Posted on: Tuesday, September 3, 2002

Bon voyage to luggage questions

It looks as if the U.S. Department of Transportation meant business when it launched its "stupid-rule review" last week.

One regulation to fail the common-sense test is the one that requires ticket agents to ask, "Has anyone unknown to you asked you to carry an item on the flight?" and "Have any of the items you are traveling with been out of your immediate control since the time you packed them?"

From now on, federal regulators promise, passengers won't be subjected to those two questions designed to jog the memory of those who may have forgotten that a complete stranger asked them to carry an item.

Of course, from the individual traveler's perspective, the baggage security inquisition — which took all of 20 to 30 seconds — isn't the biggest time waster. But for a ticket agent, eliminating those two questions could save almost an hour per 100 passengers.

We're just glad that transportation officials are making an effort to remove unnecessary hassles from air travel. Flying is stressful enough post Sept. 11 without being subjected to senseless or outmoded regulations.