Man with a bladder bag says a TSA patdown left him humiliated and soaked in urine. [MSNBC]
Video of frustrated father ripping shirt off shy son so TSA can complete search. [YouTube]
Video of 3-year old girl screaming and writhing during TSA patdown. Her teddy being taken away and going through the x-ray seemed to have set her off. [KGTV]
Airport opt-out day is imbecilic. [Slate]
TSA bumper stickers. “It’s not a grope, it’s a freedom pat.” [Althouse]
airlines
Your Morning Cup Of TSA Horror
By 11.22.10
Catch Up On All The TSA Story Madness
By 11.19.10
There has been quite the cubic ton of stories this past week or so written about the TSA security procedures, the backlash to them, and the backlash-backlash. It’s hard to keep up with them all. So, to keep you sounding smart and making up-to-the-minute references, security guru Bruce Schneier has a massive, yet accessible, link roundup. Keep those wingtips up! [More]
Jet Lag Can Make You Stupid
By 11.19.10
That fuzzy feeling you get when you cross several timezones? That’s you getting dumber. [More]
Enraged Passengers Refuse To Leave Plane
By 11.17.10
A group of French tourists refused to leave the plane for four hours after it landed in protest of how they were treated. [More]
Woman Says She Was Cuffed And Booted From Airport For Questioning Body Scanners
By 11.11.10
Meg McLain claims that the TSA ripped up her US Airways plane ticket and called police who restrained her in a chair, cuffed her, and escorted her out of the airport after she opted out of the backscatter can. Her radio interview describing the incident is at 390,000 hits and growing, and the TSA has posted CCTV of the incident on their blog. [More]
In UK, If You Opt Out Of Body Scanners, You Don't Fly
By 11.10.10
For all the scuttlebutt about full-body scanners and pat downs at the airport, at least we have a choice between the TSA seeing our privates or grazing their fingers across them. In the UK, if you decline the backscatter, you don’t get to fly. [More]
TSA Officer Pretended To Find Cocaine In Flyers' Bags
By 11.3.10
The Smoking Gun has procured internal TSA memos about the security officer who was fired after pulling jokes on travelers by pretending to find cocaine in their luggage. [More]
TSA Pat-Down Feels Up Your Crotch Until It Meets Resistance
By 11.1.10
“We have to search up your thighs and between your legs until we meet resistance,” the TSA officer told Atlantic reporter after he declined a back-scatter. “Resistance?” asked the reporter. “Your testicles,” explained the officer. [More]
Travel When Others Don't To Save Big
By 10.31.10
It pays to be original when dreaming up your vacation plans, because if everyone else has the same idea as you, you’re sure to be paying the highest rates possible for travel, accommodations and attractions. [More]
AirTran Forgets To Tell Your Disabled Mom That Her Tickets Are Standby
By 10.27.10
Kym’s disabled mother was going to move in with her a few weeks ago. She purchased tickets for her mother and four nieces to fly to Kym’s city from a major hub airport about two hours away from their town. Instead of getting on their flight, the family ended up stuck in the airport for six hours, then had to hire a car service to drive them back home. What happened? Garden-variety airline delay? No, Kym writes: AAA sold her sister standby tickets without letting her know. The stress of the experience has affected Kym’s mother so much that she still hasn’t been able to make the flight. [More]
iPad Gets Guy On No-Fly List
By 10.26.10
When the flight attendants ask you to turn off all your electronic devices, that includes you, Mr. Cool iPad guy. [More]
TSA Screener Stole Up To $700 A Day From Passengers
By 10.20.10
A Newark Airport TSA security screening supervisor was arrested by federal authorities for stealing cash from passenger’s carry-on bags. [More]
Steven Slater Pleads Guilty
By 10.19.10
Ex-JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater plead guilty today to one felony attempted criminal mischief, one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief, and one count of aggravated awesomeness. [More]
Airlines Want Air Marshals To Stop Flying First Class
By 10.19.10
The airlines are fed up with with seeing armed air marshals taking up free seats in first class. A trade group representing the major U.S. carriers has asked the Federal Air Marshals Service to consider putting their agents in coach. [More]
Pilots Confess: We're Tired, Hungry & Just As Confused As You
By 10.18.10
For many of us who travel on planes, believing the pilots are well-fed and rested is a necessity. But according to some of the industry secrets that airline pilots have divulged to the editors of Reader’s Digest, the men and women behind the controls are — for better or worse — just like the rest of us. [More]
Southwest Finishes Dead Last In On-Time Arrivals
By 10.13.10
Among the biggest domestic carriers, Southwest finished at the bottom of the heap in on-time arrivals for September, according to Flightstats. This is surprising as the carrier usually performs well. Here are the overall rankings for the big birds: [More]
Know What The Letter Codes On Your Airline Ticket Mean
By 9.29.10
Embedded in the gobbledygook of letters and numbers on your airline ticket is a secret letter code that lets airline personnel know what kind of passenger you are and what you paid for your ticket. They can use these to quickly determine whether you should be the first or the last to get bumped, and whether you can get a seat upgrade. Here’s a quick guide to deciphering what the letter abbreviations on your airline ticket mean. Find out why “Y” gets the perks and “Q” gets the shaft. [More]
What Does Southwest Buying Air-Tran Mean For Consumers?
By 9.27.10
So, what are the consumer repercussions of the surprise acquisition of AirTran by fellow low-fare airline Southwest? Airfarewatchdog‘s George Hobica is worried that fewer competitors, especially at this price point, will mean that Southwest and other airlines will have less pressure to keep fares low. He also expects more mergers on the horizon. [More]
