Mr. Bernoulli
Back to what I said. Mobile Phones are as much a part of our job now as the very aircraft we fly. A modern low cost carrier relies on them. The information we need to assimilate and dispatch is critical to smooth operations. Low cost airlines by their very nature do not subscribe to a large workforce of 'gofers'. The operation is trimmed to a minimum and we run it that way by the use of mobile phones, all over the world. Communication is everything and the passengers benifit form them by way of low airfares, small infrastructure and rapid response to problems. That is why they are successful. Indeed Mr. Bernoullli you hit the nail on the head! The crap that we have to endure is detrimental to safe operations by getting us irate, we learnt that way back when the Trident crashed at Stains. Shame the security people don't have to learn about it as well!!
The day I got hacked off was when one of my crew was reduced to tears by one of those oafs, in front of a whole buch of passengers, totally out of order in my opinion, what kind of example does that give to the passengers who may have depend on the crew for their very lives? The problem,... she had a spare pair of contact lenses,... like as if there was enough chemical them to cause much more than a single fart!
Taking our shoes off, What for? I don't have to have a knife or a bomb, I could board the aircraft stark naked and carrying not a bean, but since I am flying the dam thing and if my mind or inclination was as lunatic as those in security, I could wipe out the aircraft, all on board and anyone in the way within the blink of an eye!! It is not us pilots who have the problem it's the security that don't have the brains or common sence to realise just what stupidity this whole thing is.
Believe in the system, I've got my pass now let it mean something!!
Bob.