The New World of Terror Some times there are moments in life that live forever in your mind. No matter what, you recall ever detail of the moment. The temperature, smells in the air, your emotions and how they jostled you. They are moments when time stood still as you consciously realized your life was different, redefined from that point forward. The generation before me remembers when JFK was shot, when Elvis died. I remember Mount St. Helens erupting (Okay, so not as global in scope, in the Pacific Northwest, it shook us out of bed just a few minutes after the Smurfs started), the Space Shuttle exploding, Bobby getting shot on Dallas, bombs dropping on Libya, and the Gulf War sending my peers overseas. Recently, I had another such moment - in the Business Class section of AirTran Airways, as I was returning home from a quick weekend getaway. "Sir," said the flight attendant to my partner, Tony, "I have to check one of your bags." Tony had one bag, and a small backpack that was serving as his briefcase, carrying his laptop computer. Of course, in the world we live in now, where you can't be too cautious about how that can of hair spray and a match can be used, it's important we adhere to the policies posted on signs printed by prison inmates. Tony tried to remind the flight attendant of the policy: one bag and a "personal" bag, which is loosely defined as a briefcase, purse, laptop computer bag and such. The policy doesn't define the size, shape or color of the bag or "personal" bag, other than it must all fit neatly in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. We were on one of AirTran's new jets in their Business Class ­ the Pontiac Grand Am of the skyways, so storage space was not an issue. After all, we had paid an extra $25 for two complimentary cocktails, extra wide seats, and a little bit more storage space. And it's not like Tony was knitting an afghan (sorry) that took up an entire department store shopping bag. The flight attendant's tone was, quite frankly, belligerent. His body language, aggressive. Tony was getting a bit hot under the collar, being treated in this manner. After all, the same set of bags had passed numerous security checks, and the outbound flight to our secret weekend destination. The flight attendant didn't seem to care. He just had to check one of Tony's bags. Other passengers were boarding, all carrying a bag and a liberal interpretation of a "personal" bag. Tony pointed out his briefcase is only shaped like a backpack. "It's a backpack," barked the flight attendant. The other two flight attendants had rushed to aide. They began waiving Tony off from behind the flight attendant, shaking their heads and mouthing, "Let him go. Let him do it. Go with it." Tony could make a choice: to stand up for himself demanding to be treated fairly, within the published policies and risk being ejected from the airplane for not cooperating with the flight crew, violating federal law, or he could sit down, shut up, and let this glorified, self-important cocktail waiter have his way and take his bag. (Apologies to those flight attendants who know the meaning of service.) We. Were. Stewing. And at that moment, it occurred to me the world doesn't work the way it did before September 11. Gone are the days of quality service, in exchange for inconvenience under the guise of improved safety. The harsh reality was sobering: today, we live in the constant terror of bad customer service. Whether you're waiting in line at the security checkpoints, or trying to stow your luggage. The other flight attendants approached Tony and apologizing for the former's rudeness as we tried to cool off. It was a bittersweet moment of vindication, as both said the only reason they couldn't jump to our aid is that they have to work with the jerk for two more days. Heroes, they are, those flight attendants. Fighting on the front line against horrible service. As if this flight attendant created enough trauma. As if to purposely throw salt in our wounds, they had no vodka on board. However, we didn't dare point that fact out.