Soon you’ll never have to remove your laptop from your carry-on bag at airport security again. No, seriously. The ubiquitous airport annoyance will be a thing of the past thanks to newly designed carry-on bags that should be available by late September or early October. [NYT]
A small UK company, Live Luggage, has introduced a new suitcase that does all of the work. While it won’t pack for you, the power-assisted suitcases “use ‘force sensors’ to detect a pulling motion…another innovation is an adjustable anti-gravity handle that diverts as much as 85 percent of the weight away from your arm and onto the wheels.” Now if only they could invent a way to avoid the checked bag fee... [LI]
Wish you could make long layovers less insufferable by just getting stoned? Well, now maybe you can. “Members of the Denver-based organization Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreations (SAFER) will ask the government Tuesday to allow pot in airport smoking lounges.” All in favor? [Drudge]
Singapore’s Changi airport has long been favored for its amenities, which include “a movie theatre, swimming pool, body massage chairs, a sunflower garden and free internet stations.” And, now, thanks to the hub’s recently opened Terminal 3, they’re upping the ante with a five-storey vertical garden and shops like Fifa, Ferrari and Guylian. [Wallpaper]
Why the ‘expert’ lane is fatally flawed: back in May we posted about airport security officials separating passengers based on their self-proclaimed travel experience. Turns out, most passengers consider themselves ‘expert’ travelers. Surprise, surprise. [UPI]
Airport security can now see under your clothes. The Transportation Security Administration “recently started using body scans on randomly chosen passengers in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, Albuquerque and at New York’s Kennedy airport,” in what is “one of the biggest public uses of security devices that reveal intimate body parts.” Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas and Miami, you’re next! [USA Today]
· One last night of boozing aboard London’s metro [Dallas News]
· In Las Vegas, locals "are the new tourists in town" [LVS]
· Int'l Air Transport Assoc. head calls Heathrow “a national embarrassment” [BBC]
· Airlines' Saturday-night-stay rule is back,Peter Greenberg not happy about it [NY Times]
· Urinals may soon be making their mile high debut [Gadling]
· Bloomberg backs bid for high-speed, 2-hour train service from NYC to D.C. [NY Times]
We've all been there: you're stuck in LAX on a layover, cooling your heels with a trashy magazine and a bag of chips, when you learn your flight to Phoenix has been canceled because of poor weather in Boston. You're rebooked for a new flight ... in six hours. You'd love to get out and enjoy a little of the city, but fear straying too far from the airport environs. Well, don't fear! In other major American cities, you'd probably be screwed, but thanks to the wonders of urban sprawl, there are tons of great restaurants within shouting distance of LAX. Get out and get a taste of the city -- with ample time to cab back and hustle through security -- with our handy map.
There was an issue with supermodel Naomi Campbell's luggage on a British Airways flight. Of course, you can imagine how this story ends. It involves witnesses reporting that Naomi was taken off the plane in cuffs being "aggressive and abusive to staff." A Scotland Yard spokesperson would only say that "a 37-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer." That's right, folks. Naomi Campbell is 37. That means she is a MILF and we are all much older and closer to death than we ever realized. [Independent]
Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen caused a security scare in Kansas by "dancing in the lobby of Wichita Airport" wearing a skimpy flight attendant outfit. The British funnyman was filming scene for his upcoming movie which stars his character Bruno, a flaming Austrian fashionista. In the scene Cohen dances with a well-muscled man in hot pants. The hot gay comedy action that freaked out airport security was caught on camera by a bystander who apparently thought they were seeing a real "filming at airport by German crew." The video is after the jump.
[via]
So JetBlue has announced they'll start charging extra for four more inches of legroom -- $10 to $20 more (depending on length of flight) for rows 2-5 and exit rows 10-11. But why stop there? "Even More Legroom" is nice, but now that airlines are breaking free of their decades-long insistence on fascist conformity, I suggest an entire suite of value-addeds to help defray spiraling costs. If I can choose from an a la carte menu of extra services and bennies to customize my flight experience, I'll be a much happier though poorer consumer. For example!
