Last week it was weather. It may be again this weekend. But the intervening week highlighted yet another travel concern: terrorism.

It's not really new, but it has been a bit off the radar for some. Travelers who have become accustomed to airport security procedures like removing shoes may have forgotten the genesis of the baring of the feet: a man named Richard Reid who attempted to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami by igniting a bomb in his shoe. He was overpowered by the flight crew and passengers, foiling the December 2001 attack.

Now comes a 23-year-old Nigerian man and his explosives-packed underwear. Where this will lead, in terms of security measures, is less known. The Transportation Security Administration issued updated safety procedures to airlines, but the agency said it wanted to keep the process "unpredictable." Still, suffice to say travelers won't be removing their skivvies at the gate. This I can guarantee.

But it's possible the government will go a step further by requiring air passengers to undergo full-body scans, revealing the particulars down to the flesh. The scanners are available at several U.S. airports, and the TSA is poised to buy more. Privacy advocates both here and abroad have called the scans - which show outlines of a passenger's body - too intrusive. But perhaps the tenaciousness of the terrorists will convince travelers that any loss of privacy will be offset by gains in security. I can't guarantee that - and neither can the government at this point.

The airliner bomb scare was important enough to rate among my Top Travel Stories of 2009. The effects of the attempted terrorist attack will be felt well into 2010 with new rules that will seem ho-hum by next Christmas.

Here's the list of the top stories for travelers:

1. Nigerian passenger is accused of attempting to blow up U.S. jet traveling from Amsterdam to Detroit.

2. Airlines tack on fees and more fees, for everything from baggage to blankets.

3. US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger lands a plane in the icy Hudson River after flock of birds disables both engines. Everyone on board survives.

4. Carnival Pride comes to Baltimore as cruise line begins sailing year-round from its northernmost port.

5. Air France Flight 447, from Rio to Paris, vanishes into the Atlantic Ocean. More than 225 passengers and crew perish.

6. JetBlue begins service from BWI, creating a frenzy of competition with Southwest and AirTran for the Baltimore-Boston route. Airfares drop to as low as $9 each way.

7. Baltimore's first green hotel opens downtown amid a hotel boom. The Fairfield Inn & Suites collects rainwater, has uniforms made of recycled plastic bottles and a green roof.

8. Pigs fly? Not exactly, but Pet Airways launches flights that cater to the four-legged jet set. (Also, a dog park opens at BWI.)

9. Staycation. Travel industry suffers as people stay home.

10. Inattentive Northwest pilots overshoot destination by 150 miles, claiming they were working on their laptops.