For two days, all we heard was that UA refused to transport nine passengers on a Sunday evening flight from Dulles to Tampa due to security concerns. Few details filtered out and we were left to speculate what really...
What NOT to wear when you are flying in first class!
Maybe the guy was just protesting intrusive TSA search protocols or lost a poker bet, but I have to question what motivates someone to wear this on a plane. Then again, I am they type of traveler who won’t...
United States Will Charge Tourists $14 to "Promote Tourism"
Sometimes, I wonder why members of Congress display so little common sense. Then I remember what it was like to work for them. In an astute move displaying superlative wisdom and unparalleled foresight, Congress has voted to levy a $14 tax on...
Feds Come Clean: Admit to Storing Body Image Scans
Last week on Upgrd 66 I voiced skepticism about TSA assurances that body scan images are immediately deleted and never stored. After all, if something was found on a passenger wouldn’t the image have to be stored to have...
Continental tests self-boarding at IAH
Tired of the grouchy attitude or bad breath of your gate agent? Well now there’s a solution if you’re flying through Houston! Self-boarding is being tested select Continental gates at IAH. Lufthansa has already offered self-boarding for years, as do...
TSA Antics at Washington Dulles
I returned home from Buenos Aires today and had to endure a torturous 45-minute wait in the immigration line today at Dulles. After my poor experiences in Montreal, I vowed to apply for Global Entry: only $100 for five...
TSA Recruiting on Pizza Boxes
Some call it creative. Others call it a sign of desperation. I call it stupid. The TSA is hiring at Washington Dulles and Reagan National and has resorted to a peculiar medium of advertising…pizza boxes. photo courtesy: Michelle Basch, WTOP...
More Encroachment by the TSA
Yeah, I’m going to get political again. Remember this post over a month ago? After the Faisal Shahzad incident I warned that the TSA would soon be taking over the passenger watchlist. Now this from the TSA blog: Secure Flight...
Eating Humble Pie After “Incident” at SFO Security Checkpoint
I had to cut short my trip to the Bay Area this weekend and fly home to attend the funerals of two family friends who died this week. For the first time in years, I purchased a walk-up ticket...
More Power to the TSA?
Faisal Shahzad, the man who attempted to detonate a car bomb in Times Square earlier this week, almost made it out of the country. It wasn’t until he drove to JFK, checked in, cleared security, and boarded his Emirates...
Woman Arrested for Trying to Save Her 93 Year-Old Mother’s Applesauce from the TSA at Burbank Airport
Take a look at this YouTube video of an incident at my home airport of Burbank: The narrator, who sounds like the lawyer for the woman, tells a convincing story. What say you? Some more context: An incident at...
United FA prohibits Internet communication on p.s. flight for "security reasons"
It seems a lot of bloggers on the Huffington Post fly on United. Yesterday, tech journalist John Battelle was minding his own business, video chatting with his wife and children from 30-plus thousand feet in the air, when a...
"Explosive" Honey Shuts Down California Airport
A golden substance found in the checked baggage of a man traveling from Bakersfield, CA to Milwaukee, WI that tested positive for TNT and TATP (plane go boom) led to the evacuation and closure of BFL for several hours. Turns out the...
UPDATE: TSA Serves Subpoenas to Two Bloggers for Disclosing Latest Security Directive
Earlier this week I blogged about the TSA serving subpoenas to Chris Elliott and Steven Frischling, demanding that the two men reveal how they got their hands on the TSA security directive that went into effect after the Christmas Day terrorist...
TSA Serves Subpoenas to Two Bloggers for Disclosing Latest Security Directive
I know, I know: another attack on the TSA. But after reading this, I hope you agree another post was warranted. Chris Elliot, a travel blogger, Washington Post columnist, and MSNBC contributor asked the TSA to clarify its new...
TSA Loosens Security Restrictions
Good news: the TSA has apparently loosened some of the draconian restrictions they imposed earlier this week. After a two-day security clampdown prompted by a thwarted attempt to bomb a jetliner, some airline officials told The Associated Press that...
Off to Europe on Air Canada with only Minor "Safety" Annoyances
I’m sitting in Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge in Vancouver right now, waiting for my evening flight to London in Executive Class. I flew from LAX-YVR this morning on an EMB-190–a great plane–and spent some time exploring downtown Vancouver....
Homeland Security Chief Napolitano: New Airport Security Rules are None of Your Business
I can’t believe I am quoting the Village Voice, but I I liked this story: Apparently it wasn’t an accident that the TSA neglected to tell us how airport security rules have changed in response to Friday’s terror attempt. Homeland Security Secretary...
See, I was Right: New Security Measures from the TSA
Lucky just blogged about a new travel advisory from Air Canada: As a result of the added security precautions, passengers should also expect delayed and cancelled flights as well as missed connections. Air Canada will endeavour to transport passengers...
Not Just a Firecracker: Man Claiming Ties to Al Qaeda Fails in Attempt to Blow Up Delta A330 with 288 Aboard
Just as the story was breaking yesterday, I blogged about media reports concerning a passenger attempting to use firecrackers aboard a Northwest/Delta flight from AMS to DTW. Hours later, we learned it was not just an innocent holiday celebration, but...
