Smut bust at Sweden’s airport authority: 7 fired, 1 quit

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Sweden‘s airport authority had problems with its computer systems … caused by porn. An investigation has revealed that LFV Group employees were passing the time on adult websites while at work. Seven have been fired, and one employee quit as a result. Particularly loathsome is the fact that some of these employees accessed at least one website with child pornography.

This behavior was discovered because LFV wanted to know why its network was running slowly.

LFV doesn’t suspect coordinated activity among the employees responsible, as they worked in different facilities across Sweden. But, there is a common thread: they spent large chunks of their workdays focused on porn sites – in some cases up to 75 percent of the day.

To read about other ridiculous tales from the airport checkpoint, click the arrow in the blue triangle below and explore the gallery.

Wine flights taking off in Newark Liberty’s Terminal C

by Mike Barish on

I tend to be a little anal-retentive when it comes to getting to the airport on-time for a flight. As such, I end up arriving a good 2+ hours before take-off. The upside is that, in all of my travels, I have only missed two flights because of my tardiness. The downside is that I’ve had to kill a tremendous amount of time in airports. Despite the fact that they are made for waiting, airport terminals are pretty much the epitome of lame. Most are devoid of decent food options and full of stores that sell schlock and overpriced bags of mixed nuts. But in recent years, some terminals have started to…get this…cater to travelers! And Newark Liberty Airport’s Terminal C is now one of those terminals.

Terminal C is home to Continental Airlines and some of the best food and drinks you will find in an airport. For anyone who has ever forced down some scolding hot Sbarro’s pizza or hockey puck-like fast food burgers while waiting for a flight, Terminal C’s offerings are a sight for sore stomachs.

There’s the Heineken Lounge, Sam Adams bar and Guinness Irish Pub, which provide travelers with a chance to make flying a tad more bearable without having to sit in a drab airport bar. And Vino Volo offers customers wine flights of selections from around the world. And if you find a wine that you like, you can purchase bottles to take away or have shipped to you.

I never understood why waiting for a flight had to be so torturous. Not everyone can afford to have access to lounges, but that doesn’t mean that the main terminal should look like a mall food court. There’s a happy medium and Newark Liberty Airport’s Terminal C seems to have found that and even exceeded it a bit. Now my only concern is getting distracted at one of the bars and missing my flight!

Fake bomb threat leads to probation

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Mark Randall Rayborn will be on probation for the next four years. He was accused of telling an off-duty Northwest Airlines pilot that he had five pounds of explosives in his carry-on.

The plane was pulling back from the gate at Denver International Airport last year when Rayborn broke the news to the man sitting next to him while grabbing his bag. As a result of this episode, the flight was delayed for four hours while bomb-sniffing dogs searched the plane. All 140 passengers were screened again.

The 56-year-old gump responsible for making air travel even more difficult will celebrate his 60th birthday with the thought that he’s repaid his debt to society. Somehow, it doesn’t seem like enough.

Pay to play in Aussie airport parking lots

by Tom Johansmeyer on

For the past decade, Australians have griped about the escalating cost of short-term airport parking. Accusations of monopoly pricing were leveled, and a year ago, the government got involved, having the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) keep an eye on parking lot fees at the country’s five largest airports. The results are amazing.

Airports pull in 11 percent of their revenue from parking. In Melbourne, it’s a whopping 21 percent, while Sydney‘s airport pulls in a more modest 7 percent of its financial take from the parking lots. Since no government agency is willing to put its head on the chopping block the ACCC would only say that this is “consistent with airports having a monopoly position.”

Of course, there are perks to paying. People parking at the Melbourne airport were the most satisfied customers, with those frequenting Sydney’s lots at the bottom.

But, convenience always wins.

The Sydney airport is only 10 kilometers (a little more than 6 miles) from the city, and only 13 percent of passengers use the airport’s parking lots. Melbourne’s airport is more than twice as far away, making airport parking more sensible.

Luton Airport charges a passenger drop-off fee

by Annie Scott on

Want to be a good sport and drop off a friend at London Luton? It’s gonna cost you.

Luton’s really starting to nickel and dime passengers. First, there was the £1 trolley (cart) usage fee. That seems pretty reasonable; I’ve been running around checking cart coin slots for quarters since I was a kid. But they also charge £1 for clear plastic bags, should you need one to get your deodorant through security.

So … is there any way around the fee? According to the BBC News: “The airport said passengers could be dropped off at the mid-term car park to catch a shuttle bus to avoid the fee.”

Hassle much? Like you want to lug all your worldly belongings onto a shuttle bus — which you probably have to wait for — after your friend already drove you there!

There’s also a ten minute drop-off time limit. Why not just make people pay £1 for every minute over 10 minutes they spend, unless the passenger being dropped off has special needs?

The company which runs Luton, Abertis, also operates airports in Belfast and Cardiff. Watch out!