The TSA's Blogger Bob "came into work one day, browsed the blogosphere and read about the Macbook Air having problems at a checkpoint," so he decided to investigate further. The TSA acquired one of the laptops and x-rayed it. They won't release the x-ray as it's considered "sensitive information." Essentially, the inner workings of the Macbook Air look entirely different from any other laptop since it's uses "a solid state drive instead of a traditional hard drive." [via]
Two Italian oldsters were stopped by airport police in Munich holding a suitcase stuffed with an eleven year-old dead body. The women carrying the corpse, who are both in their sixties, were en route from Sao Paolo to Naples. One of the old ladies said the body belonged to her brother who'd always wanted to be buried in Italy. After x-rays spotted the skeleton in their luggage, the women produced a death certificate and according to inspectors: "As they were not violating any German laws they were allowed to continue their journey."
After closing three years ago, JFK's Terminal 5 is getting closer and closer to its rebirth sometime this fall. JetBlue's new terminal wraps around the original Eero Saarinen building and is connected to it through two tunnels. As the Times blog puts it, "passengers with plenty of time on their hands -- and not too much luggage -- will be able to pass through the Saarinen landmark on their way to the new departure hall." Another plus: rubber flooring and lots of benches around security points where passengers are likely to be shoeless. The Times has lots more pics of the progress so far. [NYT]
The powers that be at Denver International Airport don't want you doing anything naughty on their Internet, so they've placed restrictions on the airport's free Wi-Fi network that resemble "software filters employed by the repressive regimes of Sudan and Kuwait." You'd think Denver fliers would be happy to have free net access, since in most other airports Wi-Fi costs money, but DIA's definition of bad behavior is broad enough to include checking sports scores, enjoying Dominick Dunne's latest dispatch from the inner sanctums of WASPdom, and browsing through Perez Hilton's crappy pop music picks. The airport's web filter blocks access to many mainstream sites that it deems "provocative," including Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, and PerezHilton.com. The stores in the airport sell some of the very magazines whose sites are blocked -- along with porno mags, so it's safe to say the digital censorship in Denver probably stems from the airport bigwigs' desire to have you buy your reading material from them rather than any genuine concern over salacious online content. [via]
"There are some thieves who make their living in airports. People think I am an alarmist; the fact is these people are out there and there are ways to protect yourself, even when going through an area you think is "secure" such as a TSA check point. Who'd be dumb enough to commit a crime on front of dozens of United States Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Agents? Skilled thieves, that's who, and they are not that dumb, just skilled and brazen." The photographer who writes Flying with Fish seems to know what he's talking about, and he has a few tips to avoid losing those cameras and iPods. Semi-related: Crime spike? Blame it on iPods. [Knick-Knack]
Over the past three years, domestic travelers have reported about 31 million dollars worth of stuff stolen from their luggage. Where'd is all go? You can start by looking at the baggage handlers -- and the TSA.[Fox KC]
Beijing's airport has opened a brand spanking new terminal just in time for the Olympics. Terminal 3, a "gargantuan glass-and-steel creation built to accommodate a surge in visitors for the Summer Olympics," opened last Friday. "Airport officials have said that at least 64 million passengers are expected to come through this year, up from 50 million last year and 20 million in 2000." [IHT]
The AP reports that LAX, "the airport with the most near accidents and runway safety violations in the nation," will soon be outfitted with additional lights to increase safety. The "runway status lights" will make it easier for pilots on the airport's four runways to see if it's safe to "cross them or take off." Essentially, the airport's getting stoplights for its runways. [via]
TSA (which, btw, stands for "Taking Suckas Assets") Gangstaz Zach is the latest in wannabe Internet stars. He's the face and misogynistic lyricist behind the TSA Gangstaz video, which hit the web running two days ago and piqued a lot of juvenile dude's interest thanks to its "tight hook" and cheap boob and ass shots. Now, Gangstaz Zach is calling his fellow outraged travelers to arms. Not only has he parodied the painful airport security check process with his mock music video, now he wants you to reply with your own stories of shitty times at the checkpoint (no matter if you're telling your story while playing Wii). While the whole thing seems a bit like getting your panties in a twist for nothing, I'm perpetually surprised by the number of people that never seem to tire of telling, or giving audience to tales of trials and tribulations at airport security. In less than 24 hours the video has garnered dozens of comments and a handful of video responses.
