Category Archives for Airports.
I have to admit I’ve never been inside an airport chapel. I walk right past them. I’ve read plenty of articles suggesting that they’re peaceful refuges in crowded airports, a place of peace and quiet to relax religion aside. And I suppose that at least usually the case. But I’ve always felt strange just walking in.
A woman skipped the TSA ID checker at the Nashville airport, since she didn’t have a boarding pass to fly that day. She went through regular screening, and proceeded to an American Airlines gate – where she got on a flight to Los Angeles without a boarding pass.
Southwest has a government-granted near monopoly at Dallas Love Field airport. The airline, which fought tooth and nail for the right to be allowed to fly there as an upstart, and now uses the machinations of government to keep out competitors. With only two gates at the airport usable by competitors, no one can build a customer base to make flights work.
Congressman Matt Gaetz was stopped at a Dallas – Fort Worth airport TSA checkpoint, where he was found to be carrying a taser. He said he forgot he had it on him, and it was taken and thrown away.
According to the Congressman, he “thanked the TSA agent who found it” and then he gratuitously (and perhaps rather creatively) adds that the TSA screener gave him a “first bump” and told him “to secure the border.” and that he was carrying the TSA because he “can’t afford to hire Cori Bush’s husband.”
On Saturday I wrote that Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is proposing legislation to give “lawmakers a dedicated security escort at airports, along with expedited screening outside of public view.”
He’s succeeded in attaching this benefit as a rider to the Senate’s FAA Reauthorization bill.
Actor and television writer Kylie Brakeman undertook a project to better understand airport concessions prices. She settled on Chex Mix, and crowdsourced pricing from around the internet. People submitted photos and other reports of the prices they’d found, and she built a spreadsheet. What she found is amazing.
On Monday a naked man strolled through the Fort Lauderdale airport and proceeded up to TSA security screening.
This should be the easiest security screening of the week: no shoes to remove, no pockets to empty, and he’s obviously not concealing hidden water anywhere. I’m not sure though if he just wants to avoid a pat down, or he’s actually hoping for one?
There’s a piece of advice that gets shared regularly on social media, a travel “hack” for parents of young children, that says to just slip them onto your suitcase and roll them through the airport. Genius, right? So much easier than carrying the child, as well as your bags, after you’ve checked the stroller!
The FAA’s move towards diversity-oriented hiring practices for air traffic controllers raises concerns over industry impact, although it doesn’t appear to compromise safety.
Delta decided they needed to plant their flag in Austin, realized they needed a place to send planes in order to do so, and as an afterthought told Midland, Texas they’d be coming – only just before announcing it to the public.
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 »
