I flew the final 6 years of that period and enjoyed flying. Post-9/11 flying sucks and is a huge drag. If you're too young to have experienced pre-9/11 airports then you really don't know what you're missing. When I was little they let me see the cockpit in flight, and the flight attendants would bring me little snacks on late flights.
It was a totally different experience versus being crammed into a flying bus.
Did we? Between 1968-1972 there were 130 hijackings in the US alone. In 1973 the FAA required passenger screening (I don’t know why people are saying screening began in 2001, the TSA was formed and updated screening procedures, but people were definitely already being screened).
From 1973 on, hijacking’s dropped considerably. Since 2001 there have been no hijackings in the US.
Yeah, I don't know if screening was the best solution and don't think the post-9/11 rules make sense, but there was clearly a problem in the past that got solved by screening. Also, nowadays we gotta make sure well-intended passengers don't have a Samsung Note.
It was a totally different experience versus being crammed into a flying bus.