked to my gate at the airport, sat a bit, then, hearing no bomb explosion, I tiptoed timidly back toward the trashcan, sticking close to the wall and trying to stay behind coffee shops and newsstands as much as possible.
At the proper spot, I peeked around the corner. The trashcan seemed unharmed; the area was calm with no police, no sirens, and no fuss.
I found the policeman and asked, as calmly as possible, what he’d found out. He said, “Aw, it was just an empty bag.” I nodded and then apologized for bothering him with a false alarm.
“Oh, no,” he said, “that’s exactly what we wish everyone would do.”
I felt a lot better and somewhat like a hero! However, I still walked wide around that trashcan on the way to my gate.
Now, here’s my question: Are we still attuned to looking for out-of-order things, situations and people at airports? Or have we become a bit inured over the years?
There are few police at our airports, but there are untold thousands of employees and passengers every day. If we keep the public informed, couldn’t—shouldn’t—they become the largest and best safety force at the airport?
I wonder...
