Airport searches: How to spread disease?

[malaise]

We spent a few days traveling and observed the airport mess first hand and it was a mess at the international airports. We had a serious worry re the searching of our bags. The airport security wore gloves to go through our bags at every stop, but they dug up several bags before reaching ours and several bags after ours.

Aren't they just spreading germs around from bag to bag?

From now on all my clothes will be wrapped in plastic laundry bags since I won't be wearing clothes with germs from Tom, Dick, Harry and Sue's bags. Why should airport staff be protecting themselves but spreading all the germs in our bags?

[goddess40]

1. The gloves protect the worker not the customers

What a surprise, I think it is meant to give the impression they are to protect the customers but anyone that spends more than a second thinking about it knows it isn't true.

Not to mention the hundreds of bare feet that walk through the metal detectors!

[peace13]

2. I have noticed that too.

Also, walking in stocking feet or bare feet where thousands have tread is a great way to get something gross! Peace, Kim

[malaise]

3. I was really angry

We were supposed to be on a five day holiday and we spent the first evening washing our clothes and then had to iron everytime we were going somewhere.

[AZBlue]

4. It's a good point. But..

...I'd rather get a cold from Harry than blow up from Sue's bomb.

As for the plastic bags - I would think they will just rip those open. I would actually hope so - if all you have to do is wrap your bomb in plastic, we're in even more trouble than originally thought.

What I'm going to start doing is shipping my at least some of my clothes. As someone who always overpacks, I've often thought about doing that - why should I lug a suitcase when a nice man in a brown uniform is just as happy to carry the load for me and deliver it right to my hotel, to have it waiting for me there upon arrival??

[Matariki]

5. You shouldn't be so afraid of the world

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that includes touching things other people have touched, as much as fear of trumped up terrorist threats. might as well wrap *yourself* in plastic - or bubblewrap.

we're turning into such a race of pussies.

that said, the whole airport ordeal was annoying. i really didn't care for taking off my sandals to walk on the crummy airport floor in my bare feet. that's why i wore them in the first place, so i wouldn't have to take off my shoes. sheesh.

[malaise]

6. I'm not generally fussy about touching things

others have touched but since some of the bags searched are people returning from their holidays with their dirty laundry, etc., I'm very uncomfortable with this ordeal.

Truthfully I'm way less fearful of a bomb in someone's suitcase than I am about all these germs spreadign via the security workers' gloves. The bomb is unlikely, the germs are certain.

[Matariki]

7. There's something really creepy about people with plastic gloves

poking through one's belongings too. the whole experience is sucking more and more.

really, i'm more afraid of the whacking away at our liberties and dignity than either germs or bombs.

[girl gone mad]

8. I just flew over the weekend..

and wound up with strep throat. Ugh. No one went through my bags, they were just x-rayed. I would be more worried about the recycled dirty airplane air.

As long as you wash your hands before you touch your mouth or nose, it doesn't matter if your stuff is covered in germs. I don't think germs can live very long on dry surfaces, anyways.

[Parche]

9. germs

They wont spread disease by doing that, only 'Macaca'