The airplane flights that do the grunt work of your trip, that allow you to get from place to place, are a sort of forgettable magic that, if you are like me, you do not record in your diary or photograph.

So what exactly can you get away with? A quick run-through through the TSA's Prohibited Items list hints at a surprising irony: Much of what is removed from carry-ons is perfectly legal if declared and packed in luggage that is checked and stowed.

This story strikes me as terribly tragic and eerily reminiscent of what happened to a friend of mine, an experienced airline pilot.

Maybe instead of a foolish process of elimination, which still leaves a small but not insignificant risk, the government should reverse its approach. Instead of thinking of air travelers as guilty of terrorism until proven innocent, why not think of us as innocent until proven guilty?

TSA Administrator John Pistole was busy making the rounds during Thanksgiving week, trying to assure holiday air travelers that their screening experience would be better than last year. Which it was, thankfully.