John Tyner when flying out of San Diego took exception to the idea of exposing himself to the new airport security full-body scanner for what he claimed were modesty and health reasons.
Those that refuse to be scanned are required to go through a manual inspection and Tyner initially seemed to take this in good faith, until he was informed that he would be subject to a "groin check" with the option of a public or private session.
Tyner replied that he was happy to remain in public view, but "if you touch my junk I am going to have you arrested."
This is when it turned nasty.
Tyner captured the whole process on his cell phone and has posted the obligatory video on YouTube.
Is travel becoming too invasive and too much of a rigmarole? Maybe Tyner's belligerence of questioning new airport security measures will start a conversation about freedoms vs safety, however it is probably naive to believe that new heightened airport security measures will be relaxed anytime soon.
Ideally, we reckon that the market should decide about security measures. Airlines should be given the option to accept passengers that have not been through a security check as long as this is disclosed to passengers when they make a booking.
If you were booking an American flight, would you pay extra to be safe in the knowledge that you and your fellow passengers were flying with an airline that insisted that all its passengers go through a rigorous security process?
I think I would.
Tomahawk
