Many Frequent Fliers are Cutting Out Flights Because of TSA Hassles

I was ahead of the curve. Between 2002 and 2004, I became so sick of going through TSA checkpoints, I decided to opt out of many business flights in exchange for some drive time. When I did fly, it was miserable. The first time I flew after 9/11 was to Washington, DC for business. On the way home to Chicago, I was slowed by a blizzard. The constant cancellation of flights and ticket reissues red flagged my tickets for extra security. I learned to travel in sandals and as few clothes as possible, even in 2002.

Apparently, frequent business travelers are getting fed up with the TSA, so much, they are reducing the amount of time they spend in the air. Claiming they oppose the new TSA screening standards, more and more frequent fliers are reducing their air travel. This isn't good news for airlines that are cash strapped.

“I am eliminating as many flights as I can,” says John Steinberg, a doctor and healthcare consultant who’s taken about 50 round-trip flights this year.
Steinberg of Randsallstown, Md., says that for 10 other trips, he purposely didn’t take commercial flights so he could avoid having to go through full-body scanning machines or more intrusive pat-downs of his body.

USA Today polled a group they called the Road Warriors who log millions of miles per year. Here's the results of their polls:

Fifty-eight percent of 181 Road Warriors who responded to a survey say they disapprove of the thorough pat-downs which often touch breast, buttocks and genital areas. About 40% disapprove of the full-body machines.

Their response is similar to the findings of a USA TODAY/Gallup poll released last week in which 57% of adults who flew two or more times in the past year were bothered or angry about the pat-downs. The same percentage said they weren't bothered by the machines, though 42% said they were bothered or angry about them.

The TSA is going to kill the airline industry and force it to more government control through government subsidies. I don't believe this is an accident either. The TSA has become a police state force that is giving the federal government more control of your movement in the United States. Think about what this means when the federal government finally wins its battle to drive up energy costs in order to get more people of the road, which is the goal of many liberals in the government.