Bullets found on Southwest flight by CNN photographer going to cover Sarah Palin

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Let your kids kick the seats in front of them: it could save your life. If you’re the passenger being inconvenienced, it may behoove you to find a way to cope.

A kid who would otherwise be branded a royal pain found a loaded gun magazine … that should have been in the hands of a law enforcement official … on a Southwest Airlines flight. To make matters worse, the media was actually on the plane!

Here’s how it happened:

1. A kid was sitting on his mother’s lap during a flight from Burbank, California to Phoenix, Arizona
2. The plane landed, and the kid crawled across the seats in his row
3. His foot knocked an item to the floor – it was a loaded gun magazine
4. A flight attendant picked it up, but not before someone from a CNN crew, photographer Gregg Canes, saw it
5. The CNN passenger asked to take pictures of it, but the flight attendant would not let him
6. The gun magazine was turned over to the authorities

It’s that simple, folks … but it does get a lot more interesting.According to a statement by Southwest, “The item was immediately turned over to the crew working the flight who called in the local authorities to handle the investigation,” continuing, “The passengers who were remaining on that flight were rescreened and the plane was thoroughly inspected before returning to service.” They were ten allowed to get off the plane.

Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King told CNN that the officer who left the gun mag behind did follow the proper procedures to bring his gun on the plane. CNN adds:

“The full magazine was found in a back seat pocket,” a TSA official told CNN. “We believe it was left by a law enforcement officer on a flight that originated in San Jose and landed in Burbank. The officer was not an air marshal and we are trying to establish contact with the agent.”

Canes put it best: “It was actually almost funny, given the amount of scrutiny that we’ve been paying to the [Transportation Security Administration] and personal security. It seemed almost funny to see a magazine with bullets in it just sort of lying on the floor of a commercial jetliner.”

Need a bit of irony to round this out? Canes must have been in a gun state of mind; he was headed to Phoenix to cover a Sarah Palin book signing.

[photo by gcfairch via Flickr]

When NOT to book travel online

by Kraig Becker on

Over the past 15 years or so, the Internet has managed to pervade every part of our lives. These days we use it to stay in touch with friends and family, pay bills, watch television, and a whole lot more. Of course, travelers were amongst the first to see benefits from the Internet, and now days it has become common practice to track, compare, and purchase airfares online. But the benefits to travelers have gone well beyond that, as it’s now simple to book hotels or even entire vacations, without ever speaking to an actual person.

But is this approach the best way to make your travel plans? According to CNN Travel, not always. In fact, they’ve come up with a list of 7 trips you should never book online, suggesting instead that, at least in these cases, you should consult with a travel agent rather than making the plans yourself. They argue that it is too easy to get duped on the web and hidden fees can end up costing you more in the long run anyway. A cautionary tale of a couple’s disastrous honeymoon, completely booked online, is used to illustrate these points.

And what are these seven trips you should avoid using the Internet to book? The list includes cruises, around-the-world trips, international travel, exotic journeys, like a safari or trekking expedition, or when you’re traveling for a special occasion, such as an anniversary or honeymoon. They also say that you should avoid using the Internet when you lack the time to do the proper planning yourself or if you are uncomfortable with using technology or navigating online in general.

So, what do you think? Are there times when it’s still not prudent to use the Internet to plan your travels? Ever had any horror stories from booking online? Personally, I’ve had very good luck with using the Internet as a tool to not only research destinations, but also make all my plans, connect with fellow travelers, and purchase airfares and hire guide services. At this point, I can’t imagine doing it any other way. That said, I can still see the benefit of using a travel agent under certain circumstances.%Gallery-67351%

CNN viewers believe staycations are fun

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I know, I half-promised someone that I wouldn’t write about the stupid movement any more, but the travel news has been slower lately than I’d hoped. So, you get to deal with another BS story about “staycations.” At least, I’ve kicked in a video this time.

For those of you with addresses beneath rocks, a “staycation” is a euphemism for “the financial crisis has left me too broke or too petrified to spend money on travel.” The concern is real. Anyone who sees a silver lining to our current economic situation probably does so through the lens of LSD.

It’s no secret that fewer people are traveling. Instead of conducting its small “Twitter poll,” CNN could just as easily have come to Gadling, where we’ve hit up a large group of real people to understand their travel plans – or lack thereof.

