yikes, no books?

I've been flying in & out of Heathrow several times a year for the last half-decade or so (and I don't care what anyone else says, I love that airport: is there a more fun place to people-watch than the departure lounge of Terminal 3?) and over half the time, it's for transatlantic flights to/from the States. So, yikes. Good for British intelligence (memo to the CIA: I bet they managed to break this plot without waterboarding anyone), and damn I'm glad I flew back a week before all the hullaballoo erupted. Although the timing looks dodgy, coming right on the heels of various speeches by the Home Secretary about the need to strengthen anti-terror measures, etc. If they've been aware of this plot for so long, couldn't they have phased in some of the no-liquid restrictions sooner, without massive disruption at the height of travel season? I don't doubt that the plot was genuine, but can't help wondering if the sudden and disruptive nature of the revelation is supposed to send some sort of public message and benefit certain political actors.

After the initial yikes, my second thought was: shit, they aren't letting you take books on flights anymore? I don't sleep on planes, ever, and I have pretty low tolerance for sitcoms and dumb movies. Take away my moisturizer, make me check in my laptop and ipod, fine, but the idea of enduring a transatlantic flight without the New Yorker, a trashy fashion magazine, and a two-inch-thick novel-- now that strikes terror into my heart. I hope they will find some way to certify reading material as nonthreatening before my next flight to London.