Category Archives for Airports.
A federal judge blocked DHS from trying—again—to void the TSA’s union contract, ruling the agency can’t sidestep a prior injunction by issuing a “new” justification for the same outcome. The decision keeps the 2024 collective bargaining agreement in force and preserves workers’ grievance and arbitration rights while the case continues.
Chicago is exploring selling sponsorships and naming rights across O’Hare and Midway—everything from terminals and people-mover stations down to restrooms, trash cans, and pet relief areas. A new RFI asks brands what they’d pay for and how they’d activate it, as the city looks for ways to offset major expansion costs—while keeping the O’Hare and Midway names themselves off the table.
A Minneapolis airport employee says ICE agents will be “checking and verifying documents” for the next three weeks, including patrolling jet bridges at the gates. It’s a post-security choke point that makes it easy to intercept travelers right before boarding or immediately after landing—and it raises serious questions about how this overlaps with the right to travel, especially for citizens and lawful residents who can still get caught up in enforcement mistakes.
fter her Global Entry was suddenly revoked, a woman says the government “erased” her — because when she tried to renew her U.S. passport online, the system allegedly returned a message saying no record of her identity could be found. Her congressional office is now trying to get answers.
United and American are bringing Embraer E175 service to Carlsbad, and the local response is the most California thing imaginable: lawsuits demanding a land-use veto and CEQA review. Federal law makes it nearly impossible to block airline service at a public use airport, but that won’t stop activists and city hall from making it expensive and annoying anyway.
Airlines and airports tell you to arrive at the airport 2 hours in advance for a domestic flight and 3 hours in advance for an international flight. And then during peak times they warn you to show up even earlier than that. This is insane.
A viral video from Kansas City International shows a Southwest gate confrontation escalating fast—until other passengers step in to separate people and escort the man away from the counter – weirdly dependent on bystanders instead of security.
A viral video shows a passenger collecting and stacking TSA bins after screening — and it’s reignited an airport etiquette fight. Some checkpoints expect you to bus your own tray, others tell passengers to leave them alone, and the germ factor makes the “helpful” move less appealing than it sounds.
An airline wanted $100 to check his bag, and a Danish traveler returning to Spain after a three-month vacation in Mexico didn’t have it — so he settled into Mérida’s airport and effectively made it his home. Trying to reach Havana for a separate ticket to Madrid he says expires January 11, he became a quiet fixture in the terminal until staff started calling him the “Danish Tom Hanks.”
Millions have watched the same gut-punch: a checked suitcase rolls onto the baggage claim carousel already popped open, dumping clothes out in public while everyone stares. It’s a perfect illustration of why checking bags is a time tax and a trust exercise you usually lose—so pack lighter, keep what matters with you, and treat anything you do check as disposable.
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 »
