Tag: AIRPORT

A new set of requirements handed down by the Federal Aviation Administration will overhaul the nation's air traffic control system within the next decade. According to an Associated Press report on CBS News, the FAA mandated that all aircraft and ground control must install and use GPS-tracking systems by 2020. It will cost $4 billion for the estimated 7,000 airliners and cargo planes plus more ...

After last week's attempted car bomb attack in Times Square, terrorism is once again on everybody's lips, and national security forces are once again on high alert. In other words, it's probably not the best time to wander onto a plane with batteries and electrical circuits in your shoes -- especially if you're catching a flight out of, oh, let's say, Pakistan. Yet that's exactly what one Faiz ...

Last summer, Verified Identity Pass's (VIP) Clear -- a service that allowed travelers to bypass airport security checkpoints for a yearly fee -- went bankrupt overnight, and closed its doors. But according to a press release, the company has been purchased by new owners and they hope to revive the service in the fall. According to Gadling, AlClear, which recently purchased the assets for $6 ...

digg_url ='http://www.switched.com/2010/03/23/tsa-wants-to-use-bluetooth-at-checkpoints-to-follow-fliers-phon/'; Share In an effort to make air travel more efficient, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking into tracking travelers' cell phones. Naturally, this has privacy advocates up-in-arms. According to USA Today, the TSA would install a small chip at the entrance and ...

Only a fool in this era of high-level security would fake a bomb threat, let alone Tweet about it, but that's pretty much what Paul Chambers did last week via Twitter. The Inquirer reports that the 26-year-old UK native was set to the fly to Ireland from the Robin Hood airport in Finningley, South Yorkshire until he realized the airport was closed because of snow. Obviously frustrated -- and ...

When full-body scanning started popping up at airport security checkpoints last year, travelers and privacy groups were up in arms. After all, who wants a revealing image of himself or herself stored on Transportation Security Administration (TSA) computers? Since then, the TSA has reassured us that the scanners neither store nor transmit images. But according to a report from CNN, ...

Not to reinforce stereotypes, but why does all luggage look the same? Picking your bag out of the crawling hordes on that airport carousel is like trying to find a rational human at a PETA convention. With Thanksgiving travelers clogging the airport like herds of cattle [Ed. note: Like that, PETA?], you could be in for a long wait. What you need is the 'Luggage Locator.' According to Oh Gizmo!, ...

The business of guilt removal has been around for a lot longer than Sally Struthers's quavering-voiced pleas for the children and Jim Bakker's patronizing smiles. Now, the San Francisco International Airport has joined those ranks with its three brand new Climate Passport kiosks. In exchange for good old U.S. greenbacks, these ATMs of environmental righteousness grant a passenger-patron a ...

After that notorious homemade video, it's hard to call any other video featuring Pamela Anderson "racy." But, the animal-loving Anderson's new PETA advertisement stirred up so much controversy that CNN has reportedly pulled it from its airport network. Hollywood blog The Wrap reports that CNN was concerned about youngsters viewing the 'Cruelty Doesn't Fly' promo, which was scheduled to show in ...

Frequent fliers, get back in line. Verified Identity Pass's (VIP) Clear, a subscription service that amazingly allowed travelers to bypass security checkpoints for a yearly fee, recently announced that yesterday would be its last day of operation. Despite having pulled in nearly 260,000 users at $199 each, Clear has shut down all 18 of its hubs, citing financial strain as its rationale. If that ...

A House bill could soon stop airport employees from getting an eyeful of passengers as they pass through airport checkpoints. The House recently approved legislation that would stop the use of "virtual strip searches" at airports, according to CNET News. Using a low-energy, X-ray machine, airport security personnel can currently view a detailed image of the naked figure that includes every body ...

Airports worldwide are starting to see new full-body scan machines that have the unfortunate side effect of revealing your goodies. Of course, the fact that security agents get an eye-full of your naughty bits has some privacy advocates concerned and has prevented them becoming common place in most countries. Reuters reports that German scientists are looking to address some of these concerns. ...

American Airlines has joined its peers at Continental in offering boarding pass barcodes that you can download to and display on your BlackBerry, iPhone, G1, or whatever have you. Presently the airline is only offering the option on domestic, non-stop flights departing from O'Hare -- LAX and Orange County will start on the 17th. Some eastern yanks might be asking, "What, no JFK or Logan? ...

Stock photography is, more often than not, a necessary evil. We use a number of boilerplate images (some more often than we should), and companies are quick to break out photos of the everyday woman doing something vaguely relevant when assembling reports, brochures, and newsletters. Usually, however, stock photographs are carefully chosen to be inoffensive and avoid grabbing attention. This ...

How do you feel when you walk through an airport these days? Angry, confused, and poorer than when you arrived? Us too! We usually wouldn't mention such a touchy issue, but there is a new technology in development that could possibly affect millions of ornery travelers in a profound way. The Department of Homeland Security recently showcased an early version of what is basically an ...