More on TSA nipple ring woes and pliers incident

by Jamie Rhein on

When Jeffery wrote his post yesterday, the story about the woman who was asked to remove her nipple rings at an airport security line were sketchy. Now that the details are out, they are almost unbelievable.

The woman was in the Lubbock airport and triggered off the metal detector. Perhaps they were rather large nipple rings, but once she told the TSA employees what caused the beeping and offered to show the rings to a female employee, one would think that would have been enough. I haven’t read anything about nipple rings being a weapon. Particularly since corkscrews without a knife blade are allowable and so are scissors if the blades are small enough, it would seem nipple rings would get a pass.

The woman was given the pliers after she couldn’t get one of the rings to come out. She reports that she was crying and heard the TSA guys snickering. According to the TSA policies, she could have had a pat down to establish what was triggering off the alarm. At this moment, all she wants is an apology from TSA.

Two weeks ago I saw an older man getting quite the pat down at the TSA line at the Columbus airport. At first I thought he was getting a massage at the back of his neck and shoulders, but decided it was odd that he was holding his arms out from his side. This nipple ring story makes me wonder even more what was up with him. Oh, the woman did say once the rings were out ,she was able to board the plane with her belly button ring intact. With all the things one can pierce these days, if you plan to take an airplane, I’d watch the size of the metal and how much.

Update on the Clear Security free pass – Marriott Rewards members now eligible

by Grant Martin on

This past Monday I posted an interesting article on how to get free Clear Security access, the new fangled super security screening that has popped up at numerous airports around the country.

Basically it involved applying to get free Hyatt special status, then turning around and using said status to get apply for a free one year Clear membership. I have yet to jump on the train, largely because Detroit doesn’t have Clear lanes (perhaps because their security is already pretty fluid).

It now looks like Marriott is going the same way with their rewards program. Platinum members of Marriott Rewards can now apply for their special passes, while Gold and Silver members will be given a marginal discount on the service. You can check out the full details at Marriott’s promo website.

I am suddenly curious as to why all of these Clear promotions keep coming up. I’m willing to bet that profits haven’t been super robust, largely because people haven’t been willing to cough up over a hundred bucks to pay for faster security when they could just arrive a half hour earlier and stand in line. Perhaps this is a way to appeal to some of the “higher dollar” business travelers who might find themselves important enough to become Clear members.

Here’s an idea Clear: offer the promo to Blackberry users.

An alternate route into Clear Security

by Grant Martin on

You may have heard about Clear, the new airport security lanes that have been popping up at airports all over the country. They offer an “enhanced” security screening, where they initially take your iris and finger prints then you can fly through their special security lanes without waiting in line for TSA and the other schlubs. Willy wrote about their rollout last year.

You may have also, like me, taken a quick look into the service, discovered the 128$ enrollment fee then abandoned your research right there. I don’t know you, but it’s worth 128$ for me to stand in line for the regular screening.

There may be an alternate route to Clear memberdom though. Apparently, members of Hyatt’s Platinum rewards program can enroll in a free year of Clear because of their exalted special status. But there’s also a promo going on right now where you can get Hyatt Platinum for free after one stay.

Just sign up on the special Hyatt page and next time you’re traveling for work, book a Hyatt room. After that, check out the special Clear page (which I also happen to have), and BANG. You’re all set.

You can weird out about all of the information that Clear collects from you later while you’re sending me a thank you card.

[Update, Marriott Rewards members are now eligible too!]

Man in wheelchair steals airport shuttle; drives around in circles; disappears into thin air

by Grant Martin on

I guess you just don’t suspect the guy in the wheelchair to carjack your hotel shuttle, but that’s exactly what happened early yesterday morning at San Francisco International Airport.

CBS 5 out of the bay area is reporting that while a hotel employee was out of the vehicle unloading luggage, a man in a wheelchair pulled up, jumped out and into the driver seat then started driving around the airport. He then chose not to drive away from the airport, but rather around it two times before apparently getting bored and abandoning it.

Four passengers, who must have been scared witless, were privy to the joy ride. I can’t imagine what they were thinking during the fiasco.

The man then proceeded to completely vanish, for as CBS 5 reports, airport officials have yet to apprehend a subject.

No word on whether the event had anything to do with St. Patrick’s Day.

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Airport security stops woman after finding skeleton in luggage

by Grant Martin on

German officials stopped a woman arriving into Munich earlier this week because of suspicious articles in her luggage: part of a human skeleton. After discovering the contraband inside of the woman’s bags, airport police pulled the woman and her friend aside for questioning, prepared for the worst.

But as it turns out, it’s perfectly cool taking skeletons on an airplane with your luggage! The woman was able to produce the correct documentation to go with the bones, and airport security sent her on her merry way.

Apparently the elderly woman was bringing the bones of her deceased brother back from Brazil. He had died there eleven years earlier and it was his final wish to be buried in Italy.

Now the question is whether the skeleton was in her checked or carry on bags. It sure would creep me out if the woman sitting next to me had some human bones in her bag.

Read the full article, albeit bizzare, at the Arizona Central.

What strange things have been found on planes?


Click the image to read the bizarre story…