The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says 300+ body scanners are on the way to an airport near you, so – get used to it.
Or get used to a patdown – your choice when it comes to going through these body imaging machines (you may remember, I went through an airport body scan machine and, no complaints here).
Meanwhile, the controversy continues – including an ugly episode of alleged workplace violence involving TSA employees; check it out in, “Security Update: More TSA Body Scan Machines Coming to an Airport Near You”.
Did you hear what the Georgia legislature did?
They voted to allow people – with properly licensed guns – to bring them into that state’s airports.
The non-secure areas of airports, that is, which would include terminals, baggage claim, parking lots and the like.
I don’t like it. See where I’m coming from in “Guns at the Airport: Worst Idea Ever?” and tell me if you agree – or, disagree.
I know – it seems like we put those terrible days behind us, but Mother Nature has a habit of turning our expectations on end, doesn’t she?
In other words, the ash is back.
To a much lesser extent, to be sure, but it was out there today, and airports in Ireland and Britain had to cancel some flights.
I’ve got more on this ongoing phenomenon – plus tips on dealing with canceled or delayed flight due to ash, snow, thunderstorms or even your own late start.
Going to Europe this summer? Be sure to take a look.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen – and I’m talking to you, LaGuardia.
Back in 1960, the airport named for one of the city’s most colorful mayors (and that’s saying something) was voted the “greatest airport in the world”. Today, a Port Authority official calls LaGuardia, “chaotic” – and, as Reuters reports, he went on to say that the facility “is so outdated that it should be completely demolished and rebuilt.”
What the 26 million passengers that fly in and out of LaGuardia would do in the meantime is beyond me.
So – what other airports should be “demolished and rebuilt”? My editor votes for LAX – Los Angeles – but adds, “They have to keep their mitts off that bizarre Jetsonian “Encounter” restaurant smack in the middle of the airport that looks like a space ship and no one you know has ever eaten there.” Whew – she can be sassy.
Anyone else with an airport candidate for destruction and rebuilding? Share in the comments, please.
Tomorrow – Thursday, April 29 – a new Dept. of Transportation rule called, “Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections” goes into effect.
You know it better as the “3-hour rule” – and it means no more passengers getting trapped-on-the-tarmac in planes going nowhere, after a wait of three hours.
It also means, while you are on that plane, waiting for those three hours, medical attention will be available to anyone who needs it, and after two hours, food and water will be available as well.
Plus, the lavatories will have to be in working order (don’t think this hasn’t happened before).
The airlines don’t like this rule – and some passengers say, three hours is too long. I take a look at this angry debate (and more) in my latest column for ABCNews.com.
Here’s an irony: the new three hour rule could wind up delaying your plane a lot longer than three hours – or at least, that’s what some experts are saying. Is that argument valid? I’d love to hear what you think.
We’re hearing a lot about scary airport parking fees awaiting travelers on their return from wherever they were stranded when that Icelandic volcano began spewing The Ash That Shut Down Europe.
However, on the whole the news is pretty good on that front – for example, the gentleman I wrote about – the Brit stranded in Vegas – finally got back home this past weekend (on SAS – paid for out of his pocket) – but his extra parking fees in London were waived.
His biggest problem, according to his latest email to us, is his airline: “Only Virgin Atlantic let us down and or tried to milk extra cash out of us. Let’s see how forthcoming they are at picking up our hotel receipts!”
Are you listening, Sir Richard?
This happened this past Monday (April 19) but it took awhile for word of this scary incident to trickle out (scary, but no one was hurt):
The scene was Bob Hope Airport (better known to Southern California locals as simply, Burbank); a Southwest Airlines 737 was coming in for a landing after being given the go-ahead by the air traffic controller – near a crossing runway where a small, single-engine plane was practicing touch-and-go landings.
An FAA spokesman quoted in Terry Maxon’s Dallas Morning News report, said, “The air traffic controller handling the planes misjudged the spacing of the two aircraft.”
That would seem to be the understatement of the year; the airplanes “came within 200 feet vertically and 10 feet laterally of each other” at the intersection of the two runways. The NTSB is investigating, as is usual in such situations.
Burbank and Southwest have made news before: back in May of 2000, one of the airline’s jets ran off the runway there and wound up sitting in the middle of a busy street – and you may recall that earlier this year, a couple of Southwest jets were hit by lightning as they headed to the Southern California airport.
You may be forgiven if you assumed Iceland’s Reykjavik Airport was closed when that country’s volcano began spewing ash nine days ago.
After all, it shutdown most of Europe – why wouldn’t it close an airport just 65 miles away? Because of wind direction. So Reykjavik’s airport remained open throughout the crisis. Until now.
The winds have shifted, and according to the Montreal Gazette, the Iceland airport will be closed at least until early Saturday (4-24-10). But if you’re due to fly there, check with your airline – things can change at anytime.
