Luggage weighs more than you think it should? Maybe it’s the scale if you’re at JFK

by Jamie Rhein on

Let’s say you’ve weighed that piece of packed luggage at home. You’ve checked the weight several times. You are satisfied that the weight is not over what the airline will allow for no extra charge. You know that you have a terrific scale that doesn’t lie.

Feeling confident in the weight that you are now hoisting onto the scale at the airline check-in counter, your eyes bug out because your luggage is two pounds over. “How can that be?” you ask the person who is getting ready to write you up the bill for overweight baggage.

If you are at an American Airlines ticket counter at JFK, the difference between your luggage weight at home and your luggage weight at the airport may be caused by the scale at JFK. According to this NY Post article, the American Airlines’ scales are sometimes not calibrated correctly. In one instance, a check of scales at both La Guardia and JFK found that 102 scales out of 810 were not accurate.

When a scale is not accurate, it’s supposed to be taken out of commission until it is fixed. Although airlines aim to comply with this rule, sometimes faulty scales are still used. For example, of the 120 that were not working correctly, 10 were still being used a couple days later.

From what I gather after reading the article, the scale problem is mainly with American Airlines. The airlines does claim to spend mega bucks on scale calibration.

If you see a red sticker on a scale that says ‘condemned’ and the scale is still being used, let the Department of Consumer Affairs know about it. With American Airlines charging the heftiest fee for overweight baggage, one pound can make a difference.

[The photo by Todd Huffman is of a scale at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. I wonder how accurate this one is? Maybe American should look into it.]

Airport people watching games

by Annie Scott on

I try to get work done at the airport. When I manage it, I usually do very productive, focused work. But by “manage it,” that means I need a comfy place to plug in my computer, decent wifi reception, and preferably someone bringing me food and drinks and not staring me down to get the table back.

When these conditions are not met, I make up people-watching games. “I Spy” is so last millennium. Here are two that worked for me at JFK last week, as I munched on ciabatta bread that had the texture of a rubber doorstop.

1. Hairwatch
You can play with a friend (whoever spots the ‘do first gets the points), or against yourself in twenty minute intervals. Points are allotted as follows:

Didn’t brush their hair today and probably not yesterday either – 1 point
Creepy/bad highlights – 1 point
Unnatural colors like purple or green – 2 points
Mullet – 10 points
Big as Texas – 5 points
and the ultimate: Scrunchie – 20 points

Watch for foreign flight attendants with the scrunchies. Who told them that was okay?

2. Baby Mamma Drama
Another point game:

Stroller – 2 points
Stuffed animal – 2 points
Stroller with pregnant mom – 5 points
Twins – 5 points
Child strapped/harnessed to adult – 5 points
Crying child – 10 points
Child in bar – 10 points
Child on leash – 20 points

But don’t let people know you’re looking at their children, they’ll think you’re creepy.

Welcoming home total strangers at JFK: ImprovEverywhere

by Jamie Rhein on


In an Absolut World, Everyone Would be Welcomed Home from ImprovEverywhere on Vimeo.

One Gadling post that consistently gets weekly hits, sometimes daily, is the one on ImprovEverywhere’s “Frozen Grand Central.” The Grand Central stunt is an amazing feat of ingenuity and organization on the part of this improv drama troupe that specializes in creating fun and amazement in public places. I think of it as a more creative, involved version of Candid Camera. Plus, it involves way more people.

My favorite ImprovEverywhere stunt, hands down, is Food Court Musical.

This most recent improvisation comes pretty close. It involved 20 ImprovEverywhere actors who were the greeters, and the unsuspecting travelers who arrived at JFK expecting to be met by a driver and no one else. The drivers (only the first one is shown) didn’t know they were in on something a bit unusual.

The result is something charming and heartwarming. Very sweet and very fun. How terrific life would be if EVERYONE had such a greeting upon arrival at an airport. The closest I ever came was arriving in Hawaii and being given a lei. My great aunt and uncle met me, so don’t expect a lei if you arrive in Honolulu. Maybe, but don’t count on it.

Thanks to Intelligent Traveler for first posting on this gem. It made my day.

TSA’s “behavior detection” technology wrong 99% of the time

by Aaron Hotfelder on

A program the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began in 2006 that attempts to catch terrorists and other criminals by their suspicious behavior has been wrong over 99% of the time, according to the TSA’s own numbers.

The program, which trains TSA screeners to detect suspicious or odd behavior in passengers, has resulted in 160,000 stops of passengers, including pat-downs and in-depth questioning. Yet only 1,266 arrests were made out of those 160,000 stops, mostly for drug possession and carrying fake identification.

Unsurprisingly, many are critical of the “behavior detection” program, including Carnegie Mellon professor Stephen Fienberg, who calls the program “a sham,” and says, “We have no evidence it works.” Other scientists say that while objective observers may be able to detect nervous behavior, there’s no way to tell whether it’s because they’re planning a terrorist attack or traveling to have an extramarital affair.

TSA spokesperson Ellen Howe puts a more positive spin on the numbers, however. She says the program has been “incredibly effective” at catching criminals.

Indeed. Saying the program is “wrong 99% of the time” sounds so negative. Why not say it has a success rate of almost 1%?

Via Boing Boing [HT: The invaluable Agitator]

Mexico City airport adopts Japanese man

by Grant Martin on

A Japanese man named Hiroshi Nohara has decided to take full advantage of his tourist’s visa in Mexico City and has moved into the airport. He’s been living there for two months, and the initial avoidance from the locals has recently turned into a curiosity.

Nohara, who can’t explain why he decided to live in the city airport, has been getting by on free donations from local fast food stands and kind visitors. Apparently he was gaining so much notiriety with the local media that he’s even being sponsored by a few of the stands who give him free hats and shirts to wear. Now, as a tourist attraction in and of himself, people stop by the airport just to take their picture with him.

Meanwhile, Mexican officials can’t do anything to remove him from the airport as it’s a 24/7 facility and technically he’s there legally. His tourist visa runs up in March.

Until then, make sure you stop by on your connection to Acapulco and get your photo taken with Mr. Nohara. It’s a limited edition engagement so your photo will be worth millions on Ebay someday.

Why are these the world’s best airports?



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