Smoke in the cabin of a passenger airplane is a scary prospect. That’s why a plane heading from Munich, Germany to Washington Dulles International Airport made an emergency landing at Boston’s Logan Airport instead: There was smoke pouring from the plane’s galley… which may or may not have actually been caused by a fire. [More]
airports
If You’re Flying To The U.S. This Week, Be Prepared For Delays, New Security Measures
By 10.25.17
In June, the Department of Homeland Security gave an ultimatum to airports around the world: Beef up your security or face a ban on carry-on electronics on flights heading to America. Tomorrow is the deadline for those advanced security measures to be in place, so U.S.-bound travelers should prepare themselves accordingly. [More]
TSA Approves Faster Airport Baggage Scanners
By 9.15.17
No matter how well you prepare for airport security — wearing belt-less pants and slip-on shoes, knowing exactly how to stand when it’s your turn — you may still end up waiting because your carry-on hasn’t finished its trip through the baggage scanner. That may soon improve, now that the Transportation Security Administration has approved new, faster scanners for use at airport checkpoints.
[More]
Governor Asks State AG To Sue Feds Over Airport Noise
By 9.13.17
While it’s convenient to live near the airport when it comes time to take a trip, it’s not always ideal for folks who have to deal with the noise of planes flying overhead day in and day out. That’s why Maryland’s governor is urging his state to sue the federal government: Airport traffic is making the state’s residents miserable. [More]
Irma Continues To Snarl Travel As It Heads To Georgia, South Carolina
By 9.11.17
Although Irma has now been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, it’s still got plenty of juice in it as it continues to rage in Florida and move towards Georgia and South Carolina. And that means trouble may still be tricky in the coming days, as some airports remain closed and airlines cancel hundreds of flights. [More]
Southwest Airlines Flies 500 Stranded Passengers Out Of Airport Closed By Hurricane
By 8.28.17
With the arrival of Hurricane Harvey in Texas this weekend, hundreds of Southwest Airlines customers were stranded on Sunday after Houston Hobby Airport closed — so the airline decided to just fly those folks out of there. [More]
Sewage Leak Splashes Hundreds Of Checked Bags At Nashville Airport
By 8.4.17
Yesterday morning, water from a restroom directly above the baggage handling area at Nashville’s airport leaked through the floor and onto hundreds of bags below. While the water came from a plugged toilet, officials treated it as sewage, and removed 380 bags from Southwest flights that were on the carousel to check for, um, dampness. [More]
American Airlines Strands Reporter At Airport For 24 Hours, Forcing Her To Subsist On Soft Pretzels & Licorice
By 8.3.17
In what sounds like a terrible idea for a Chopped spinoff, a reporter says she’s had to subsist on a diet consisting solely of snack food after various American Airlines delays trapped her at the airport for more than 24 hours. [More]
Airport Employee Punches Passenger Holding Baby Because We Live In A Cruel And Absurd Universe
By 7.31.17
As Dostoyevsky wrote, a beast can never be so cruel as a man, so artistically cruel, so it’s of little surprise that a random airport worker lashed out with his fist at a passenger — a traveler who was not only holding an infant in his arms at the time, but who had languished for some 13 hours while waiting for his repeatedly delayed flight. [More]
Delta Enters Next Phase Of Testing Fingerprints As Boarding Passes
By 7.21.17
Back in May, Delta announced that it would test allowing a subgroup of passengers to access its Sky Club lounge at Reagan National Airport using only a fingerprint. That test was apparently successful, and now the airline will begin allowing that same group of passengers to actually board the aircraft using their fingerprint instead of a boarding pass. [More]
Flying From Mexico To The U.S.? Here’s What You Need To Know About New Laptop Rules
By 7.19.17
Although the U.S. has lifted the laptop ban on all foreign airlines it put in place in March, travelers flying here from Mexico with such large electronic devices will get their chance to grumble over new, longer security checks. [More]
Italian Airport Makes Exception To Liquid Limits For Pesto Sauce
By 6.22.17
It may come as no surprise that deep in the heart of pasta country, officials at the airport in Genoa, Italy, are offering a special culinary dispensation to anyone traveling with the city’s famed pesto sauce. [More]
JetBlue Hopes Facial Recognition Tech Can Speed Up Boarding At The Gate
By 5.31.17
For some flights, you’ll spend more time in line at the airport than you will in the air. Checking your bags, going through security, then boarding at the gate (not to mention the idle time spent in the jet’s aisle while the people in front of you invariably stow their over-large rolling suitcases improperly in the overhead bins and then remember they have to get something from that bag). JetBlue is hoping that using facial recognition technology can speed up at least one portion of this process. [More]
United Airlines Opening Fully Automated Airport Screening Lanes
By 3.22.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
In an effort to ease congestion at security checkpoints — like last year’s unholy traffic jams during the busiest season for travel — United Airlines has outfitted an entire airport terminal in New Jersey with automated screening lanes. [More]
Airport Hopes A Continuous Stream of G-Rated Short Films Will Soothe Your Existential Dread
By 3.9.17
Sometimes you don’t have the energy or the funds to saddle up to an airport bar during your layover or flight delay. If you’re traveling through Oregon’s Portland International Airport you now have another option: hitting the mini-movie theater. [More]
TSA Introducing New, More Invasive Pat-Down Method
By 3.6.17
The next time you go through a pat-down at airport security, things might be a bit different: The Transportation Security Administration has a new, more invasive pat-down procedure that some travelers might find unusual. To that end, the agency is warning local police departments that they may see an uptick in reports related to these up close and personal examinations. [More]
Airport Worker Accused Of Stealing Guns From Travelers, Trading Them For Pot
By 3.2.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Whenever you check your bag before a flight, you’re putting a high degree of trust in airport staff that they won’t help themselves to the things inside. Yet another baggage handler has been accused of violating that trust, allegedly stealing guns out of travelers’ bags to trade for drugs. [More]
China Now Taking Fingerprints Of All Foreign Visitors
By 2.9.17
Heading to China soon? Be prepared to have your fingerprints taken when you arrive, as part of the country’s efforts to boost security at its borders. [More]