Well, the slow news days of late affecting the travel industry hit CNN as it hit me. So, they interviewed Matt Wixon, author of The Great American Staycation about how to make the most of very little. His prime example is to look at your hometown the way a tourist would … a total rehash of the boilerplate staycation story.

But, how would a tourist view some bland suburb? Sure, you could always head over to the nearest city, which could provide some relief.

Ultimately, a successful staycation is really nothing other than the command your mother gave you when you spent too much time in front of the television: use your imagination. Since you are responsible for the fun you have on your non-trip vacation, you are ultimately on the hook for making the experience satisfying.

Duh.

A great staycation, therefore, is just finding ways to amuse yourself at home.

Check out the video after the jump.

Become a world famous traveler

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Want to be a famous traveler? Gadling fave Christopher Elliott wrote “How to be a Youtube travel star,” which explains how you can turn your vacation videos into internet acclaim, but there are more ways to publicize your excursions. Several websites have popped up to help travel reporters connect with sources. Yes, we need you to help us write the stories you read. By helping us, you can become a celebrity in our community. Generally, all you have to do is register with a service and reply to the queries that resonate with you.

The process, regardless of which service you use, is pretty simple. You receive an e-mail or view a website with a list of stories travel reporters are writing. If one of them fits with your experiences, you reply with a brief e-mail explaining how you can help. The reporter may follow up with a phone call or e-mail (if additional information is necessary). Then, when the story runs, you have something to hang on the fridge.

I’ve worked with three of these services: MediaKitty, TravMedia and Help a Reporter. Each is interesting, and if they don’t have what interests you, you can always try citizen journalism.

MediaKitty is a complete travel media network, bringing sources, experts, publicists and reporters together to make sure that news has a chance of being reported. So, whether you are promoting a client or just have your own stories to tell, you can join this website and become a part of the action. There is a catch, however. Fame isn’t free. Unless you’re a reporter, expect to shell out a modest fee for this service.

TravMedia is mostly for professionals in the travel industry, such as publicists, hotel managers and reporters. So, if you are involved in the travel and hospitality industry and need a new place to push your press releases, for example, this is a great spot. It’s not necessarily a route to individual fame, but if you have a destination or travel company to promote, this is the place to do it.

Help a Reporter is a general service; it’s not limited to travel. But, the travel section usually has a few requests in it (I use it from time to time). The reporter explains what the story is, lists the publication in which it will run and provides any additional instructions. You reply to the reporter by e-mail with your “pitch.” If it fits, fame is only a few mouse-clicks away. I’m biased toward this service because the founder, Peter Shankman, got his start in the AOL newsroom, so he’s part of the extended family.

There’s always the “citizen journalism” option, as well. Go to a website such as DigitalJournal.com or OhmyNews.com to start your own travel column. This gives you the chance to maintain control of your image (and your fame). Also, CNN’s iReport website gives you the chance to move from text to video, and the mother ship does pick up content from its citizen journalism subsidiary from time to time. Hell, nail the write story, and you may even find us linking to you.

Of course, the easiest way to let us know your travel news is to leave feedback on Gadling. If your story turns us on, you’ll hear from someone!

CNN has the wrong idea about what they’re serving on Northwest Airlines flights

by Annie Scott on


Oh, Zain Verjee. It’s not your fault. We all make mistakes. Even sometimes twice in one report.

It doesn’t help that the headline at the bottom there says “Nuts On Northwest Flights.” Not those kind of nuts, CNN!

Transcript:

“Well, peanuts are now on Northwest Airlines’ snack menu, and travelers with allergies are flooding the carrier with complaints about the change. Northwest began serving penis — peanuts this month as its merger partner, Atlanta based Delta Airlines has done for years. Georgia is the top penis — pre — pre — peanut-producing state in the country …”

We know. This is shameless. It’s an honest mistake … but this is what the internet is for. Otherwise, you might have seen that on CNN and never known if anyone else did.

This is almost as funny as the time she was choking on Skittles on-air (after the jump).

CNN’s Zain Verjee chokes on Skittles:


P.S. Keep it up, Georgia!

Click the pictures to learn about other women causing pr-pr-problems —