• TranscendentalEmpire
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    1 year ago

    Used to travel quite a lot. Before 9/11 when you landed in say Germany you would get eyes on you from the time you left the plane. There was always security with machine guns. Don’t know if that would have given al Queida pause, but it would have been something instead of nothing.

    Really? I’m an old fart as well, and I don’t ever recall ever seeing security armed with machine guns pre 9/11, especially in Europe.

    Though I guess it depends on how far back you’re talking. If it’s early 90’s or late 80s it might make more sense, there were more than a couple odd terrorist groups active in the western part of Germany back then that may have juiced up security.

    • bufordt@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Lived in Germany in the 80s, flew in and out of the Frankfurt airport every year. There was a bombing there in 85, and for years after that there were people with automatic weapons in the airport.

      We flew out of Frankfurt a couple days after the bombing. It was a bit tense.

    • Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
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      1 year ago

      I think things changed after the 72 Munich Olympics. The subtle part was the cleaning crew that always seemed to be cleaning your gate and giving you the once over. The not so subtle part was fully strapped security officers. I suppose things might of changed with the travel databases.

      • TranscendentalEmpire
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        1 year ago

        Ahh, yea the 70s to about mid 80s was the golden age of plane highjacking. Your visit may have been after the Lufthansa highjacking in 77’ by the PLO. Germany had a massive increase in security after that lasted until the early 90s.

        The last time I was in Germany pre 9/11 was around 97 I think? They had relaxed on the security by then, at least for transatlantic flights. Sometimes I forget how crazy the late 80s and early 90a were in Europe.