Air Travel isn't elegant anymore!

I remember when all men wore suit jackets when boarding airplanes. Women dressed stylishly and comfortably. There was a general feeling that air travel was a minor occasion that benefited a proper dress code.

This does not exist anymore in the 21st century. People board planes today practically in their underwear. They are not hampered by modesty or even mild good taste. Anything goes! I was the lone passenger wearing a sport coat.

The long lines due to safety procedures also add to the inelegance of air travel. The serpentine queues that lead to the X-ray machines are necessary but annoying. When you finally arrive at the checkpoint the fun begins.

When I removed my belt (due to a large metal buckle) I had trouble keeping my trousers on my hips. With one hand holding my pants up in a modest mode, I had to remove my shoes because they contained metal ornaments. My pockets had previously been emptied of pens, cellphones, wallets, pills, loose change, keys and nail clippers. I literally had to reconstitute myself before I stepped onto the airplane.

I was not alone. My wife, Lorraine, set the machine's bells ringing and she was surrounded immediately by officials waving wands all over her body. The single penny she had not removed from one of her pockets proved to be the culprit. Suspicion abounded. You appeared to be presumed guilty and innocence had to be proven.

An elderly, stooped over, white-haired lady suffering from what used to be called "dowager's hump" was given the entire treatment. Was she a terrorist in a really great disguise? The security personnel descended on her en masse. She was not spared any indignity. When she was finally cleared, the entire line let out a relieved sigh.

I realize that after September 11, 2001 new procedures must be put in place to frustrate the criminals and terrorists who wish to do harm. I also feel safer after knowing that everyone on my plane was checked and rechecked.

You cannot easily just go back to simpler and more innocent times. The world is what it is. Watch your back! Be alert! Don't trust anyone!

As I said before, "Air travel isn't elegant anymore!"