Darwin safety becomes a political issue

by Tom Johansmeyer on

No, this is not a rallying cry for fundamentalists or a push for evolutionary biology: I’m talking about Darwin, Australia.

After three tourists from Korea were assaulted and robbed, the Northeast Territory Opposition Leader, Terry Mills, called Darwin unsafe for travel. The visitors were relieved of their cigarettes, cell phone and a pair of sunglasses while walking to a bus stop in Parap. Three boys and a girl approached. The girl asked for cigarettes, and the boys attacked the target.

There have been other attacks in the area, as well, including one on a 75-year-old man who was beaten for pocket change en route to a bus stop in Palmerston. The week before that, 20 youths surrounded and allegedly bashed a man near a bus station.

Mills’ message has more to do with perception, it seems, than genuine travel advisory. Tourists, he worries, will get the impression that Darwin isn’t safe.

New airline idea: goal is to beat the odds

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Columnist Jeremy Clarkson, at The Sun, has come up with a brilliant airline concept: take it easy, and play the odds. He laments the fact that it takes “about six years” to check in and considers the security process to be troublesome. They won’t even let you keep your toothpaste!

Of course, we have all this security in place for a reason. There are many threats to safety … and it’s not just terrorism. We’ve had smokers on Saudi flights, and drunk passengers remain a perpetual problem. Yet, what are the odds of being killed by international terrorism? Clarkson puts it at about the same as drowning in a bathtub. Since the 1960s, he continues, eating peanuts and being struck by lightning have proved more lethal. Worldwide, there are approximately 70,000 flights every day, with only 50 or so hijacked in the past 40 years.

With no security, this number is likely to increase. Even if thousands of planes are hijacked a day, he observes, more than 60,000 will land as usual.

This leaves the unfortunate question, though. Mr. Clarkson: are you willing to take those odds? One in seven?

Not me …

Test driving Clear Security

by Grant Martin on

Well that took for ever. On January 19th of this year, I took the opportunity to sign up for a free trial of Clear Security. Designed to help the frequent traveler pass through airport security checkpoints faster, the system takes several biometric data from the passenger and in exchange returns expedited service through security. They have kiosks at over a dozen of the largest airports in the country (and some venues) marked with a light blue Clear cube.

Whether the service is useful, saves time, is worth the money or is truly secure is a good, relevant question, but for now we’ll focus on the logistics of Clear Security operation.

Signing up for the Clear program is a two step process. Interested travelers must first go to flyclear.com where any number of coupons will earn you discounted or free service for a few months. At the site, you give normal registration data and authorize the collection of “excess data,” which are the biometrics with which you’ll identify yourself in the future. Clear will also ask if they can share your retinal data with NIST (National Institute for Standards and Technology) for research purposes, but you can decline this.

Once you provide billing information, you’re required to go to the airport for the second half of enrollment. At any kiosk outside of security, you basically explain that you signed up online and need to provide additional info, then an agent will assist you in providing your biometrics. Passing through Chicago on my way to Boston this January, I took this chance. Each of my ten fingers was scanned separately, then I stepped back at the machine and stared at the window while it scanned my irises. After that, I headed my own way with the knowledge that my card would arrive in 2 – 4 weeks.
It took me three attempts and nearly that many months to finally use my Clear security card. Not every airport hosts the system, and my home McNamara terminal at Detroit Metro isn’t one of them, so I had to wait until I passed through one of the cities to try out the service.

The first time was in LaGuardia airport, departing from New York into Detroit on a 6AM flight. Reaching the airport with my Clear security card eagerly in hand, I was disappointed to find out that that the lane wasn’t open. Operating hours vary by airport and in this case, I was too early to indulge. My fault.

Passing through of Boston‘s airport a few weeks back, I missed my second chance. As Northwest Airlines has just switched terminals at Logan, I was unprepared when I arrived at Terminal 1 at 5:30AM and found an outrageously long line at security. Clear’s lane was empty.

The next week I came prepared. It turns out the line wasn’t as long as it was 7 days earlier, but determined to use my status I marched towards the checkpoint wielding my Clear card. With no line in front me, I approached the kiosk and was greeted by a friendly attendant who took my boarding pass and watched me insert my card. In turn, the machine asked me for a random biometric. In this case, it asked for my right thumb, and I willingly obliged. According to the agent I could have chosen another metric, including any of my other fingers or my retinas, but my thumb print would suffice for now.

A fraction of a second later the machine beeped, the attendant checked my boarding pass and I was ushered towards an x-ray line.

It’s important to remind you at this point that Clear does not circumvent your requirement to go through the metal detector, screen your bags or pack 100mL containers. The real time saved is in the avoidance of oft lengthly lines to get your boarding pass screened. In some airports, after screening you merge with the regular line in front of the metal detector. In others, you get access to your own quasi-personal line.

This was the case in Boston, where the absolute nicest Clear agent was scrambling around picking up plastic bins for passengers. While I could have easily leaned over and picked up my own plastic tub, I appreciated the gesture and effort that this poor guy was putting into his job.

At this point, all passengers converged and the benefits of Clear ended. The total time I saved in Boston? This time I probably saved about three minutes. Last week I would have saved about a half hour. And that could make a big difference when you reach the airport at 5:45 for your 6AM flight.

For what it’s worth, now that my three month Clear trial is almost up my account is automatically expiring. This is a nice because I don’t have to worry about remembering to cancel the service to avoid hefty annual fees. That said, if you get the opportunity to try the service out for free, give it a go. It’s worth trying for no obligation, right?

A dozen lucky people are going to Afghanistan!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Bored with the usual travel fare? Get in touch with Poland-based Logos Travel, and you could find yourself in Afghanistan for two weeks. All 12 spots have been purchased – at prices of up to $3,700 each. Poland’s Foreign Ministry doesn’t think this is a bright idea, though, and issued a travel warning … as if one were necessary.

In case you didn’t know, people are fighting over there. With guns and bombs and grenades and everything else they can find. In fact, a shipment of cigars for U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan was delayed because of the intensity of the fighting.

Currently, 1,600 Polish troops are among the NATO forces fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

According to Marek Sliwka, owner of Logos Travel, security measures are being taken, including armed guards. The trip starts on May 2, but it could be scrapped if the fighting becomes too intense. Stops include Kabul, Herat, and the site of the two giant Buddha statues that were destroyed at the turn of the century. The Tora Bora caves were once considered a possibility, but this was cut from the itinerary for safety reasons.

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Fill your bottles before going to UK … because you can

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The British government is planning to ease its ban on the amount of liquid you can take into and out of the country. Currently, passengers are only allowed to carry 100 ml bottles. Improved airport X-ray machines are expected to render that limit unnecessary. If all goes well – based on secret technology being tested by German scientists – the ban could be lifted by the end of the year.

Originally, the prohibition on fluids was enacted as a response to summer 2006 terror attacks. This new technology would improve the ability of security personnel to identify nefarious liquids. So, if all goes well, it will have taken us 3 ½ years to get back to the 2006 norm. Finally, a return to the days of easy duty free liquor!