By Staff
Oct. 14, 2001
The specter of armed troops guarding U.S. airports is atypical of our sense of freedom. Air travelers have become accustomed to boarding a plane minutes prior to takeoff and cramming overstuffed carry on bags into cramped spaces. Soldiers dressed in camouflage and carrying loaded weapons have never been customary sights at our airports. Until now.
The president has urged Americans to conduct their lives as they normally would, to travel, to spend, to disrupt their routines as little as possible. For anyone getting on an airplane, the new routine includes extensive security checks, inevitable delays and more questions about luggage and the contents of their pockets and purses.
Along those same lines, other things have changed locally, too. One of them is parking at Meridian Regional Airport. The main parking area is within newly closed space, as is the parking garage at Jackson International Airport. These areas are simply too close to the terminal buildings.
Meridian airport manager Tom Williams has submitted a "bomb blast analysis" to the Federal Aviation Administration with the hope that some parking relief may be allowed at the local facility. But, as much as we enjoy the convenience of parking close, running late and over-packing, all of it takes a back seat to security. Over time, we will grow accustomed to the new reality, and learn to live with it.