Flying is safer than crossing the street, or so they tell us. That’s hard to believe after what happed last Tuesday, September 11. Boarding a jetliner has become a mundane experience. 60 percent of Pomona students live outside of California, and many fly home to see friends and relatives. You board a plane in Los Angeles and three hours later, you find yourself in Chicago.

There are plenty of things to worry about: delayed flights, lost luggage, missed connections. Most people don’t worry about hijackers. Now we all do.

America is at war. The Defense Department has mobilized 35,000 reservists, the Air Force has scrambled fighters in Washington D.C. and New York, and government agencies have responded with a slew of new security regulations. The new security procedures include ending curbside check-in, a ban on sharp objects, and armed air marshals aboard flights. The new regulations are a step in the right direction, but the real question is: will the flying public feel safe?

The hijackers involved in Tuesday’s attack succeeded in eluding authorities, raiding the cockpits of four airliners, and hijacking the planes. Two of the hijackers were on the FBI’s terrorist watch list, and they just walked aboard American Airlines Flight 77 non-stop to the Pentagon. If America is serious about airport security, trained, well-paid federal officers, in contact with local and federal law enforcement, need to be employed at all security checkpoints.

This solution, while imperfect, would not only provide better security in an absolute sense, but it would also send a clear message that the United States places a high value on airport security.

The airport has long been the focus of aviation security, but the events of last Tuesday made it clear that protection in the air is just as important, if not more important than protection on the ground. The Justice Department has responded by placing armed air marshals aboard commercial flights.

Having air marshals aboard planes carries certain risks. There is the unlikely possibility that an air marshal could have hostile intent against the aircraft they are charged to defend or that a marshal could violate the civil rights of passengers. This latter problem could be particularly acute with people of Middle Eastern descent. It is important to be concerned about developing a siege mentality.

Security is critical, but if the majority of people are afraid of the security measures, then they are useless. Having marshals only reveal their identities in the case of an emergency could mitigate this problem. Not only does it make it more difficult for potential hijackers to know who is protecting the plane, but it also makes all the passengers feel safer.

Air marshals are a positive step, but stronger cockpit doors are an absolute must. Had Tuesday’s hijackers been unable to breach the cockpit, we would not be recovering from tragedy today. Israeli aircraft have solid metal doors that can be locked from the inside to protect the flight crew. It is time for America to do the same.

Longer lines, no curbside check-in, rigorous, even obnoxious security are all inconveniences, but a twenty-minute wait doesn’t matter in a world where terror is a reality. In the end, the new security measures will help bring us back to normalcy — if that’s possible.

Air marshals will be as common as metal detectors; no one will miss the ability to board a plane with their hunting knife, and Pomona students will go back to flying as a normal part of their routine. Some people will even get over the lack of curbside check-in. I once mocked the security procedures that asked if I had packed my suitcases on my own and if they had always been in my possession. Now I look forward to the day when I can again laugh at those questions.