It’s national opt-out day. Will you participate?

by Grant Martin on

Early yesterday afternoon I passed through O’Hare airport on the far end of terminal 3, approached the security checkpoint and was selected for scanning with a backscatter detector. With a boarding pass in my back pocket I was also selected for a pat down. In this case, the TSA officer used the back of his hands to check my entire back side – and sent me on my way (without the computer that I forgot at the checkpoint) to gate K7.

The Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) was a simple security measure that day, but today, on the nation’s busiest travel day many will face it for the first time. And in protest, many are advocating a movement to opt-out of the scans.

In lieu, those who opt out will be subject to an intensive pat down, the results of which has been covered on the web ad nauseum.

More importantly, however, is the added time necessary for a pat down. AIT scans already take longer than a quick walk through a magnetometer, and opting out of one adds further time to the affair. Some critics of the movement are thus concerned that unsuspecting passengers will be held up at security and more flights will be missed.

Needless to say, if 95% of passengers choose not to be scanned by an AIT device this Wednesday it’ll surely send a strong message to the brass at the Department of Homeland Security. If a few trouble spots cause innocent passengers to miss flights though, I’m not so sure that it’s worth it.

Photo of the Day (11.23.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on

The busiest week of travel in America is underway. In the coming days, millions of people will travel from point A to point C (undoubedtly with a long layover at point B) to be with their families and reconnect with friends.

Amidst a week typically remembered for hectic delays, bad weather, long security lines, & missed connections I thought that this stark, beautiful image was an appropriate contrast to the standard holiday madness. This is just one of a series of great airport & airplane images captured by photographer Katie Madeline at LAX.

The combination of a unique perspective, use of black & white, and the reflections on the body of the plane give it a very iconic feel – a fresh look at something I thought I’d seen so many times. If you’re out on the road, in the air, or everywhere in between – capture your best moments and share them with us! It could be our next Photo of the Day!

Atlanta TSA employee allegedly abducts, assaults woman and attempts suicide

by Tom Johansmeyer on

As if the TSA didn’t have enough to worry about this week …

Only hours before the busiest travel day of the year, news has gotten out that a TSA employee working at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta – the busiest airport in the country – attempted to commit suicide. It was a particularly grotesque situation, as he allegedly abducted a young woman, sexually assaulted her and gave her his suicide note to pass along.

Randall Scott King is reported to have snatched the woman from a MARTA parking lot last Wednesday night. He took her to his home in Hogansville, Georgia – around 50 miles from Atlanta – and allegedly assaulted her. King then let her go, bearing the suicide note he gave her.

When the alleged victim notified the authorities, King was found at his home with self-inflicted wounds – he’s now in critical condition at Columbus’ Regional Medical Center. He was a behavior detection officer with the TSA, where he has worked for close to five years, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

King and the woman he’s alleged to have abducted knew each other, according to airport spokeswoman Katena Carvajales: “They left the airport together voluntarily.”

[photo by hyku via Flickr]

Best airport dining for holiday travel

by Laurel Miller on

The holidays mean different things to different people, but one thing that’s fairly ubiquitous is airline travel. And with airports comes some pretty godawful, overpriced fast food and full-service restaurants. That’s why the team at Gadling (and a few well-traveled friends) gave their picks for the best airport dining at a variety of domestic airports.

From Cubano sandwiches to Nigerian fufu, there’s an eclectic mix of world cuisines, along with some regional and traditional American classics. Maybe layovers aren’t so bad, after all.

Dallas-Forth Worth Airport: Pappasito’s Cantina, Terminal A, Gate A28.
Tex-Mex made from scratch, salsa to tortillas.

Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston: Real Food Co., Terminal C.
Four words: Texas barbecue. Huge portions.

Miami International Airport: La Carreta, Terminal D, 2nd Level.
Mmm, Cuban food. Artery-clogging goodness from a popular Miami chain.

Albuquerque International Sunport: La Hacienda Express, between Concourses A and B.
Cheap, delicious Southwestern cuisine. Tip: adovada breakfast burritos.

[Photo credit: Flickr user freebeets]Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington DC: Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Midfield Concourse, Gate B58.
Old school burgers don’t get much better than this, airport or no.

Logan International Airport, Boston: Legal’s Test Kitchen, Terminal A, between Gates 4 and 5.
Clam chowder like it’s meant to be.

Memphis International Airport: Jim Neely’s Interstate BBQ, near Gate B14.
Honest-to-god pit barbecue from this popular local chain.

Portland International Airport: Stanford’s Restaurant & Bar, on Main Concourse, behind Gates A, B, and C.
Steak, ribs, burgers, and a banging happy hour Sun-Fri, 3-6pm and 9-11pm.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Anthony’s, Central Terminal.
Regional seafood, including Puget Sound oysters. Slurp with PacNW beer and wine (there’s also a full bar).

San Francisco International Airport: Ebisu Sushi, Terminal G Food Court.
A branch of the insanely popular, recently remodeled Sunset District original, which has been packing them in for over 20 years.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport: 42nd Street Oyster Bar, Terminal 2, near Gate C-1.
For over 70 years, the downtown location has been a Raleigh institution for its massive raw bar (one of the biggest in the Southeast), seafood, steaks, and Southern hospitality. The airport outpost is a “miniaturized version.”

Chicago O’Hare International Airport: Two new Rick Bayless restaurants, Terminals 1 and 3.
Bayless, the acclaimed chef/Mexican cuisine authority behind Chicago’s Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and Xoco, will be opening two restaurants at O’Hare this fall, er, winter. The names of the small, casual eateries haven’t been announced yet; word is that one is an outpost of Frontera, and Bayless says the other will be a torteria, with a guacamole bar and “good margaritas.” Count on it.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: African food at the taxi driver’s cafeteria seven minutes walk outside of North baggage claim, Concourse E.
Look for dishes from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Nigeria.

Got a favorite food stop at a U.S. airport? We’d love to hear about it!

[Photo credits: Five Guys, Flickr user Adam Kuban; oysters, Flickr user VirtualErn]