In the spirit of Snack Saturday, here are two short videos that feature Lindt chocolate, tennis star Roger Federer and a pair of take charge TSA officers who get exactly what they want. Be sure to watch the longer, behind the scenes version as well.
Here’s the “making of” version. Officers claim chocolate balls are on the “No Fly” list.
Getting to the airport, going through the security line, and waiting with a herd of other travelers to board a plane takes all the fun of out of air travel, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t you rather get right to the thrilling part – flying?
For a story that went live on Bing Travel today, I found 10 small airports and flying experiences where you get to skip the TSA routine. Here are a few photos we didn’t get to use in Easy Flier: 10 Airports that Reduce the Hassle.
For a tiny airport, the New Bedford Regional Airport in Massachusetts offers some surprising options.
(Courtesy Greg Cormier)
The only Ben & Jerry’s ice cream vending machine at an airport is located here, along with the Airport Grille, which has a pretty snazzy logo and, we hear, great food. Learn about the airport’s candy-blue chairs and the routes-served here.
At the Rotorua Airport in New Zealand, you can usually skip security screening if you’re flying on a regional jet with fewer than 90 passengers. So you can spend your time instead learning about the life of Rotorua-born aviatrix Jean Gardner Batten and getting your picture taken with one of the 10 6-foot tall Maori-style carvings in the terminal.
The Easy Flier slide show has more information about 10 small “no-hassle” airports and flying experiences, including the King County International Airport/Boeing Field in Seattle, the Trail Regional Airport in Trail, British Columbia, which doubles as the clubhouse of a local flying club, and the Lake Hood Seaplane Base in Anchorage, AK.
Have a favorite small “no-hassle” airport? Share details of your find here.
The opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics are just around the corner, and final details are hurriedly being worked out and set in place in downtown Vancouver, up at Whistler and at various venues and attractions throughout the region.
It’s particularly exciting out at the airport.
Vancouver International Airport will be the first stop for more than 230,000 Olympics-bound athletes, officials, coaches, support teams and out-of-town visitors, and it is taking its role as the city’s front door very seriously.
Vancouver International Airport officials have been traveling to other Games to get a first-hand view of how airports handled the onslaught of athletes and spectators. And the airport prep team has gathered tips and advice from airport officials in Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens and other cities that have hosted previous Olympics events.
Find out what Vancouver Airport learned about selling souvenirs, security, and how to handle the biggest Olympics travel day – the day after the closing ceremonies, when everyone tries to go home – in my column Vancouver Airport puts on its Games Face, on MSNBC.com.
Late Thursday afternoon (January 14, 2010) Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano released a(nother) new statement about additional aviation security precautions being rolled out at the nation’s airports.
What will those new precautions entail?
According to Napolitano’s statement, “…Some of these measures include enhanced random screening, additional federal air marshals on certain routes and adding individuals of concern to our terrorist watch list system.”
None of that sounds all that new. But on the ground, says a TSA spokesperson, that means that, depending on what airport you’re in, you might notice “an increase in measures such as…behavioral detection officers and a wider use of tools like explosive trace detection. Not just at the checkpoint but throughout the airport environment.”
The bottom line, says Napolitano: “…travelers should allot extra time when flying…”
Allotting extra time, of course, means getting to the airport even earlier than you do now.
But even with all these new procedures, it’s a fair bet that your trip through the security checkpoint will go smoothly and you’ll end up just hanging around the airport waiting for your flight.
If you’re at Miami International Airport (MIA) this Saturday, January 16th, you can spend that extra time watching a fashion show in the Central Terminal (On Departure Level, Terminal G by the $10 Boutique).
The show will last for an hour, from 1:30 to 2:30, and feature women’s, men’s and children’s clothing and accessories from a variety of airport vendors. There will also be sampling of Toblerone chocolate, and a performance by Venezuelan composer, producer and singer Claudio Corsi, who now lives in the Miami area.
Not planning on being at Miami International Airport this Saturday? If you’re across country at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), you can fritter away a few extra hours playing pinball – for free.
The free pinball machines are part of SFO’s exhibit about the history of pinball that will be on view through April 2010.
I spent much of the day yesterday writing a column for MSNBC.com about the pros and cons of airport body scanners.
That column, which posts Thursday, January 14th, 2010, focuses on some of the privacy issues surrounding the “virtual strip search” aspect of these machines.
I didn’t have room for in the story for the comments of airport terminal planner and designer, Pat Askew, from Perkins+Will.
We don’t think of it right away, but Askew points out that these big, expensive body scanner machines will not only change the TSA procedures, but also have an impact on the look and layout of present – and future – airport terminals.
Askew says:
So next time you’re Stuck at the Airport, take a good look around. That great piece of public art in the terminal may soon need to make way for a hulking piece of security equipment.
