Let’s start with some fun numbers:  before I sat down to write, the evening news noted that while air travel is still down 70% from the same period last year, TSA reports finding 35% more guns at the checkpoint for the same period, 80% of which are loaded.  I’m no math genius, but nationwide, that arithmetically suggests with today’s low-volume of passengers,  every other person, on average,  is packing a loaded gun.  That’s silly, of course ...  until one considers those numbers are just the ones TSA actually discovers at the checkpoint, assuming TSA is adequately staffed after losing literally hundreds of agents to CV-19.  What has changed? – why are more people willing to break the law, or is it just that felons fly more often. – what are those people going to do – shoot the virus?

I’ve seen no studies yet; but there may be hundreds of legitimate reasons one might feel compelled to make that trip – business meetings, family emergency, job requirements, etc. – but it now appears one of the more common reasons has become stupidity, which we can no longer equate to ignorance due to lack of relevant information.  Indeed, one of my significant concerns is that serious discussion of aviation   security has been mostly lost in the necessary CV-19 maelstrom of TV, newspapers, endless internet discussions (largely non-factual) and sales of a hundred styles of masks and gallon jugs of hand sanitizers.

To their great credit, some airports and major airlines have created a no-fly list for travelers who refuse to wear face masks: “no mask, no fly”.  For some, that’s not just this flight; that’s never again; United says it will do case-by-case reviews.  That began in May, but crews couldn’t enforce it, with a few exceptions for small children and people with medical exemptions.  A4A is now developing policies and procedures for all its member airlines to uniformly adopt, which includes Alaska, American Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, and United.  One of the problems is information sharing for enforcement – banned from one carrier but now flying on another.  Delta says it already has over 100 on its list; United has much less, so far.

A brief review of stupidity:  in this hi-tech communications age and their selection of air travel, can anyone possibly be unaware of the threat, the requirements, and the results?  Alternatively, how much of it is just being ornery and self-centered ... sending your child to school with metal detectors, armed guards and mass-shooter drills is “the price of freedom”,  but his not wearing a cloth mask to protect you, me, and everyone else is his “God-given freedom from  tyranny”?  (yes, I’ve seen that one.)  Sometimes you look at people and wonder how they fit all that stupid into one head.

So wear your mask, or we start playing rap music in the terminal...