Bradley Gets Expert Security Lanes

Bradley International Airport has become the 51st airport in the country to set up self-select security lanes, Shawn R. Beals reports in The Courant.

It’s a good idea that seems to work in other places. People decide whether they’re expert travelers who can whip their shoes off and lay out their laptops in record time, casual travelers who need a little more time or family travelers who need to herd a passel of kids through the process.

When people make the right choices, it avoids the kind of scenes where angry business travelers get stuck behind ponderous vacationers. I once stood for what seemed like eons behind a couple at the airport in Honolulu as the man emptied out the vast contents of his pockets one object at a time, examining each one before he put it down in the basket. I thought the businessman behind me was going to have a stroke.

Me, I have expert credentials but a kind of casual mind. I can flake out pretty easily, even after years of doing the same drill. I might belong in that middle lane.

Thefts From Luggage: Yup, Still Happening

ABC News has a story, featuring an interview with an unnamed Continental Airlines employee in Houston, about baggage handlers stealing from luggage at airports.

The story cites the recent case at Bradley International and another in St. Louis where baggage handlers were charged with stealing items from passengers’ luggage. It goes on with some defensive comment from Continental about how uncommon this is, but it doesn’t really enlighten.

I don’t want to sound cynical, and I think it’s fine for ABC to warn travelers about this risk. But this has been happening for years. And it’s not about Continental or Bradley or St. Louis in particular.

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Real Air Marshals Boot Fake Air Marshal Off Flight

Here’s a tip: If you manage to get on a flight by flashing a fake police badge and claiming to be a federal air marshal but the real air marshals on the plane throw you off and, amazingly, don’t have you arrested, don’t go to an airport bar and start complaining about it. Apparently, it’s not a good strategy.

Angry Pilot Reportedly Drops Pants At Security Checkpoint

A Swiss International Airlines pilot got so infuriated at a security checkpoint a the London City Airport that he dropped his pants and demanded “‘Do you want to search this?”

At least that’s the story going around, picked up by the UPI from a story in The Sun newspaper and attributed to an unnamed source. The Sun said the pilot was detained and his flight canceled, but he was not arrested.

AirTran Proves You CAN Be Too Safe

The case of an extended family of nine being removed from an AirTran flight yesterday is not looking very good.

“It just so happened these people were of Muslim faith and appearance,” AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson told The Washington Post. That “just so happened” part isn’t ringing quite true because these things don’t ever seem to “just so happen” to people who don’t appear to be Muslim.

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Slow Security Lanes Open At Bradley

Of course, the TSA isn’t calling them slow lanes. They’re “family lanes.” And now Bradley has them, too.

Either way, it’s a good idea.

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Will Obama Make Us Friendlier To Foreign Tourists?

Britons encouraged by the election of Barack Obama are likely to visit the United States in “record numbers,” predicts The Daily Telegraph.

Obama is popular in Europe, and there seems to be hope that he will change the border security procedures that have discouraged foreign visitors. The Telegraph polled its readers and found 80 percent more willing to visit the United States since the presidential election.

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TSA Plans To Lift Liquids Restrictions

There have been some doubts about the restrictions on bringing liquids onto planes since the rules went into effect two years ago.

“We have to be willing to make these kinds of sacrifices if we’re going to prevent scientifically impossible terrorist attacks,” declared The Onion.

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Guns In Airports? Not Necessarily Illegal

The Associated Press, following up on a controversy in Georgia, reports that seven of the 20 busiest airports in the United States allow loaded guns outside of security checkpoints — provided they’re being carried legally.

Those airports, in case you’re packing, are: Philadelphia, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The issue came up when the Atlanta airport’s gun ban was challenged under a new state law allowing guns on public transportation.

Sleeping In Airports – It’s Not Just For Backpackers Anymore

Sleeping in airports is on the uptick, what with fully booked flights and airlines not making with the hotel vouchers, the New York Times reports.

The story features a guy who invented a little one-person tent for camping out at the gate.

I can see staying in an airport overnight. I just can’t see sleeping in one. All other considerations aside, what about the constant security announcements in U.S. airports?

I carry earplugs, but those announcements are so loud, I can hear them through the plugs. Besides, I’m not sure it would be wise to wear them while sleeping in a public place.

On top of that, I just need a bed, or at least an air mattress. I couldn’t even sleep at Schiphol, in Amsterdam, which is quiet and has comfortable lounge chairs.