re: What was air travel like before 9/11?

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I imagine security had really ramped up on the first flights after, right? What was security like on the first flight?

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Nothing was uniform yet right after. I arrived probably close to 3 hours before my first flight back home.

They were scrambling to figure it all out still. Metal detectors were turned up to maximum power and carry-on luggage was getting plenty of manual searches.

X-ray machines for checked luggage was pretty non-existent. They started randomly checking the checked bags, which required you to go to an area with them so they could go through it. At first these areas were in plain view of everyone in some airports and passers-by could see all your packed items. They then started putting up some privacy dividers.

National Guard were fully armed, but it later came out they were without ammo or firing pins. At the time we thought they were live and ready, so it was a comforting effect.

When I got the "SSSS" on my ticket it involved
1 - My checked bags were searched in front of me before I could go through security
2 - In security I would be pulled aside and given the wand, no matter what the metal detector said. Any carry-on was opened and checked. Laptop had to fully boot up.
3 - At gate was placed in a special line where they searched all bags again.

I got the extra screening more times than I should have and my wife hated to fly with me . It was not a bunch of white males that did 9/11.