The new security measures that have been imposed by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) after the failed bombing of the Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight include the disabling of cabin mapping systems for incoming international flights. These systems show how far the plane is from its destination. This closure has also meant the shutting down of entire in-flight entertainment systems by some airlines, because the mapping system has been tied to other programming and couldn’t be separately disabled without considerable system changes.
The moving map played a role in when the terrorist set off his hidden device. The restrictions on location include the curtailing of any announcements from the cockpit about landmarks on the ground. There are also new restriction on the final hour of “sterile time” in flight, including not allowing pillows and blankets in laps and making passengers turn off all electronic devices. The new restrictions are planned for a month, but likely indicate new long-term changes in air travel.
Personal GPS devices are not yet on the TSA’s prohibited personal items list, but it makes no sense to remove the moving map without removing these devices. Currently, the use of GPS devices on airlines has been up to airline discretion. The restrictions on all electronics during certain portions of the flight may be enough to keep GPS restrictions from becoming a blanket restriction.
Knowing precisely where we are feels like an inalienable right these days. New regulations to curtail communications and location feel Draconian in measure, given our reliance on these devices. There has to be a better way to eliminate those intent on causing harm that frees the rest us from the regulations that have made modern travel such an unpleasant experience.
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Stopping the map would be such a shame. Watching the progress of a trip and imagining what’s going on in the places over which we’re flying is a great, relaxing way to pass the time on a flight. If a terrorist wants to harm us badly enough, I can’t imagine that the lack of a map is going to stop him (or her) — there would just be something else. Meanwhile, passengers would be so deprived.