Heathrow annoying, Americans rude according to some social network

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The members of social network Where Are you Now? have spoken! Heathrow is the worst airport in the world, according to voters, thanks to passport control lines and baggage problems. The Brits don’t get all the glory, though. JFK in New York and Los Angeles picked up spots #2 and #3, respectively.

The good news, for Heathrow and JFK, at least, is that both were at the top of the list for security. Bangkok, Amsterdam and Rome were at the bottom. WAYN co-founder and joint chief executive Jerome Touze calls the survey results “pretty damning in terms of Heathrow’s reputation for passenger service.” Apparently, he doesn’t realize nobody gives a shit about WAYN’s opinion.

But, Heathrow is worth the wait, with the friendliest passport control officers outside Australia. They’re even nicer than the Canadians! U.S. customs officers were voted rudest, followed by those in India and Russia.

Again thinking that people give a damn about his opinion, Touze believes that “U.S. customs and immigration need address their attitude towards visitors, simplify the form filling, generally be a lot more welcoming and better reflect the personality of the American people.”

Thanks, Jerome. Because of your publicist prompted quote, we’ll get right on that.

WAYN’s survey included detail from 2,250 air travelers, who answered questions about customs, baggage handling and passport matters.

[Via Sydney Morning Herald]

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Another passenger pulled off plane after booze fueled fight

by Scott Carmichael on

And here we go again – once again, a passenger decided that being cut off from drinking more booze was not such a good idea, and decided to start a fight.

Russel Krebs, a 6’3″ 200 pound passenger was on his way to Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International airport on a Comair flight when the crew decided that he’d had enough to drink. At that point the real trouble started.

An off-duty pilot and one of the flight attendants were able to get him in plastic cuffs until the plane landed. Normally a situation like this would mean the cops wait until the plane is at the gate, but in this case, they actually met the plane on the runway to remove Krebs.

I’m not sure how stupid one has to be to start a fight in an aircraft cabin, especially with the knowledge that you may be on the same flight as a federal air marshal.

Krebs is currently locked away, and the FBI is investigating whether to press federal chargers. In that case, a few drinks and a couple of punches could mean he’ll be locked away for a pretty long time. Of course, things don’t get easier for him since the police discovered “a controlled substance” which will only add to the charges.

(Via: WCPO Cincinnati)

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Commuter plane crashed on way to Nome and all safe

by Jamie Rhein on

Last night a Frontier Flying Service plane heading to Nome, Alaska from Brevig Mission went down with a pilot and five passengers. Although the story is not as fantastical as the Hudson River landing, I imagine the sentiments of those on board are similar, particularly with the news of the crash near Buffalo still so recent.

According to this Anchorage Daily News article sent our way by Matt, a Gadling reader, the pilot guided the plane into a safe crash landing then set off the emergency locator beacon to help rescue teams locate the plane. Only one person suffered a bump on the head.

When the plane didn’t arrive on time after the pilot lost contact with the tower, officials knew something was wrong. The Piper PA-31-350 was found seven miles from Nome by rescuers on snow machines. The plane crash is under investigation, and it’s unclear what happened to cause the crash.

Reading the story reminded me of the harrowing tales my husband has told about flying to fish camp in Alaska. He had a couple of flights where his heart ended up in his throat, so to speak. No crashes, though–just some dips and turns he could have done without. [The photo is of a Piper Chieftain with Golden Eagle Airlines in Australia.]

Say cheese! Tulsa airport starts screening with full body scanners

by Scott Carmichael on

It was only a matter of time – the first airport in the nation has switched to full body scanners as a replacement for the usual metal detector at the checkpoint.

The scanners use electromagnetic waves to create an image of you – sans clothes. The image is viewed by a TSA agent in a nearby room, which should at least mean you don’t hear their chuckles as you pass through the scanner.

A TSA screener who operates the machine reported that the images “are not pornographic at all”, and that she merely sees them as “a thing that could have something on it”.

But make no mistake – the 3D images will show all your parts to the screener, right down to the size of your breasts and genitals.

The trial aims to determine whether the full body scanners can be a true replacement for metal detectors, and whether the use of the scanners increases, or decreases efficiency at the checkpoint.

During the first day of operation, only 2 out of 1039 passengers declined to use the scanner. Of course, this could simply be because the general public is not fully aware what these new machines are, and just what the images reveal.

Personally I don’t really care what they see, I’m in favor of anything that will help me get from one end of the checkpoint to the next as fast as possible. If this technology is what it takes, then I’m all for it.

After Tulsa, the next airports scheduled to receive the new scanning technology are San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque.

(Via: USA Today)

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Phil Keoghan’s tour of Air New Zealand’s 747-400

by Jamie Rhein on



If you wondered if Phil Keoghan of the Amazing Race has the most awesome job, stop wondering. He does. Just look at this video. What could be more sweeter than this job?

Here Phil takes viewers on a tour of first class of Air New Zealand’s 747-400 at the Air New Zealand hanger at Los Angeles Airport. The plane was part of an Amazing Race publicity photo shoot. Here was Phil’s chance to look sort of James Bondish. Because Phil has flown to New Zealand on one of these planes twelve times this past year, he knows all the bells and whistles. The video is number one of Amazing Race 14’s “Phil’s Diary.” The videos are posted on the Amazing Race website and give a bit of back story as to what it takes to film the TV show.