Shotgun found hidden inside Hartsfield International Airport

by Jeffrey White on

The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that a Delta employee yesterday found a shotgun hidden beneath a soda machine in the break room of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

The 20-gauge shotgun was disassembled, the newspaper reports.

Police, searching the scene, found a few more suspicious items also hidden: gun lubricant and tools for taking apart the weapon.

Authorities right now haven’t been able to get much information from doing background checks on the gun, and airport officials are not commenting beyond say that they are looking into the matter closely.

The Delta employee was reportedly searching for a misplaced iPod when she found the hidden gun.

British Airports May Lift Liquid Ban Soon

by Josh Lew on

Passengers on both sides of the Atlantic are barred from bringing liquids through airport security checkpoints. That might be changing soon. British airports hope to have scanning devices that can sense explosive liquids in place soon. Security services are already in the final stages of testing the machines. Once the testers give the go ahead, airports can put the scanners to work.

Four airports, including London Heathrow, have already purchased scanners. However, it is likely that the ban on liquids will not be lifted until all the country’s international airports are similarly equipped and their security personnel trained to operate the scanners. In other words, don’t get overexcited and try to carry that $200 bottle of cognac onto your flight out of the U.K. tomorrow.

Airlines have been complaining about the restrictions for some time now. They say that the rules make England’s airports less attractive. However, the ban was first put in place after a terrorist plot to blow up airplanes using liquid explosives was uncovered. Being sure you’re not going to get blown up is pretty damn attractive…or maybe that’s just me. If the liquid scanners work in England, US airports will probably follow their lead in short order.

Air New Zealand wants you to shave your head for them — and they’ll give you $1000

by Meg Massie on

Air New Zealand knows that when you go to the airport, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in line, staring at the back of the head of the guy in front of you — so they want to give you something useful to read. The airline is holding open auditions next week for folks willing to shave their heads and become “Cranial Billboards.”

Seriously. Hopefuls can attend casting calls with free BBQ, refreshments, and entertainment, and those selected will be shaved on the spot and given a two-week temporary tattoo, which will alert customers to changes in the airline’s check-in system and direct them to the company’s website. Each person selected as a cranial billboard will also receive $1000 cash compensation.

If you think you’ve got the ideal skull shape for this job, find more info about the casting calls here.

What other strange things have been found on planes?


The Best Worst Airport in the US

by Josh Lew on

Frequent and casual travelers have their favorite airports. The ones that are easy to navigate and usually not too crowded always make the list. And then there are those airports where you have to use all your willpower just to deplane. These sprawling terminals are usually inhabited by a staff whose goal in life is seemingly to make your trip through their turf as nightmarish as possible. Overstatement? Perhaps, unless you’ve just come through customs at Chicago O’Hare.

Yes, O’Hare is one of those airports on my “worst” list. It is difficult to navigate (unless you have a PhD in Geography or a very good hand-held GPS unit) and perpetually crowded. The customs and immigration folks there have given me the most hassle of any airport in the country. If it was just me, I’d guess that I fit some sort of profile. But everyone seems to have trouble. On my last trip, I witnessed a little Japanese grandmother being pulled out of the customs line after she couldn’t answer (or perhaps even understand) a customs agent’s eloquently posed question “How much Yen you got?”

At the same time, there are certain corners of O’Hare that I love.One is the bar in the corner of the international terminal. The bartender on my previous trip was not only generous with her pours, she knew the status of every flight coming into and out of the terminal seemingly aided by some sort of sixth sense that must come from a lifetime in airport bars. And her yarns about the airport life were almost enough to make you want to work there. I’ve always found this particular bar to be staffed by equally laid back and knowledgeable people.

At the nearby hot dog stand, they might serve you a hot dog with a dismissive frown, but as a last meal before heading off overseas, it can’t be beat. Hell, a trip to this little corner of the massive monstrosity that is O’Hare might even have you thinking fondly of the place. But don’t worry, there is always plenty of swearing businessmen ready to push you down if no one is looking, surly staff dishing out the attitude and cavity-searches to keep you in touch the reality.

I’m always happy to leave O’Hare. But that’s one of the points of travel, isn’t it? Being happy to leave where you are and looking forward to where you are going.

Smoke ‘Em if You Got ‘Em: Asia’s Best Airport Smoking Rooms

by Josh Lew on

Unlike the US, in some parts of the world smoking is still politically correct. It is even encouraged. For the nicotine addicts among us, there is no better time to light up than after a 10-15 hour flight across the Pacific. Stuck in the terminal waiting for your connection? No worries. That’s what smoking rooms are for. Some resemble a bus stop shelter, some are more like a high class smoking club.

The best:

1. Narita’s best smoking room is near the Northwest gates. It’s no less hazy or crowded than the others, but if you cracked open a beer to go along with your cancer stick, you wouldn’t be the only one drinking.

2. Da Nang’s airport is a small one, but it has one of the biggest smoking rooms I’ve ever witnessed. You might even call it scenic because you can see the mountains through the large windows. Though I no longer indulge, I always feel the urge to light up when I pass this spot.

3. Everything about Don Muang seems classic these days. You won’t be flying into it anymore. That’s sad. I’ll especially miss those smoking rooms shaped like bus stop shelters. They smelled of stale, wet cigarettes, but were somehow welcoming.