Airport Surprises
bySlogging through endless airports, hoping for a nice lounge, or at least a seat near a power outlet. Occasionally, delightful surprises are discovered. For…
Slogging through endless airports, hoping for a nice lounge, or at least a seat near a power outlet. Occasionally, delightful surprises are discovered. For…
Regular readers of Thiefhunters in Paradise know that I recommend hard-sided luggage and avoid zippered bags as checked luggage. I’ve seen way too many exploded zippers…
Like shopping? Like to be forced into shopping? Ever feel like boycotting a store because of the arrogant manner shown towards its customers? Arlanda…
Sometimes an exhausted traveler just has to give in and conk out. You can intend to be productive. You can try to be productive….
Here it is, 2014, and we are in the airport of Springfield IL, the capital of Illinois. I’m amused to see the actual, in-use,…
90% of the times I bypass a long line at a ladies’ room, I find an unused, available, extra-wide, “accessible” cubicle. Trained by parking…
You find the strangest things in airport lounges. Fancy banana liqueur? This was in the Turkish Air lounge in Izmir. Let me tell you:…
Another ring of airport luggage thieves has been arrested, this time at Los Angeles International Airport. So? Big deal. I’m not impressed. Not relieved….
The weather was terrible when we visited Japan last month. There was a whole inch of snow on the ground, and slushy puddles to…
Just wondering: what kind of clientele does United Airlines have? I mean, is it really necessary to place a formal request on each coffee…
Luggage self-check Luggage self-check? There’s nothing new about self-checking in and getting boarding passes from an airport terminal. The KLM check-in machines at Amsterdam’s…
I found this red circle embedded in the wooden table at a coffee shop in the Helsinki airport. Next to it was a little…
For various reasons, my luggage is hard to steal from. I take hundreds of flights every year, and so far, thank goodness, nothing has…
“New figures out today show 381 TSA officers have been fired for stealing from passengers and their luggage, and members of Congress think that…
Atlanta Airport Police tell a business traveler that luggage theft from the carousel is currently an “epidemic” and “out of control.” The busines-traveler-victim plays…
There goes our iPad. Swallowed by the security conveyor belt, immediately under the prominent sign that says “The tray stays until it is emptied.”…
Arlanda airport, Stockholm—When I first saw this box from a distance, I took it to be some sort of dispenser. As in, get your…
Is it legal to take photos at airport security checkpoints, or not? Occasionally I’ll politely ask a TSA officer if I may take a…
Imagine the post office delivering your mail to a big open heap, mixed with the envelopes and boxes of 300 strangers. The honor-based system…
Why Thieves Prefer Black Bags Yeah, this story’s everywhere, about the Phoenix couple who made a living stealing luggage off the airport carousel. Police…
Brother-in-law, though a frequent flyer, forgot to move his pocket knife from his carry-on to his checked bag. He groaned when TSA discovered it….
We good citizens are trained from an early age to respect authority. It’s not easy to ask a uniformed policeman for identification, or even…
We flew from Anchorage to Homer on Alaska Airlines flight 4878, operated by ERA Aviation. No TSA. No screening; none at all. Liquids? Okay!…
The moment Michael Griffith turned his back, his wife let out a bloodcurdling scream. He whipped around to see Nancy jumping up and down,…
So you’ve made it through security. Does that mean you’re in a secure area? Not secure enough to relax your attention. Thieves have been…
Kharem’s Lucky Haul Kharem, a pickpocket in Spain, sometimes chooses Barcelona’s airport over the rich pickings of the city. When Bob and I again…
“Did you know you’re wearing mismatched shoes?” a well-dressed Englishman said to our friend, Brooks, at London’s Heathrow airport one day. Brooks was talking…
Mid-08, I noted my travel stats year-to-date. Here’s how the year wrapped up. I made 105 takeoffs and landings during the calendar year. I…
A few days ago, a foreigner arrived at Mexico City’s international airport and exchanged money there. What he didn’t know was that he was…
Lord and Lady Ball (yes, their real names), enjoyed a week in warm Palma de Mallorca, an annual retreat from the dreary London weather….