As this New York Times article describes, the new era of security at airports is all about contradictions, confusion and delays.
Also this week, bad weather in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast, and in Europe, is forcing airlines to cancel flights and strand passengers at airports.
If that’s not bad enough, today a few “unruly” passengers forced a few airplanes to turn around. The most serious incident took place on a Portland to Hawaii-bound flight when, according to the TSA spokesperson, “a suspicious passenger” made threatening remarks and refused to store his carry-on bag. Two military fighter jets were called out to escort that plane back to the airport.
So while I really wanted to ignore the story about today’s “Chihuahua lift” I just can’t. We need a break.
Here, then, is a photo that shows a few of the fifteen Chihuahua pups Virgin America flew for free from California – where there seem to be just too many Chihuahuas – to New York City, where there are, evidently not enough. The New York American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has promised to find the wee pups good homes.
(Photo courtesy Virgin America, Bob Riha, Jr.)
Just nine days after a failed terrorist attack on a Detroit-bound plane, and on the day that the TSA issues yet another new set of security directives for flights to the United States, comes news of a lock-down in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Sunday evening, January 3, 2010, a man walked into a secure area at the airport, triggering a terminal-wide lockdown, grounding outgoing planes and forcing thousands of passengers to wait hours for re-screening. The Star Ledger’s article about the incident has a great slide-show showing scenes of how miserable passengers were during the ensuing re-screening process, but this YouTube video shows that there were a few light moments.
Last week’s fizzled Christmas Day terrorist attack on Delta/NW Flight #253 from Amsterdam to Detroit ignited a wave of new security measures at airports and on airplanes.
Airport and airline spokespeople and TSA officials say domestic passengers will likely notice some heightened security procedures, such as explosive-sniffing dogs and added law enforcement presence at many domestic airports.
Travelers on US-bound flights, though, will be notice significant changes.
Under rules rushed out over the weekend, passengers boarding flights heading to the United States will be subject to pat-downs and bag searches at the gate. During their flight, passengers will be required to put away personal items and stay in their seats for the final hour of flight.
The TSA posted a very general description of the new rules. More specifics were posted on various airport and airline Web sites and detailed in a memo that some airlines shared with bloggers over the weekend.
Bottom line:
While everyone gets used to the new regulations, get to the airport early. Really early.
If you’re flying internationally to the United States, be prepared for an extra pat down and bag check at the gate. And pack carefully: you’ll only be allowed one small – very small – carry-on bag.
It’s a good bet that airlines, airports and the TSA will make some changes to rules and procedures starting today, so keep an eye on the news, airline and airport Web sites, and the TSA.gov site.
Rules are already changing:
Last night Canada’s WestJet announced that it would no longer accept roller bags or larger backpacks as carry-on luggage. And this morning American Airlines announced that, due to the long lines and confusion over the new rules, for the next few days the airline will waive change fees for passengers traveling from Canada to the United States. Other airlines will probably do the same.
Here’s a link to the story on the new rules I wrote for MSNBC.com.
Please share your stories about your travel experiences this past weekend and let us know what you see happening if you end up stuck at the airport.
According this New York Post article, last Friday, on the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Port Authority officials at New York’s La Guardia airport arrested a 40-year old man who was catching a Delta flight to Atlanta while packing a fully loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun in his carry-on bag.
Security officials reported that the man said he “simply forgot” the weapon was in his bag.
Scary? Yes. Surprising? Probably not for the folks who work security at those airports. The article includes a description of some of the other stuff snagged at the security checkpoints at New York’s LaGuardia and JFK airports, and at the Newark Liberty International Airport.
“The tonnage at Newark this year has included 12,302 flammable objects; and 43 travelers were stopped for trying to carry explosives.
At JFK, 1,328 tools were intercepted, and at La Guardia, 9,365 knives and blades were discovered in clothing and in carry-on bags.
Since January, 122 passengers at all three airports were stopped for carrying ammunition and gunpowder as they tried to board planes; 338 passengers were armed with bats, clubs and bludgeons; and travelers carried 1,602 knives and blades longer than three inches.”
Next time you’re asked (told) to take your shoes off at an airport security checkpoint, don’t put them in a bin; put them directly on the X-ray belt.
According to “Lynn” on the TSA’s Evolution of Security Web Site:
This will help to declutter bins and give officers a better view of shoes coming through, as well as everything else. Our officers are seeing some pretty packed bins with shoes, electronics, wallets and other items, and when they can’t get a good look, a cluttered bin is more likely to get pulled aside for additional screening. Nobody likes that.
No, nobody likes that. And I’ve never liked the idea that shoes went in the same bins as all our other stuff anyway. So while it may help de-clutter the bins, it will also help de-germ them.