Someday maybe flying will be fun again for all

It wasn’t all that long ago when going through airport security was a kinder, gentler process. Even some of today’s young adults might recall passing through checkpoints with bottles of juice or water, with shoes on or with pocket knives. But then came the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and the world changed. The Transportation Security Administration was born, and myriad travel restrictions emerged.

Now, in a back-to-the-future development, a "TSA PreCheck" program has begun for randomly selected, low-risk passengers on Hawaiian Airlines and six other U.S. carriers. For these lucky fliers, much of the disrobing hassles magically disappear. And yes, even laptop computers stay in the carry-on. Ah, the good old days.

HART rolls the dice in authorizing contracts

It doesn’t seem as risky a proposition as it was back in the days of the Hannemann administration, when contracts were let out to start construction of the rail project in advance of all the approvals. We all know how that ended up. We’re much further along in the process now, which makes the decision by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to approve $1.56 billion in capital expenditures, enabling more construction contracts to be signed, a comparatively safe bet.

Still, there are court decisions yet outstanding before the legal all-clear siren really can sound. Judges, please speak up. The suspense is killing us.