Gadling Take FIVE: Week of Dec. 7 – 19

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve kept up with Gadling this week, you’ve noticed that we’ve added a cigar smoking blogger to our round-up. Tom Johansmeyer won’t tell anyone where he keeps his cash.

With the holidays upon us, here are five Gadling posts in hopes that cheer is heading your way.

  • As Scott posted, inflight Internet has begun on some flights which is an early present to those have jitters when they can’t surf while flying. Look for Internet to become more readily available.
  • If you’re heading through George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, there’s holiday karaoke to keep you entertained. You’ll either smile or cringe depending on whether you’re like Meg or me.
  • Traveling around the world could be free if you get a job as an STA Travel intern. Aaron tells how this dream could become your reality.
  • For holiday light displays that are not to miss–or at least read about, check out Annie’s post on where to find the best ones.
  • If you’re in need of a laugh and a holiday gift idea for that wild child of yours (even if you’re the wild child) check out Mike’s Sky Mall Monday post on the Flair Hair visor.

Is the TSA too rough with your stuff?

by Meg Massie on

While waiting in line, just about everyone bitches and moans about the airport security screening process. But of the over 500 million fliers this year, only 12,000 have filed official complaints with the Transportation Security Administration. The rest of us just air our grievances on our blogs.

The number one complaint this year is that the TSA screeners mishandle personal property. This includes when items get damaged in the screening process, as well as lost and stolen. A TSA spokeswoman insists that the agency takes theft very seriously, and that the “TSA has let officers go who’ve taken 50 cents out of a bowl.” It’s good to know they care — but we’re not impressed with how long it took them to catch one agent who had stolen over $200,000 worth of travelers’ property.

The second largest complaint the agency gets is reports of rude treatment. Most TSA agents I’ve crossed paths with recently have been perfectly friendly, but it just takes one meanie to leave a long lasting bad taste in a traveler’s mouth — and most security lines have at least one meanie, I’ve noticed.

If you have complaints for the TSA, they urge you to share your comments on their official website, www.tsa.gov. You can also call with complaints or fill out comment cards at the airport.

Sign up with T-Mobile, get free companion airfare

by Grant Martin on

Up for a contract renewal for your mobile phone? Desperate for a cheap plane ticket? T-mobile might have your answer.

If you sign up for a two-year contract with the wireless provider, they’ll give you a free companion ticket to any seat that you buy. The offer is fairly flexible too: there are no blackout dates, tickets are good through 2010, you can earn frequent flyer miles and you can fly on any airline.

But there are also restrictions. The biggest one that I can discern is that you have to book your original ticket through a T-Mobile partner’s proprietary search engine — through which I hear you can’t get the “best” prices on all flights. As an example, one member at Flyertalk pointed out that a transcontinental flight was quoted between $600-$700, nearly twice that of which you could pay during a good fare sale.

Still, if you do your homework and find out that it’s economical to book the companion ticket, it may be worth looking into. You can check out T-Mobile’s promo page here while the Frequently Asked Questions page is here.


Can new leader save Thailand?

by Josh Lew on

The King of Thailand, who somehow manages to stay above the country’s constant political woes, has official accepted former opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva as the new prime minister. He is the 3rd man to hold the post in the past 12 weeks.

Abhisit was formerly the opposition leader in parliament. He brings youth (he’s only 44) and a reputation for honesty to the country’s top job. Like the Illinois governor’s office, corruption is almost expected from Thailand’s leadership. Abhisit’s perceived incorruptibility might be just what the country needs to start trusting its governing body again.

What does this new political era mean for Thailand’s massive tourism industry? Nothing yet. Until the rift between rival political parties and their supporters is mended, more events like the occupation of Suvarnabhumi Airport are entirely possible. The infrastructure is still in place, but until the unpredictable political climate calms down, it would be hard to expect tourists to flock back to Thailand’s beaches and shopping venues.

[via BBC]

Cuba in the mix

by Brenda Yun on

Late last week, Raúl Castro paid a symbolic visit to Caracas to meet with Venezuela’s controversial President, Hugo Chavez. It is Castro’s first international trip as Cuba’s head of state, and his talks with Chavez will likely mark a longer term, closer relationship between the two socialist countries. According to an op-ed article in Diario Las Américas, Chavez has long proclaimed himself to be a “son of Fidel Castro,” so his intentions to maintain his existing relations with Cuba are quite apparent. Some facts rendered from an Associated Press article report that Venezuela intends to double its per diem sales of crude oil to Cuba by 2013; in exchange, Cuba will continue to reciprocate Venezuela’s offerings in the form of health care, education, and agriculture.

In addition to his visit with Chavez, Castro attended a summit hosted by Brazil on Tuesday, December 16, which was one of the first occasions that a representative from neither the United States nor a country from Europe was in attendance.