New TSA rule aims to improve security and cut down on hassle

by Meg Massie on

Up until now, airline passengers have only been required to provide as much as their first initial and last name to get a plane ticket. However, due to the high rate of false matches to names on the government’s terrorist watch list, passengers will soon be required to provide their full name and birth date before they can fly.

If your name resembles a name on the watch list, you might get held up at security. It has happened to Senator Edward Kennedy as well as to numerous children, but the TSA says that if they have a full name and birth date for every passenger, they won’t get all the false matches they get with the current first initial and last name system.

Airlines have resisted because of the cost and hassle of updating their computer systems, but as of July 2009, full names will be mandatory. Travelers who book flights without giving all the required information will be unable to print or receive boarding passes until they confirm the missing information with an airline ticket agent.

While the TSA is confident that the new procedure will greatly reduce false matches, it’s not clear that it will actually improve security. Security expert Bruce Schneier says terrorists could get around the rule by buying a ticket using someone else’s name.

Which airlines let you watch porn?

by Mike Barish on

Last month, fellow Gadling blogger Grant Martin wrote about airlines filtering in-flight wireless content. Now MSNBC has an article on exactly which airlines are filtering adult content. So, who is letting you join the mile high club alone?

Well, if you are flying on American or Delta, be prepared to pack your own copy of Juggs, because they have asked their wireless provider, AirCell, to filter adult content. Coincidentally, these are two of my least favorite airlines to fly. Southwest is currently testing the use of in-flight wi-fi and their partner, Row 44, will also be filtering content. You’re now free to move about the country. But not your own genitals.

Air Canada will begin offering wireless next spring and their spokesman said that it is too early to comment on filtering. Their fellow hosers at Alaska Airlines have no immediate plans to filter content but will include “a few key bullets in the terms of service area” that will outline what they mean by “appropriate use.” That sounds hot.

Meanwhile, those rebels over at Virgin America have no plans to filter their wireless access. And they also do not filter their seatback touch-screen entertainment. It’s basically a flying peepshow. Kudos to you, Sir Richard Branson. I’d give you a high five, but I think I know where your hand has been.

So there you have it. Armed with this knowledge, your laptop and a 3 oz. container of hand lotion, you are now prepared to indulge in whatever internet habits you deem appropriate while crammed inside a flying tube. Remember: The only safe travel is self travel.

Hermès Heir Gets Crotchety on Flight

by Mike Barish on

According to the NY Times, an heir to the Hermès fashion fortune got a little too touchy feely on a recent Air France Flight. It’s an odd episode that involves drinking, crotch grabbing and excessive restraints.

Mathias Guerrand-Hermès sidled up to a young mademoiselle in first class. She was a bit put off by this and woke her husband, who was – not so shockingly – similarly unamused by Mr. Guerrand-Hermès’ advances.

Guerrand-Hermès refused to listen to a flight attendant’s request to return to his seat so she summoned the captain. And here’s where things go from uncomfortable to erotic. When approached by the captain, Guerrand-Hermès decided his best mode of defense was the ol’ crotch grab. Thankfully, the captain was able to withstand this awkward maneuver and Guerrand-Hermès was eventually subdued in his seat. By three (male) flight attendants. And handcuffs. And shackles. And by being tied down.

Guerrand-Hermès claims that he mixed Propofan (a prescription drug similar to aspirin) with “quite a bit of alcohol.” I’m no doctor, but that sounds like a bad idea. But since the label didn’t say, “Side effects include lewd advances on married women and homoerotic attack strikes,” can you really blame him for the mix-up?

One can only hope that this bad publicity doesn’t hurt his career as a socialite and polo player.

Other Travel Troublemakers

Anxiety-Sensing Machine Could Spot Terrorists at Security Checkpoints

by Josh Lew on

It sounds like something out of George Orwell’s classic 1984. Though it will be at least several years before there is any talk about installing them in airports, the Department of Homeland Security is hopeful that a new screening device could revolutionize airport security. The machine senses things like body temperature, pulse rate and breathing. It will work much like a lie detector, only without the wires. People’s vitals will be measured as they walk past a bank of cameras and sensors.

As you can imagine, some people are upset by the idea of these new machines. What about nervous travelers or people who are simply on edge because they know that their pulse and breath rates are being monitored so closely? What about someone who is agitated because their flight was delayed? Will they be carted off the the back room for interrogation?

Keep in mind, though, that the idea is in the very early stages of development. It is slated for at least three more years of testing before before the next step, which, if security officials decided to continue, would include more testing and, surely, more opposition to the idea.

Source

Photo of the Day (8-06-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

Today is my dad’s birthday. As he’s become older, he’s become a real world traveler. His next major trip is to the Philippines. It’s hard to keep up. He’s also been to Maui where Global Voyager snapped this shot. Even though my dad doesn’t jump off cliffs like this guy, the heading for the photo “I can fly” reminded me of my dad. Traveling is how he soars.

Besides, if you’ve ever taken action shots, you’ll know that the chances of capturing such a perfect image where the person is suspended, just so, is not easy. Notice how the clouds are reflected in the water. Neat touch.

If you have an image you’d like to share, send it our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. It may become a Photo of the Day.