Category Archives for Airports.
Scott Kirby argues that Newark needs slot controls to manage congestion, but slots are the wrong solution everywhere they’ve been imposed. They lock in incumbents, block competition, and do nothing to encourage airlines to spread demand or upgauge. Congestion pricing would solve the problem without giving away scarce access as a subsidy.
The administration is handing out $10,000 bonuses to air traffic controllers who showed up every day during the government shutdown, but many in the workforce say the move is tearing units apart and creating real safety risks. Controllers argue the policy rewards presenteeism, pressures sick staff to work, and undermines a system already stretched thin.
A viral proposal argues that planes should wait at the gate in a “virtual queue” instead of taxi-queuing for departure. But gate scarcity, runway-throughput requirements, and the need for a minimal physical queue mean the idea doesn’t match how airports actually operate.
TSA is rolling out a new “alternative identity verification” system for travelers who show up without acceptable ID — and it comes with an $18 non-refundable biometric fee. The agency says it can impose the charge without congressional approval by invoking authority meant for registered-traveler programs, a stretch far beyond what Congress intended.
A Delta passenger boarded a flight carrying a meat cleaver at Portland Airport, undetected by TSA screeners—who now blame inadequate training as staff still await paycheck backlogs from the recent government shutdown. Here’s exactly how the security lapse happened and what TSA says it plans to do next.
Tampa’s layout has three similarly oriented runways across the bay, and pilots have been mixing them up for decades. Modern navigation should prevent this, but visual approaches still depend on human pattern-matching—exactly where things went wrong here.
Los Angeles World Airports has approved $1.5 billion for a new 4.4-mile road into LAX — a per-mile price tag that’s several times higher than what similar highway or airport projects typically cost. The comparison with other U.S. airports makes one thing clear: this isn’t remotely normal.
Travelers at New York’s LaGuardia Airport spotted a tip box sitting on a TSA checkpoint table — something federal employees are strictly prohibited from soliciting or accepting. Cash tips violate federal ethics rules, TSA’s own code of conduct, and even criminal statutes governing gifts to government workers, making the setup flatly illegal.
More people are being kicked out of Global Entry than approved, and nearly 40% of those who challenge the decision get reinstated. DHS often won’t disclose the reason for a revocation, leaving travelers to appeal blind — and the high reversal rate suggests many removals never should have happened in the first place.
A new lawsuit argues that TSA’s ban on transgender screeners performing airport security pat-downs is unlawful, claiming it strips them of core job duties, blocks advancement, and violates Title VII. The case challenges whether TSA can exclude trans officers from pat-downs after years of allowing assignments based on gender identity.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
