The terminal was in a completely different building that was located pretty far from the main airport terminal. When I walked into the building, I felt that I had gone through a time warp and was back in the 1950s. It was an old building and there were old photographs on the walls. There was also free coffee and snacks for all the passengers. 

And everyone was SO nice and friendly. I had checked my suitcase and assumed that it would go all the way to Hot Springs. Instead, the Southern Airways agent made a telephone call and ascertained that it was actually at the Memphis luggage carousel. So, I was going to have to Uber back to the main terminal to get it and then Uber back. Instead, get this: The ticket agent for Southern Airways took me back to the main terminal in her personal car to retrieve my bag. When was the last time you experienced anything like that?

But here was the big thing: No security! No metal detector. No body scanning. No TSA screaming. No pat-down searches. No taking off of shoes. No removal of laptop. No taking off of coat. No confiscation of water. No anything! 

One of the two pilots gave us a very friendly 2-minute safety briefing and then led the five of us out of the building. We boarded the plane, which had a single propeller and six passenger seats inside. There was no barrier separating us from the pilots. We could see outside the windshield!

I told a 21-year-old woman who was sitting next to me that this is what life was like before the 9/11 attacks. No TSA searches. No metal detectors. No body scanning. None of that intrusive security junk that violates people's fundamental, God-given right of privacy.