Daily deal – Massive clearance on handbags and totebags at Target.com

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is perfect for our female readers (or men who like to surprise their significant other). Target.com has a massive clearance on their entire assortment of handbags, totebags and messenger bags.

There are over 150 different bags on sale, most with up to 75% discounts. Most of the bags are selling for as little as $3.50. Shipping is free on orders over $50.

It might take some browsing to find the bag that suits you, but with prices like this, it will be worth the effort. In the left side of the page, you can narrow your search by category. Some of the most popular styles are already selling out, so don’t wait too long to place your order. If you travel a lot, you’ll be able to pick a different style for each destination.

Happy shopping!

(Source: Fatwallet.com)

Baggage handler punches a $2 Million hole in a Boeing 737

by Scott Carmichael on

A baggage handler at Glasgow airport in the UK made a very expensive mistake when the truck he was driving ripped a 5 foot hole in a parked plane. The Boeing 757 operated by Flyeglobespan was being prepared for a flight to Alicante, Spain when the accident happened.

Passengers were told that they would have to transfer to a different plane due to “aircraft damage”. Amazingly, the passengers were on their way to their destination in under 2 hours.

The aircraft will be out of service for several weeks so aviation engineers can examine the damage and perform repairs on the structure. When damage like this occurs, all kinds of critical flight systems could be damaged, and depending on the speed of the impact, the repair may involve much more than just patching a hole.

The baggage handler worked for Alba Ground Handling and the source article says he has been “sacked”. Accidents like this are fairly common, and baggage handlers are instructed to always keep a safe distance from the plane they are working on, but in the chaos of getting aircraft ready for a quick turnaround, accidents do happen.

Flyglobespan is a Scottish low cost carrier with flights from several UK airports to the US, Canada and the European mainland. The have an all Boeing fleet of 15 planes, and are expanding rapidly. They are also one of the airlines with an order in place for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Troops Charged to Check Baggage on the Way to Iraq

by Josh Lew on

Much has been made of airlines charging for checked baggage. Most people have grudgingly accepted this trend with a “what else can we do” shrug.

What else can we do indeed. It seems that even soldiers on their way to a war zone are not immune from these charges. Military personnel have been hit with fees as they have tried to check heavy rucksacks for flights overseas. Some airlines, like American Airlines, have made allowances for troops, letting them check twice as much baggage as average passengers.

Also, the military is supposed to issue passes exempting troops traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan from baggage charges. Apparently, though, these aren’t reaching everyone.

According to a CNN report, many soldiers have been charged as much as $100 to check their rucksacks and field kits. American Airlines, for one, has promised a refund for those who had to pay up front.

I wonder how long it will take for that $100 to get to the war zone and how much longer it will take the soldier to cash the check.

The VFW has been lobbying the Air Transport Association of America to wave the fees, but a spokesman responded by saying that the organization had no control over the baggage fees charged by individual airlines.

5 steps to smarter packing

Hacker installs video camera in checked luggage

by Grant Martin on

Ever wonder what happens to your luggage after you give it to the ticket agent and it gets swallowed by the conveyor belt system? Or why you always seem to have that note from the TSA after you get your bag back saying that they dug through your bag and helped themselves to your gummy worms?

Computer programmer Algormor was curious about why his bag kept getting molested by the TSA every time he traveled, so he finally got fed up and installed a camera inside of it. Leaving the film rolling, he checked his bag on a few trips and recorded what happened in the airport innards. His talk on the whole setup and execution was featured at The Last Hope conference earlier this year, but until a few days ago he hadn’t posted the video.

For all of your conspiracy theorists, what he found unfortunately won’t floor you. His videos show a lot of time on conveyor belts, the camera vibrating all around and the general boringness that many would expect from a luggage system. No fiddling, rifling through or malice from the TSA.

Perhaps the most interesting (least uninteresting) parts seem to be on the leg between Indianapolis and Chicago where you see a TSA fella pick up the bag, flip it over and go back to text messaging. On next trip around on the conveyor belt he’s taking a break.

Big deal. But for those curious about baggage handling systems, a fun little tour. Check out the videos at algormor.org.

Daily Deal – Tumi annual summer sale

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s deal of the day is another luggage sale. Tumi is holding its yearly “Summer Sale“, and some of their most popular products are on sale for as much as 50% off.

Tumi products are not cheap, but when it comes to $300 luggage, there are 2 kinds of people; those who love $300 luggage, and those who laugh at those who love $300 luggage.

When your backpack, duffel bag or rolling case is also your home for most of the year, you learn to appreciate high quality luggage. If you have ever watched your suitcase come down the baggage carousel followed by your clothes, you’ll understand why I have been a happy Tumi customer for many years.

My poor rolling case has been around the world several times, but still feels brand new, give or take a couple of battle scars and about 40 airport security stickers.

Some of the highlights of the sale (in my opinion) are the Mulberry 22″ wheeled duffel for $199 (was $295) and this 24″ wheeled packing case for $229 (was $345).

Don’t get me wrong, not everything is a hot deal, unless you are looking for an overpriced $89 leather envelope or this $1200 suitcase.

All Tumi luggage comes with either 3 or 5 years warranty, and the first year is a full coverage which also covers accidental damage by the airlines. All Tumi luggage products include their free Tracer program which allows you to register the item serial number with Tumi, which could come in handy if it ever fails to arrive at your destination.

The Tumi summer sale lasts till July 31st and shipping starts at just $5.