Upgradetravel reported in a post that according to the British press, the UK is poised to follow the US in allowing travel-sized toiletries to be brought through security…just proving that where the US goes, the world will follow. These regulations would limit containers to less than 100ml, carried in a transparent bag and presented for…
In a press release earlier today, Walmart announced that starting tomorrow, they will provide quart-sized Ziploc storage bags to passengers throughout the week at USAirways check-in counters in New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Charlotte. We tend to admire companies who find simple and nice ways to help the public…
On several occasions in the past, we’ve referenced Schneier on Security, Bruce Schneier’s blog. In a recent post, Schneier referred to an interesting social engineering hack to ensure extra care is given to your expensive electronic equipment. One person puts a starter pistol into all of his expensive camera cases. A starter pistol is defined…
We reported in a post last month, on a Registered Travel Program. USAToday reported yesterday that the TSA has reversed its plan to charge $100 a year per passenger to use the Registered security lines. Their portion will now be only $30. Travellers would have to pay $80 or more to the companies that enroll…
The Daily Telegraph reports that last weekend, supermodel Naomi Campbell, already infamous for her temper tantrums around the world, was heard to say, “I am never flying Qantas again,” after her arrival in Sydney. There is no evidence that the airline mistreated her or did anything improper. In fact, from Miss Campbell’s track record, we’d…
On Friday, the United Kingdom relaxed their restrictive baggage rules that limited the size of carry-on luggage. The new policy brings them back in line with the standard policy, a standard-sized roller bag. The dimensions as per the BAA Hearthrow website are 56cm by 45cm by 25cm(9.85 by 17.85 by 22 inches). Musical instruments may…
TSA Screeners at Baltimore-Washington International Airport discovered a gun in a carry-on bag Friday morning. While officials held onto the carryon, the owner continued through the checkpoint and disappeared. He could not be located. Concourses A and B were closed for ninety minutes and all passengers were required to be rescreened. It makes us feel…
The British Department for Transport, Reuters says, still hopes to announce changes to their stricter rules on carry-on luggage this week. However, other sources indicate that this is not likely as they are likely to do anything until later in the month. On September 27th, aviation experts are set to review European Union proposals for…
The Associated Press reports an Air India flight from Toronto back to India via Birmingham, England returned to Toronto an hour into its flight after a passenger found a suspicious package was found in one of the lavatories. Packages on Air India flights are of particular concern. A bomb exploded on an Air India flight…
Ben Murtzabaugh at Today in the Sky reported earlier today that a passenger named Mark Coshever was able to board a London to Amsterdam flight using his two-year old daughter’s passport for ID. Despite going through two passport checks at Luton Airport in London, he boarded Easyjet and was in Amsterdam before he noticed the…
We came across this item from last week on a blog entitled Six Kids and a Full Time Job. The author has noticed ads on the bottom of security bins. Already, we posted on the subject of confiscated items being sold on Ebay and at auction. Now, ad revenue from security checkpoints. As more and…
The New York Daily News reports that during last month’s terror alert in the United Kingdom, author J.K. Rowling was not forced to check all of her belongings as her fellow passengers were. They were only allowed to carry their essential ID, medications, and keys. Rowling, author of the popular Harry Potter series of books,…
Recently, Mary Jo Manzaneres of Fly Away Cafe, caught our attention while commenting on our post on a United Flight Diversion. She is a Flight Attendant and her blog is not just about air travel, our focus, but places to go on the ground as well. In a post earlier, she reports on Miami International…
The Associated Press reports a passenger on United Flight 890 Tuesday night from Los Angeles to Washington Dulles tried to open the door of the aircraft and had to be restrained by other passengers and air marshals. Unlike some previous cases, after the passenger was subdued, the plane did continue on to Dulles. Airport police…
When the ban on liquids and gels came out, we wondered what ever had happened to tooth powder and if it would make a comeback. Some research indicated Arm and Hammer had discontinued a tooth powder product not long before due to lack of sales. Yesterday, Harriet Baskas of USA Today commented on alternatives for…
We have been focusing a lot on security issues of late, considering how much they concern everyone. But we fear we have been neglecting the more significant thrusts of airlines, fares, and overall smart travel. We will be attempting to focus more on that in the coming days.
We regularly check in with the Upgrade Travel Blog. In their post yesterday, entitled Come Fly the Safety Skies, they ponder the idea of an airline that puts safety first. With our recent posts on security measures and hijack-proof aircraft, we thought we would ponder this seriously, although perhaps to a bit of an extreme.…
Bruce Schneier, the security expert we referenced in a post earlier today, was one of several experts asked by the New York Times op-ed section along with other experts to explain the major reason why the United States hasn’t suffered a major attack since 2001 and what recommendations they would have for avoiding attacks in…
The Boston Globe reports that an antiterrorism drill went awry Wednesday night. In a training exercise at Boston’s Logan Airport, the State Police hid 8 ounces of plastic explosive on the rear bumper of a Massport pickup truck to test bomb-sniffing dogs and handlers. However, a Massport employee, unaware of the drill, moved the truck…
A suspicious package was found around 8:30AM local time Monday morning inside a rental lot across from the terminal at Long Beach Airport. The investigate shut down the terminal until members of the LA County Sheriff’s department Bomb Squad detonated the package, described as a carrying case, about two hours later. About eight departures were…
A United Airlines flight from Atlanta to San Francisco was diverted to Dallas after finding an unclaimed Blackberry on board. According to a TSA spokesman, it was diverted “out of an abundance of caution.” In simple layman’s terms…that is called overreacting. Authorities didn’t send military fighter aircraft to escort the plane down, as the Associated…
Trials have begun on the first hijack-proof airplane. The plans are being developed in Europe by a consortium of interests including French-based Airbus. The Project, called Security of Aircraft in the Future European in the Future European Environment(We assume that is to form the acronym SAFE). This new aircraft supposedly would include microphones that will…
Mohammed Ghanem, a legal permanant resident of the US and a native of Yemen, was stopped on Thursday, the Detroit Free Press reports, with a knife hidden in a phone book. The inside of the book had been carved out, and the knife was inside. Despite that, his lawyer, who spoke with the Detroit Free…
Vnunet.com reports that scientists at University College London are developing a system called Optag, that combines RFID tags and closed-caption tv cameras to track passenger movements in busy airports. The system will work by placing these tags on boarding passes. While the possible benefits are many…passengers who are late for their flights can be located,…
CBC News reports that on Friday, a passenger on an Air Canada flight from Montreal to New York City was removed from a flight for prayer. Some fellow passengers wonder why the man, an Orthodox Jew, was removed. He was moving back and forth and his prayers were not audible, but apparently they received more…