Airports

Category Archives for Airports.

Expect REAL ID To Be Delayed “Due To Coronavirus”

by Gary Leff on March 18, 2020

Mar 18 2020

The TSA has been saying that starting October 1, 2020 they are only going to accept IDs at security checkpoints that are compliant with a 2005 law that’s been getting kicked down the road for years. There are still a few states that aren’t issuing these IDs, and many people in states that are haven’t replaced their drivers licenses with new ones.

The prospect of turning away passengers from flying en masse never seemed plausible one month before the Presidential election. The October 1, 2020 deadline, which has been pushed off for years, inevitably will be pushed off again.

Now, with coronavirus, we know what excuse the Department of Homeland Security is likely to use.

Airport Immigration Insanity: We’re Cramming Everyone Together Body-To-Body

by Gary Leff on March 15, 2020

Mar 15 2020

The U.S. is limiting international travel and funneling it through a limited set of airports. That’s supposed to allow them to screen passengers better entering the country. Here the government is failing and making things worse.

The virus is already here and spreading. We don’t know how badly because we are keeping out foreign tests. Our solution to that appears to be keeping out foreigners and forcing everyone in close proximity to each other to encourage spread.

You Can Now Bring More Than 3 Ounces Of Hand Sanitizer Through TSA Checkpoints

by Gary Leff on March 14, 2020

Mar 14 2020

The TSA has relaxed its liquid ban to allow up passengers to bring up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer through security checkpoints, rather than the 3.4 ounces they typically permit.

Of course the larger limit for hand sanitizer calls into question why other liquids remain limited.

LAX Will Allow Taxis – But Not Uber – To Pick Up Curbside Again

by Gary Leff on March 6, 2020

Mar 06 2020

Last fall LAX banned taxis and ridesharing services from picking up passengers curbside. Passengers were bused to an off airport lot where they’d meet their ride. (The lot is actually an easy walk from the Southwest terminal 1.)

Initially after banning curbside pickups chaos ensued but after enlarging the lot and getting better signage the process wound up being merely inconvenient.

How’s This For A Creepy Tweet From TSA?

by Gary Leff on March 4, 2020

Mar 04 2020

The TSA responded to one of my tweets, divulging personal information about me, and it’s a reminder of how much freedom we’ve given up in the name of a false sense of security.

After More Than Two Decades Berlin’s New Airport Is Ready, And Lufthansa’s Move-in Plans Were Leaked

by Gary Leff on March 3, 2020

Mar 03 2020

In 1989 David Hasselhof stood atop the Berlin Wall belting out “Looking for Freedom.” Less than a year later East Germans were finally free.

Thirty one years after David Hasselhof stood between East and West Berlin the East’s old airport may finally be freed as the new Berlin Brandenburg airport, replacing Berlin Tegel. It’s a costly reminder of East German-style planning.

Passenger Flew Back From China To An Unapproved Airport, Skipping Over Extra Screening

by Gary Leff on March 1, 2020

Mar 01 2020

It turns out that the quarantine system that’s set up for arriving passengers from China has a loophole: not starting the air portion of the trip on the mainland and transiting an airport with U.S. immigration pre-clearance.

LA Wants To Give Priority Security To People Who Ride Public Transit. That’s Silly.

by Gary Leff on February 27, 2020

Feb 27 2020

Los Angeles is is considering letting people who take public transit to the airport have priority security. This isn’t PreCheck or CLEAR, just priority line access for the regular security queue, and follows a program at Boston Logan for people who take a shuttle bus or ferry to the airport.

Priority security isn’t actually free, in other words it isn’t costless. “When everybody’s priority, nobody is.” Grant everyone priority and they’re behind everyone else who is also priority that got there first.

18 College Students Chipped In To Buy One Airline Ticket In The Ultimate Chick-Fil-A Run

by Gary Leff on February 26, 2020

Feb 26 2020

Students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York all chipped in to buy an airline ticket they didn’t intend to use, just so one member of the group could get past security at the Albany airport. The group decided they all wanted Chick-fil-A but outside of the airport location the nearest one was an hour and a half’s drive away.

Instead of making a three hour roundtrip, 18 members of the school’s cross country and track and field teams chipped in $5.50 apiece for a $98 one-way from Albany to Fort Lauderdale, the cheapest fare they could find at the last minute. They sent team captain Vincent Putrino to the airport.

Priority Pass App Will Soon Let You Order Food And Buy Duty Free

by Gary Leff on February 22, 2020

Feb 22 2020

Wouldn’t it be great to pick up pre-ordered food nearby the lounge you’re headed to and get a discount on the meal?

Bringing more airport vendors on the platform means better customer data – with a broader view and greater understanding of each customer, in order to better tailor offers that move the needle on sales – and cross-marketing to existing customers.