Photo of the Day (11.01.10)

by Mike Barish on

Most of us only interact with a few types of airline and airport employees. We chat with flight attendants, check-in with gate agents and get frisked by TSA officers. It’s often easy to forget that there are scores of people working on the Tarmac to keep planes well maintained and airports running smoothly. Those beverages don’t put themselves on the planes. Someone is driving that fuel truck. That flight delay caused by a maintenance issue? It might annoy you, but it allowed a highly-skilled mechanic to service your aircraft so that you’ll be able travel safely.

I was reminded of all of those hardworking folks when I saw this photo by Flickr user stefantrego. Sure, airports can be annoying (though some people love them) but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take a moment to marvel at the impressive efforts put forth by all those people who keep things moving so that we can keep on moving, as well.

Have a picture of some unsung travel heroes? Or maybe just some great travel photos? Submit your images to Gadling’s Flickr group and we might use one for a future Photo of the Day.

Disruptive passenger arrested in Denver after bomb threat

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A disruptive passenger was arrested at Denver International Airport this past weekend when he said he had a bomb. The passenger was late for a flight to Salt Lake City, missed the connection and left his luggage on the plane. After being “disruptive in the gate area” and making inappropriate comments,” a United Airlines spokesman told CNN, the passenger claimed he had a bomb in his bag.

This was enough to get the plane back to the gate – not to mention the bag off the plane. This was followed by an hour-long delay while the incident was investigated by the authorities.

Now, the passenger is being charged with interfering with public transportation. A trip to the Denver jail is in his future, according to the report.

[photo by cliff1066 via Flickr]

Al Qaeda Yemen connection suspected in cargo plane bomb scares

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The simultaneous bomb scares in Newark, Philadelphia and London are now being linked to al Qaeda activity, according to the latest reporting from CNN. On its live blog covering the suspicious item discoveries, CNN reports, “U.S. officials believe that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was behind the plot that caused a security scare at English and American airports on Friday.”

In Washington, a diplomat from Yemen has said the government there is opening a full investigation into the alleged bomb, adapted from a toner ink cartridge, that was discovered in the United Kingdom at East Midlands Airport.

Look for tighter security all around at airports in the United States, some of which, according to CNN, will be “visible and passengers should expect a mix of security techniques.”

[photo by redjar via Flickr]

Planes in Philadelphia and Newark being swept for suspicious materials

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Suspicious items have been found on cargo flights that landed in Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania today. According to the Transportation Security Administration, the planes have been “moved to a remote location … out of an abundance of caution,” according to CNN.

The fire department’s hazardous materials units in Philadelphia responded to situations with two planes – one a UPS flight, the other a 757 with nobody on it. Officials say that the types of material that could be involved aren’t known.

My Fox New York adds:

Homeland Security officials said one of the crew on the cargo plane from Paris, France, landing at Philadelphia around 9 a.m. called authorities thinking a package aboard the plane could have a radioactive makeup, according to MyFoxPhilly.com.

According to My Fox New York, “There are unconfirmed reports that the Newark plane had arrived from Yemen.” Also, a plane bound from Chicago from Yemen was stopped in London when a bomb made from an ink toner cartridge was found.

In a statement, UPS said it’s cooperating with the investigation.

[photo credit: AP]

New TSA pat down runs up inner thigh, new thrill for travelers

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you haven’t been on a date in a while, ask for a manual search. The Transportation Security Administration is going to start getting a bit cozier with passengers who opt for this check, giving stiff competition to the likes of Plenty of Fish.

According to an MSNBC report, the TSA is going to start using the fronts of their hands in their pat downs – and will include a new part of the body. Be ready to have a government official run his (or her) along the inside of your leg if you go decide to skip the body scanner.

For the first time, heightened security may actually be thrilling!


[photo by Shamanic Shift via Flickr]