Next week: batteries banned from checked luggage

by Justin Glow on

Attention gadget-packing travelers: starting January 1, 2008, you will no longer be able to pack “loose lithium batteries” in your checked luggage, says the Department of Transportation. By loose, they mean either A) not attached to an electronic device in your checked luggage, or B) not in a zipped plastic baggy in your carry-on.

“Common consumer electronics such as travel cameras, cell phones, and most laptop computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage,” reads the report. “However, the rule limits individuals to bringing only two extended-life spare rechargeable lithium batteries, such as laptop and professional audio/video/camera equipment lithium batteries in carry-on baggage.” Spare is the key word there.

For once, as Chris Elliott notes, this new regulation isn’t due to a terrorism threat. Instead, the ban is a safety precaution, as “lithium batteries are considered hazardous materials because they can overheat and ignite in certain conditions.”

In case the light-on-details report is unclear, this means that you can still bring your digital cameras and laptops on-board in your carry-on, but loose batteries — such as an extra one for your laptop or camera — must be limited to two, and placed in a plastic baggy if carried on. What isn’t clear is how the TSA will determine whether or not your audio, video, or camera equipment is “professional.” And if it’s not professional, is there still a limit on how many batteries you can bring on board?

TSA at Newark receives praise

by Jamie Rhein on

On December 24th, when I was at the airport in Columbus to send my mother off on Continental Airlines for a trip to see my brother in Manhattan, I heard a few announcements over the loud speaker. One was from an airline about an article of clothing left on the plane. Would the person who left it please return to the gate? Then there was an announcement about a cell phone left in the bin at security.

With travel having a hectic quality about it, leaving belongings behind is common. I hoped whoever was being beckoned heard the come hither notices and thought how nice it was that an effort was being made to reunite people with their belongings even though the loss was due to passenger error. I’ve had my own left behind incidences. Most ended happily.

According to Jaunted, TSA in Newark gets kudos for making more effort than all TSAs to make sure people hook up once more with whatever they’ve left behind. One person left a $30,000 Rolex watch. Can you imagine forgetting such a thing? I’d be sad if my Swatch watch with the butterfly on it that I bought in Hsinchu, Taiwan went missing. Come to think of it, where is that thing? The laundry room. I need this TSA in my house.

There are four people with Newark’s TSA who spend their work days helping to make the reunions happen. Most people never get their stuff back because most don’t go looking. If you ever leave anything behind, go find it. Maybe you’ll get lucky. If you’re in Newark, chances are you will. There is also a chance that Newark’s TSA methods will be implemented elsewhere since it’s been successful. Hmm, if 15% is successful and they have the best system, just think about the stockpile of stuff at airports.

More ‘Big Brother’ from your neighborhood TSA

by Jerry Guo on

News is just out that there’s plans from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to record and track more passenger information, including full names, birthdates, and gender for background checks. Almost everyone is against this, including the major airlines, travel agencies, and of course, the general public.

A 2004 law was passed that required transferring the control of passenger info from the airlines to TSA, so passage of this plan (or some variation) seems inevitable.

Now, why should you care? It does seem like every week we hear of another zany plan by the TSA to do more snooping. Well, first keep in mind the more records the TSA has its hands on, the more mistakes they’ll make. There’s already hundreds of horror stories of innocent civilians who are blocked from traveling, because they were mistakenly added to the national terrorism watchlist for instance. Then, there’s the security risk – of our private information being stolen. Again, many cases to cite on this.

What can we do? Go voice our opinions at the polls next November!

What does the TSA do with your confiscated goods?

by Catherine Bodry on

Ever wonder what happened to your airport-security-confiscated bottle of French wine, the $20 bottle of shampoo you splurged on, or even just the best darn pair of clippers to ever touch your toenails? Well, it probably didn’t go into the rubbish bin. However, it might’ve gone straight to your security agent’s gut (or in the case of my Aveda shampoo and favorite nail clippers, bathroom).

Travel writer and flight attendant James Wysong decided to inquire after all the contraband withheld at the airport, and here’s what he found out: most metal items go to a melting plant, while pocket knives are donated to organizations like the Boy Scouts of America. And his friend now has a stellar collection comprised of 600 lighters.

Liquor used to be tossed (away, not back!), until cleaning staff reportedly began getting tipsy on the job. Now liquor must be taken to a supervisor’s office to be “properly disposed.”

Just what “properly disposed” means Wysong isn’t able to find out. But I know exactly how I would properly dispose of my French wine. Don’t you?

[via Msnbc]

TSA warns screeners of its own tests

by Catherine Bodry on

The Transportation Security Administration is so committed to air travel safety that it’s conducting tests at airport security checkpoints. The only problem? During at least one test, the Administration warned its screeners that a test was under way, and even provided details of undercover agents. The TSA sent out an email to more than a dozen recipients warning that security testing by the FAA and Department of Transportation was under way.

And the email got detailed: the Associated Press reports that the e-mail “relayed an alert that described a couple who were testing security. The woman is white but has ‘an oriental woman’s picture’ on her identification card, it stated. ‘They will print a boarding pass from a flight, change the date, get through security (if not noticed) and try to board a flight and place a bag in the overhead.'”

The TSA won’t comment on the incident, and emphasizes its commitment to safety.

[via Msnbc]