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 any sort of evidentiary value? Not surprisingly, CNET reports that the U.S. Marshall Service has saved […]
TSA Pranks Traveler By Making Him To Do “The Robot”
A TSA officer pranked a traveler by asking him to perform “the robot” at an airport security checkpoint in Maui. Appropriate? TSA Pranks Travelers On Request: Asks Him To Do “The Robot” I’ve been rather muted lately in my criticism of the TSA because after two decades I’ve just gotten used to the routine. I […]
I Experienced A TSA Lockdown At LAX
Yesterday I experienced my first-ever TSA lockdown. I was in Terminal 2 at Los Angeles International Airport and had just climbed the stairs from the lobby level to the security checkpoint. As I was winding my way through the empty PreCheck line, all of a sudden I heard a shout followed by a chorus of […]
Quiet Skies: The Secret TSA Program To Spy On You
What do a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, a federal law enforcement officer, and a businesswoman who recently traveled through Turkey all have in common? They’ve all been trailed by Federal Air Marshals in a new program called Quiet Skies. Jana Winter of the Boston Globe broke the story on a clandestine Transportation Security Adminstation (TSA) […]
My Horrific Security Experience at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV)
I alluded to it offhandedly in a recent post on United catering out of Tel Aviv, but based upon the comments it drew I want to revisit the topic directly. I recently had an incredibly invasive security experience in Tel Aviv, so lengthy I almost missed my flight. It is unlikely I’ll ever know exactly what triggered […]
How I Almost Missed My Flight to Frankfurt
I recently made a short trip to the USA, including a visit to some dear friends in Washington, DC. I like taking the 10pm United service out of Dulles because it allows for a full day and relaxed dinner before the short overnight flight to Frankfurt, which arrives at midday – not too early, but […]
More Stringent Airport Security for USA-Bound Flights
There’s a man that U.S. intelligence agencies are watching named Ibrahim Al-Asiri who has been called a master bombmaker for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He allegedly is skilled in constructing bombs out of ordinary material that can escape the detection of most airport screening equipment. With “chatter’ that another terrorist attack against commercial jetliners is […]
TSA Prohibits Mute Stroke Victim from Flying Because She Can’t Speak Name
The TSA always finds a way to top itself when it comes to controversy, negative publicity, and most importantly, a degradation of human dignity. This time, it was by telling an elderly, disabled woman who lost her speech after a stroke that she could not fly because she could not say here name. This is no Onion story. […]
Airport Security Exposed: How to Build a Homemade Shotgun After You Clear Security
No snow globes or yogurt are allowed past airport security checkpoints, but the video below shows that it does not take MacGyver to build a powerful shotgun with material that you can purchase once you get past the full body scanners… There really is not much commentary to add to this, only that it is rather […]
An Armed TSA is a Threat to All
In the wake of a lone wolf gunman storming a Terminal 3 security checkpoint at LAX last Friday and murdering a TSA screener, some are now calling for a cadre of TSA screeners to be armed at every airport. I sense this issue is dead on arrival, at least for now, but let us explore […]
The Bigotry of Fear Exposed at JFK
The story of Aditya Mukerjee, a Hindu-American who spent three hours detained at JFK for triggering an explosives alert at a TSA checkpoint is a troubling story and cause for deep introspection. I must admit, even my first reaction was “better safe than sorry.” But that was the wrong conclusion–to defend the government and defend JetBlue […]
New York to Tokyo – A Great Menu
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. Heading to Bali When we booked our trip to Bali using 49,500 American Airlines Aadvantage miles in business class (55,000 – 10% rebate due to our Citi card), we wanted […]
TSA Embraces "Abuse The Elderly Day"
I will be traveling with my 86-year old Uncle next week and a thread on Flyertalk about the TSA treatment of another elderly passenger caught my attention today. This weekend my wife and I accompanied my 87 year old mother on a trip to a family wedding. This was the first flight for either of […]
Five Steps to Fix the TSA
You haven’t heard me talk much about the TSA lately and the nationwide fervor over the agency has seemingly died down. One reason is Pre✓, a “trusted traveler” program that allows passengers who submit to background checks to bypass the excessive and theatrical security screenings most casual travelers still endure at U.S. airports. Another reason […]
TSA Allows Bomb to Slip Past Security Checkpoint in Newark…Twice
If any of you are surprised by news that a fake IED-type bomb was cleared past two security checks at Newark’s Liberty International Airport last month, you shouldn’t be. I’ve maintained for years that anyone determined to get something past a security checkpoint will find a way to do so. The TSA has a “special […]
A Thoughtful Conversation with the TSA in Honolulu
I have passed from the “rage” stage to the “education” stage when it comes to dealing with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents at U.S. airports. I used to get so worked up over their rudeness, their lack of common courtesy, and their profound lack of common sense exercised under the guise of public safety. Lately, […]
Another Bump on United Airlines!
I still wonder sometimes why I put myself through such torture, but it always seems to work out in the end… Instead of flying non-stop from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to get back in time for my 2pm class yesterday, I took my usual Sunday evening return on United from Burbank to Philadelphia via San […]
Senator Rand Paul Detained by the TSA for Refusing Invasive Patdown
I want to be careful not to blow this story out of proportion, but there is a key point we can take away from today’s incident at Nashville Airport in which Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was temporarily detained by the TSA for refusing to undergo a patdown after walking through a full body scanner: he […]
TSA Carry-On Policy: Guns Yes, Cupcakes No
If the Transportation Security Administration was a Shakespeare play, it would be A Comedy of Errors. In an apparent case of mistaken identity and astounding sloppiness, an x-ray scanner picked up a .38-caliber revolver in a passenger’s carry-on baggage at Dallas/Fort-Worth International Airport, but the TSA let the passenger walk away with the gun and […]
Congressional Bill to "Strip" TSA Screeners of "Officer" Title
I concede that Congress has more important matters to worry about than the proper designation for a Transportation Security Administration clerk, but I have to applaud Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn’s attempt to roll back the “officer” designation, costume, and badge given to TSA security screeners. More than two dozen House Republicans introduced legislation on Thursday that […]