The future of airport screening – 3D HD images?

by Scott Carmichael on


This is pretty damn impressive – GE is showing off a demo video of their newest luggage scanning equipment.

Unlike current systems that present the screener with a grainy 2D image, the GE “CTX 9800 DSi” is able to grab images from all angles, and present it in HD.

The device just gained TSA certification, which probably means some of our tax money will be going towards buying them to help protect our airports from terrorist passengers.

Then again, knowing how much theft occurs in the baggage area, it could also just be a fantastic new tool for thieves to find better valuables.

(Via: Engagdet)

Airlines losing less of our baggage – for the wrong reasons

by Scott Carmichael on

Here is (what should be) a great piece of news from the aviation world – domestic US carriers are losing fewer of our bags.

A staggering 1.3 million bags were not lost when compared to statistics from the previous year.

Normally, airlines would have a good reason to be proud of this result. It could be because they are paying more attention to their baggage procedures, or simply that their staff are learning to be more respectful of our belongings, but sadly, the reason they are losing less luggage has a far more logical explanation.

People are not checking as many bags.

The airlines, in their infinite wisdom decided that checking a bag is a luxury that should be sold to us, in addition to our ticket fee.

Too many passengers refuse to pay this fee, so as more people drag all their luggage on board the plane, fewer bags have to be placed in the baggage hold. It all makes perfect sense.

American Airlines was the clear winner with a 26% improvement over 2007. But of course, American Airlines was also the first of the major carriers to introduce the pay-to-check baggage scheme.

Eventually, the whole thing will probably come back and bite the airlines in the ass. As more people carry more stuff on to the plane, departure times will get delayed, flight attendants will have to spend more time finding space for bags that don’t fit in the overhead compartment, and passengers will still get their bags checked for free when the crew have to do a gate check for any bags that can’t be stored in the cabin.

Baggage thieves helped themselves to laptop computers and jewelry

by Scott Carmichael on

If you ever lost valuables from your luggage during a flight from Portland International airport, then you might be happy to hear that the cops arrested the possible suspects.

Jose Trejo Romero and Bridgette Bunnell were arrested after an investigation into a recent spike in luggage theft from the airport.

Both workers handled luggage for Northwest Airlines, and helped themselves to over 200 items from passenger bags. Included in their haul were laptop computers and jewelry.

Of course, this is a good time to remind you to never check a laptop in your luggage, and to keep all other valuables in your carry-on bag. Sadly there are just too many dishonest people out there, and apparently not enough oversight.

It always amazes me that someone is able to enter the sterile zone of an airport without a laptop, and go home at the end of the day with a laptop. I have better security at my local warehouse store.

While you and I are searched from head to toe for dangerous bottled water, scumbags like Romero and Bunnell are helping themselves to our belongings.

(Via: KREM.com)

Check out some of these other wacky laws, place names and signs from around the world!


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.

Stranded travelers riot at Argentine airport

by Justin Glow on

In most airports I’ve traveled through, when confronted with flight delays or rude ticket agents, passengers quietly express their concern with the situation. Sure, there are a usually few outcasts who raise their voice or stomp their feet to show their frustration. Some of us even shake our fists in the air, bravely vowing to blog to the world, Mr. Johanson, just how rude you are, and how ugly your vest.

But in Argentina, they riot

After learning of numerous flight cancellations, frustrated travelers at Ministro Pistarini International Airport (also known as Ezeiza Airport) near Buenos Aires turned their anger towards the ticket counter, “tossing computers in the air and shoving security guards,” according to an AP article. “Local television broadcasts showed passengers overrunning ticketing counters, throwing computers and wrestling with airport personnel, even as a spokesman for the airline attempted to explain the cause of delays.”

The delays were said to be caused by a labor dispute involving pilots and baggage handlers. Incidentally, these are the same baggage handlers who have been frequently accused by a local news station of stealing electronics out of luggage, according to Wikipedia. The unions, naturally, blamed the delays on overbooked flights.