From the TSA employee mocked by his co-workers for his teeny weeny to the Heathrow employee harassed for her ample bosom, full-body airport scanners are responsible for their fair share of controversy. Now the travel-writin’ folks at Jaunted have stumbled across a new invention that claims to end such troubles by slapping stickers on your most private bits. [More]
TSA
TSA App Tells You How Long You Will Have To Stare At Other People's Luggage
By 7.16.10
Wondering how long you’ll be standing in the security line, staring at other people’s luggage choices? The TSA has an app for you that relies on crowd-sourced data to give you estimated wait times at a variety of airports. [More]
Like Pizza? Maybe You Should Work For The TSA
By 7.13.10
One would think that in these tough economic times, placing a help-wanted ad in the paper or online would be sufficient for netting employers a pile of resumes. But the Transportation Safety Administration has decided to target a very specific demographic in the Washington, D.C., area — pizza eaters. [More]
Science Behind 'Lie To Me' May Be Questionable Even For TV Show Premise
By 6.7.10
Screening Passengers by Observation Technique or (SPOT) is a real, but apparently pseudo-scientific program run by the TSA that claims to train security personnel to detect tiny facial cues that will identify terrorists and other criminals as they pass through the airport. The trouble, it seems, is that the likelihood that all of this is a bunch of bs is rather high. [More]
Delta Flight Attendant Caught With Gun At Airport
By 6.5.10
It’s not just celebrities who get caught trying to bring firearms onto planes — it also happens to airline employees! Yesterday, a Delta flight attendant was arrested after a scan of her bag turned up a loaded handgun. [More]
Lady Enters Security With $24,000 Rolex, Leaves Without, Suit Alleges
By 5.25.10
A woman is suing the TSA after she says she was forced to take off her $24,000 Rolex to pass through security, and when she went to retrieve it, it had mysteriously vanished. [More]
What Happens If I Refuse The Full-Body Scan At The Airport?
By 5.4.10
Even as some question their effectiveness, the TSA continues to install controversial full-body scanners at airports. And while travelers have a legal right to opt for a pat-down instead of the scan, some say that option may not be any better. [More]
Full-Body Scanners Don't Work, Israeli Security Expert Says
By 4.30.10
The biggest reason not to implement full-body scanners in airports isn’t because it’s weird for the government to have a picture of you naked, it’s because they don’t work, says an Israeli airport security expert. [More]
JetBlue Charges You $105 For Extra Bags Unless You Produce Your Toddler For Inspection
By 4.8.10
This story has a happy ending, but its still somewhat baffling. Reader S. recently flew JetBlue with his wife and three small children. They had 4 tickets and 3 bags to check. JetBlue allows one checked bag per ticket. So, there should be no fees, right? Here’s where it gets complicated: S’s wife went through security with the children while he checked the bags. The agent said that despite the fact that he was traveling in a party of 4, the baggage agent had to personally see the family, toddler and all, or S. had to pay $105 in extra fees. [More]
America's Best Airports: Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul
By 2.24.10
J.D. Power and Associates has released rankings of U.S. airports based on a survey of 12,000 travelers last year, and Detroit’s decision to mesmerize travelers with colored light really paid off. You can check out the list here and sort the airports by overall satisfaction or by factors like the quality of check-in or baggage claim. [More]
TSA Makes Disabled Child Remove Leg Braces, Walk Through Metal Detector
By 2.18.10
The TSA forced a disabled 4-year old to get out of his stroller and remove his leg braces and walk unassisted through the metal director. After the humiliating and frightening incident, the boy’s father, a cop, told the supervisor, “This is overkill. He’s 4 years old. I don’t think he’s a terrorist.” It turns out that this didn’t even follow TSA policy, which would have allowed for the boy to be privately screened and swabbed for explosive material traces, without having to remove his braces.
Another case of TSA overkill [philly]
TSA Wants To Swab Your Hands For Bomb Juice
By 2.18.10
The new cool development in security technology is a portable bomb juice scanner that the TSA plans to begin using to detect traces of explosives on your hands. [More]
Snoozing TSA Worker Put On Desk Duty
By 1.28.10
The zzz-catching TSA guard we posted a picture of on Monday has been put on desk duty pending the results of an internal investigation, after someone forwarded the picture to the TSA. “We recognize that our officers have very demanding jobs that require constant vigilance and hours on their feet,” TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis told the NY Daily News. “But nonetheless, it was completely inappropriate for her to rest in a public area while on her break as opposed to a nearby break room.” [More]
This Contact Lens Solution Bottle Is A Little Misleading
By 1.28.10
Noah found a bottle of contact lens solution that proclaimed on its package that it’s small enough to comply with the TSA’s liquid rules. This would be great if the bottle were small enough to comply with the TSA’s liquid rules. [More]
TSA Takes A Nap
By 1.25.10
Being ineffectual is hard work. TSA nappy time! To sleep, perchance to dream of more hilarious pranks. ANIMAL’s Bucky Turco snapped this at New York’s LaGuardia airport. [More]
TSA Employee Thought It Would Be Hilarious To Plant Fake Drugs On You
By 1.21.10
So, a TSA employee allegedly planted a small bag of white powder in a college students carry-on, then pretended to “find it.” As a joke! Or something! He’s such a kidder! [More]
Security Breach At JFK Airport Leads To Delays, Evacuations
By 1.16.10
Thousands of passengers were evacuated from the American Airlines terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport after an unidentified person opened a door restricted to airline personnel and TSA officers. Like the Newark incident of a few weeks ago, the offender was caught on camera but has not yet been found. It remains unknown whether he was a criminal or a moron. [Reuters] [NYDN] (Thanks, GitEmSteveDave!) [More]
Menacing 8-Year-Old Is Repeatedly Frisked By TSA
By 1.14.10
Mikey Hicks has the same name as someone on the “selectee” list, a group of 13,500 names that trigger additional security measures at our nation’s airports. The TSA says it’s a “myth” that an 8-year-old is on a list and being frisked. His mother doesn’t agree. [More]
