Love the snow globe, but don’t hand carry it on an airplane

by Jamie Rhein on

While perusing the list of things not allowed as carry ons on airplanes, snow globes caught my eye. These are those items I usually associate with Christmas. Remember the one in “It’s a Wonderful Life” — the Jimmy Stewart classic holiday movie? The snow globe represented the main character’s idlylic town–all cozy and snowy in winter. Even if you had that snow globe– calling it an antique–a movie classic piece of memorabilia, TSA wouldn’t blink an eye before snatching it up and selling it on Ebay. (See Catherine’s and Neil’s posts.)

Okay, I remember a snow globe at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but maybe I’m making this up, and I just think I saw it. But, there was also a snow globe in “Citizen Kane” that crashed to the ground and broke at the end of the movie when the main character dies, right as he whispered, “Rosebud.” Either one, doesn’t matter. You can’t take it on the plane.

See, the water in the snow globe might not be water at all–and heaven knows what those white flakes or glitter that swirl about when you shake the globes might be made of. Plastic, sure. How about EXPLOSIVE plastic? Just kidding, I have no idea.

I’m actually not faulting TSA for putting snow globes on the list. I never would have thought of their possible use as a terrorist weapon. Seems mean to me. Clever, sure, but definitely mean. Snow globes are magic. They are where you hold a world in your hand that you can alter by turning it upside down or shaking it. They are like the best memories of childhood–like pudding. You can take pudding on the plane, but just 3 ounces or less.

So if you happen to be traveling for the holidays and pick up a snow globe in some gift shop, just remember, wrap it in a towel or something, and pack it in the middle of your checked suitcase–otherwise, maybe you can buy it back on Ebay like Neil suggests.

Are you aviophobic?

by Abha Malpani on

“You know the only reason we are told to wear seatbelts on a plane, is so that if the plane crashes, they can identify you later from your seat number.”

Yes, my friend has aviophobia — or the fear of flying — and enjoys freaking people out with random snippets like this.

It’s not hard to be paranoid hearing something like that before you get onto a plane; or think the worst when you experience turbulence over an extended period of time.

The two main fears of flying are 1) the plane will crash/explode/get hijacked; 2) to lose of self-control on a flight e.g. panic-attack or claustrophobia.

If you do have symptoms of aviophobia, it might make you feel better that you are far from alone. Approximately every 1 in 8 people are afraid of flying (a high percentage of which are high-powered executives), and approximately 6-million flights are not taken annually because of the same. This explains why the number of courses and programs you can take to overcome this fear is on the increase.

Should you have aviophobia, Flights Without Fear, Fearless Flights and Anxieties are some good places to start your research into getting help. Happy flying!

Military airspace opened for holiday travel

by Grant Martin on

If you’re one of the 27 million people flying over the next week, your flight may not be as miserable as you were planning for. Last week, the Bush administration authorized the partial use of military airspace along the eastern seaboard. This mean less congestion (in the skies at least) and better integration with Air Traffic Control across some of the nation’s busiest airports.

That doesn’t mean that you’ll be limited by runway time, landing slots or weather though, so don’t get your hopes up too high. This step is just one of many that are needed to ease the problems with the antiquated air traffic control and greedy corporate airline networks, as we wrote about earlier.

This week is one of the toughest out of the year to travel. Tensions run high as crowds surge through crowded airport lines and security screenings then cram into tiny aluminum jets. This Wednesday I fly from Toledo – Detroit – Amsterdam – Barcelona, so take it from a seasoned traveler: have a scotch before you leave, pack light and be patient and you’ll have a great trip. See you on the road.

Kyla Ebbert poses for Playboy

by Grant Martin on

In the latest chapter of skirtgate, Kyla Ebbert, the young woman who was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for inappropriate dress earlier this year, has decided to pose for Playboy. In an article from The Age, the magazine states that Ebbert “was too sexy for Southwest Airlines, but she’s perfect for Playboy,” and have subsequently published a photo set called “Legs in the Air”.

So if you weren’t disgusted yet, now would be a good time to jump on the bandwagon. I suppose in the end, Ebbert was able to leverage the publicity from her airline debacle into a career that she was truly talented at; as Justin posted out earlier, she’s been practicing at this for a while.

No, the “related article” link does not go to the gallery.

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TSA screeners fail to catch explosives at security checkpoint

by Catherine Bodry on

First, the Transportation Security Administration tipped off screeners to a “covert” security test (the company later denied that the email was a tip-off). Now, government investigators successfully smuggled liquid explosives and detonators past airport security. The Associated Press writes,

The investigators learned about the components to make an improvised explosive device and an improvised incendiary device on the Internet and purchased the parts at local stores, said the report by the Government Accountability Office. Investigators were able to purchase the components for the two devices for under $150, and they studied the published guidelines for screening to determine how to conceal the prohibited items as they went through checkpoint security.

The investigators concluded, basically, that it doesn’t take much to slip past security with all the necessary components for a homemade bomb.

The TSA defended itself by noting that there are many more layers of security beyond major checkpoints. Good point, but if you can make it through the x-ray machines and wands as well as the veritable strip search, it seems like you could probably make it through anything.

What do you think? Planning to fly anywhere over the Thanksgiving holiday?