Will you be opting out this weekend?

Website Infowars.com has declared this Thanksgiving week as “Out Opt and Film Week,” similar to an opt-out protest held two years ago around TSA check-points at U.S. airports. To be honest, I hadn’t heard about this protest until I read about from Christopher Elliott’s post at Huffington Post. I know why people want to opt …

Continue reading ‘Will you be opting out this weekend?’ »

November 24 is National Opt-Out Day

Are you uncomfortable with the thought of having a “naked picture” of yourself visible to airport security? Are you worried about the radiation exposure you get from the full-body scans, like a lot of airline pilots are? Do you think a full-body scan using advanced imaging technology is breaching your privacy? Do you think that …

Continue reading ‘November 24 is National Opt-Out Day’ »

Post-December 25 air travel

Stuff is flying (and I don’t mean airplanes) since the foiled bomb attack by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Northwest Airlines flight 253, specifically on how the government and airlines are reacting. The Transportation Security Administration under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security umbrella issued Security Directive SD 1544-09-06, which it sent to all airlines and …

Continue reading ‘Post-December 25 air travel’ »

How to get through airport security smoothly

Maybe you do most of your travels by car, or you’ve just never had the chance to fly before. As much as I’ve flown, I still get little baby butterflies (hmm… caterpillars?) in my stomach right as we take off. I know it’s all physics and engineering, and that it’s safer to fly than it …

Continue reading ‘How to get through airport security smoothly’ »

Heavy Metal: Airport security and body piercing jewelry

Let’s talk about body piercings today. No no, don’t run away. If you don’t have any, read on with morbid curiosity. If you have them, please stay, because this affects you directly as it relates to going through airport security. Do you wear body jewelry in private places and you’re worried that you may set …

Continue reading ‘Heavy Metal: Airport security and body piercing jewelry’ »

Clear Pass Going Bye-Bye

In case you hadn’t heard, the Clear Pass system (which I’ve mentioned before) is going bye-bye. If you go to FlyClear.com right now, you see the following message: Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available. At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been …

Continue reading ‘Clear Pass Going Bye-Bye’ »

Just how light is “ultra-light luggage,” anyway?

I opened my inbox this morning and discovered email from travel supplier Magellan’s (one of my favorite) with the following subject: “Ultra-Light Luggage! Check it in, or carry it on.” Ooooooh, I thought. Just what me and Virgin Atlantic check-in crew were looking for! I excitedly went to read the mailer, and I see that …

Continue reading ‘Just how light is “ultra-light luggage,” anyway?’ »