Probably not to people who remember travelling before 9/11 (and probably even less to people who remember travelling before the security measures implemented during the 1990 gulf crisis that continued until superceded by post-9/11 security.)

You used to be able to go through without showing any documents, and so friends and family members could come through security to meet arriving passengers at the gate (or say goodbye to departing passengers at the gate!).

One time as a non-passenger I went through security at BDL two or three times either because of confusion about where to meet someone or just in order to buy food on the other side. The security guards didn't seem to think this was improper.

I remember early-90s BDL also. The security guards were pretty relaxed. We enlisted their help in faking out a younger sibling who didn't know we were going to Disney World; they played along that we were just going to meet someone at the gate, and let someone else take all the bags through ahead of us. Wouldn't be remotely possible now.

Then again, I also remember when kids were routinely let into the cockpit, either before takeoff or while cruising.

Air travel used to be almost fun.

When I was a kid air travel was great fun! I got to visit the cockpit in every plane we flew in, including the Concorde. As a curious child, this was absolutely wonderful.

Ah well, it seems that those days will never return.

Cockpit visits are still allowed on the ground, it's only in flight that it's no longer possible.

Well that's good, at least.

I still remember when I was fortunate enough to failover to a concorde when our 747 was grounded ~20 years ago and got to visit the cockpit in flight. There was a seam between two portions of the cockpit (a little less than an inch wide) that only existed when the plane was supersonic, and it closed tight when not.

Wouldn't have been able to scare a kid into thinking they could get their hand stuck in there if the plane was still on the ground ;)

Of course whether or not in-flight cockpit visits were still allowed, that particular experience wouldn't happen anymore.

Oh yeah, I remember being invited to visit the cockpit once as a kid (I don't remember whether it was on the ground or in-flight). I guess it was common on some airlines for the flight attendants to look around for kids and invite them up to meet the pilots.

Apparently in the 1960s to early 1970s, you could buy your ticket on the plane. (I wasn't around to have experienced that.)

Around that same period was the peak for plane hijackings - almost one per week in 1969. Cuba was the typical destination, 34 times that year.

<I also remember when kids were routinely let into the cockpit>

I wasn't a kid, but I got to hang out in the cockpit for a good-half hour on a cross-province Air Canada flight long after it was illegal in USA airspace (1990s). The amazing thing, apart from the scenery, was that you could see dozens of other jets in various headings and altitudes.

I used to walk through security barely slowing down and get on my flight without ever showing ID to anyone or checking in anywhere. And all the seats had actual knee room. I miss that feeling of freedom I used to get from air travel.

It's the same as pre 2003 travel. Just, now you have to pay for it...