The day of September 11th, 2001 changed the world in a multitude of ways. It was essentially the day our old lives ceased to be and the new era, our current way of life, began being ushered into existence. Terror incidents became more concerning, violence rose, wars have been fought, flying on airplanes became more of a challenge. Our entire way of life was reformed on September 11th, and we have not truly reverted to normalcy since that day.

But President Trump has been trying his best to bring us back to the realm of sanity. He has fought terror on its doorstep in Iran, wiping out multiple of their terror cells. He has cracked down on safety, and his administration has even started loosening restrictions at airports. Post-9/11, airport security saw a massive overhaul, where it became more of an inconvenience to travel than ever.

Before 9/11, you could freely walk up to whatever gate you chose to see your family. Airport security existed but was not remotely as stringent as what we have gotten since then. For the last 25 years, you have essentially had to get undressed in a TSA line. It has created a headache for travelers and TSA agents alike and has been the scorn of traveling for the last two decades. But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has started easing some of that and returning us to the days of old.

You no longer have to remove your shoes when flying, which that on its own is a monumental victory. You no longer have to remove your laptop in a separate bin. Now, the TSA is offering a new program that allows non-flyers to greet their family at the airport gates, as you could do for all of aviation history pre-9/11.

Political analyst Jay Stang says this is a good step back into the realm of normalcy, especially after two decades of tick tack TSA rules.

"One thing that has made travel difficult and annoying are these TSA measures," he says. "The biggest problems people have with TSA have been the things that made no sense...if the 3.5 ounces of liquid is a bomb, why are you just throwing it away in the trash can next to the security checkpoint?"

That is among the many things that would frustrate travelers. Toothpaste tube is not the right size; they are throwing it away. Forgot you have a half full Dr. Pepper bottle in your bag? You get pulled aside for a search.

Essentially, we have been treated like we are automatically guilty of something in airports for the last 20 years. Sure, the heightened security was necessary, but some of the additional policies made people feel like they were being targeted for no reason.

"People were fed up for years about the ridiculous hoops they had to jump through...this new proposal seems to follow the trend of normalcy returning to the airport and not being treated like a criminal as soon as you walk in," Stang says.

The program is already underway and available at 13 airports across the country, including Los Angeles International and Dallas-Fort Worth International.

It is a good step as we try to trudge back to a state of sanity. We will likely never get back to how life was before 9/11. But there is still a long way to go and plenty we can do to make it feel almost as it was once upon a time.

San Antonio's First News