As I get ready to board a flight to London to cover the terror plot story for CNN, immediately I see the impact at New York's JFK airport.
I re-packed all my luggage when I got the list of what was banned on flights. But I didn't realize until I checked-in at the airport that make-up foundation is considered a banned liquid. So I had to throw that out.
Of course, no bottles of water or beverages of any kind are allowed for grown-ups. Baby formula and medicines are still allowed, and I do see young children at the gate drinking out of their sippy cups, so the rules may not be as tightly enforced for kids.
So far things are calm here and not too crowded, but it's early.
The list of prohibited items reminded me of the kinds of materials terror mastermind Ramzi Yousef used when he tested a bomb on a Philippine Airlines airliner on December 11, 1994. He built his bomb in the plane lavatory and left it under his seat when he disembarked at Cebu Airport in the Philippines before the plane continued to Tokyo.
When the plane flew over Minami Daito Island, near Okinawa, the bomb exploded, killing a Japanese businessman and injuring 10 others. The plane made an emergency landing in Okinawa.
Yousef later decided to increase the potency of his bombs since the plane wasn't destroyed. This was to be part of what became known as the Bojinka plot designed to blow up a dozen airliners in the air at the same time. The plot was interrupted.
Whenever I fly, I always check under my seat.