Four Greenpeace activists were arrested at Heathrow Airport this weekend after breaching security and climbing on top of an airplane. In an effort to protest the airport's potential expansion ("a government consultation on the plan closes on Wednesday") the activists unfurled a banner reading "Climate Emergency - No Third Runway" on top of a British Airways Airbus A320. Looks like British Airways still can't catch a break... [BBC]
Travel + Leisure rounds up the best airport restaurants and places to kill time pre-flight. Top picks include Bonfire at Boston's Logan International, Gordon Ramsay's Plane Restaurant at Heathrow, and Max at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport. As for the best spots to booze, Copenhagen Airport, JFK, and Shaghai's Changi Airport boast the best. More picks include spas, shops, and first-class lounges. [via]
An explosion at LAX has caused quite a bit of scare, but not in the way you'd expect. This video of a laptop overheating and exploding was supposedly captured on a camera phone, as were the freaked-out screams and chortling of confused bystanders. (Turns out it's an old but recently discovered clip.) The situation was kept relatively in hand, with an airport official authoritatively ordering curious travelers to "stay away from the computer." A blurry figure soon comes to the rescue with a fire extinguisher, but the impressive fireball or two would have been most inconvenient onboard a flight. [via]
A European study has found that British Airways is the worst when it comes to lost luggage and flight delays. "The airline was 50 per cent more likely to lose a bag than the average European airline," not to mention, "BA also had one of the worst records for punctuality." But the poor performance might not be all BA's fault; the airline's home base, Heathrow Airport, ranked as the worst European airport for flight delays. [The Times
Kathy Arena is a California mom who invented a toy luggage x-ray in an effort to provide children with "ample amounts of healthy fun along with education and awareness of the security measures that people face in real life." Arena was inspired to create her "Operation Checkpoint Jr. Security Center" by the security-related trauma incurred during her divorce proceedings. At the courthouse each day, Arena and her children felt "intimidation and confusion" when required "put their possessions through multiple scanners." These harrowing experiences convinced Arena that American families needed a toy that would "lessen some of the fear children often suffer in our security conscience society" and thus, the "Jr. Security Center" was born.
It seems an epidemic of airport escalator nightmares has been plaguing kids wearing the obnoxious rubberoid shoes known as Crocs. Two separate incidents involving escalators swallowing the plastic clogs (and nearly taking the tiny feet trapped inside with them!) have transpired at both a Kentucky airport and New York's La Guardia. The mother of one of the victims "is seeking $7 million from Crocs, who still refuses to put a warning label on their product, despite widespread reports of similar accidents." Looks like Mario Batali may have to find another hideous trademark, lest his own mighty hams get mangled. [via]
Meet the RoboPorter: the lazy man's airport amenity dream-come-true. The latest in machine replacing man, this handy robot that can haul up to 100 pounds to the destination of your choice. Currently housed in Japan's Kitakyushu Airport, RoboPorters are also outfitted with a "virtual assistant" that has a map of the airport and top secret "additional information" (we're rooting for information on flight changes and the closest Cinnabon). Currently, RoboPorters are "only programmed to head off to airport locations for taxis buses and cars, but, as the tests progress the porters will no doubt learn new tricks." [via]
Bai Ling -- an actress most famous for her open bisexuality and fleshy centerfolds in men's magazines -- was arrested yesterday at LAX for attempting to pull a Winona Ryder. Ling unsuccessfully tried to steal "two celeb magazines and a pack of batteries" (or $16 worth of goods) from a terminal store. No word on which mags were swiped; which rag will be the first to successfully claim their stories are so juicy that they're worth committing petty larceny to read? [via]
Full-Content Feed
Comments