Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Now Open to Public Access With Pilot Program
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport — in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration — now allows the public to access shops and restaurants beyond the security checkpoint of the terminal without requiring the purchase of an airline ticket from Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8:00 in the morning through 9:00 in the evening with the new SEA Visitor Pass.
The policy change is temporarily and expected to only be available through…
Revisited: Why Do Airplane Crashes Receive So Much Attention?
When a Boeing 737-800 MAX — which operated as Lion Air flight 610 to Pangkal Pinang — crashed into the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia approximately 35 nautical miles northeast of Jakarta shortly after taking off earlier this morning, Monday, October 29, 2018, the media was all over the story. Only six bodies of the 188 people aboard the aircraft — seven of them as members of the flight crew — have been recovered at the time this article was written; and the fairly new aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
An update to this fatal crash incident — of which the fear is that no one has survived — has been posted to the official Internet web site of Lion Air…
Your Chance to Claim Up to £1,500 From British Airways as Compensation For Data Breach
If you were one of the greater than 380,000 customers who may have been affected by a breach of the security systems of British Airways last month, you may qualify to claim up to £1,500.00, if one law firm is successful in its class action suit against the airline.
An official announcement from British Airways — which was first released on Friday, September 7, 2018 — acknowledged and confirmed that…
One Benefit With My Experience of SSSS in Amsterdam
I received my boarding pass from a kiosk at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and found the dreaded four letters no one wants to see printed on it: SSSS, which are the initials for Secondary Security Screening Selection that will appear on your boarding pass when you have been selected by the Secure Flight system of the Transportation Security Administration for “enhanced security screening” at the security checkpoint of an airport.
I was already in the secure area of the airport — in fact, I was screened through a security checkpoint just from transferring from one flight to another within the secure area of the airport and was forced to leave behind a few unopened bottles of water and a can of cola — so I had no idea what more screening could possibly be in store for me.
First, I went through…
My First SSSS in Years — in Amsterdam. What Does That Mean?
I guess I have been very fortunate to not have had the dreaded SSSS printed on my boarding pass in years of traveling — but it is on my boarding pass for travel back to the United States; and yet I am already in the secure area of Schiphol Airport, as I transferred from another flight.
Does this mean that…
Remembering September 11, 2001: 17 Years Since the United States of America Was Attacked
Less than a month after The Gate was launched, I posted an article on Sunday, September 10, 2006 pertaining to my experience regarding the day of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, which I have basically repeated each year since — but with some tweaks and edits along the way. That unedited original article has been posted at the conclusion of this article.
For the first time…
More Reports of In-Flight Sexual Assault Than Ever Before — and What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
If you think that you have been learning more about sexual assaults aboard airplanes in recent years, you would be correct. In fiscal year 2014, 38 cases of sexual assault during flights were reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States; and in the last fiscal year, 63 cases of sexual assault were reported, which represents an increase of almost 66 percent.
“It’s safe to say that many incidents occur that are not reported,” said…
Stupid Tip of the Day: Pay Attention to Crosswalks While Driving. I Was Almost Hit by a Car.
Regardless of the variations of traffic laws, pedestrians have the right of way in many parts of the world — even if the pedestrian is not obeying local traffic laws in some locations — and especially when a crosswalk is physically present.
I was walking westbound on a sidewalk along a major highway in…
TSA Agents Immune From Being Sued Regarding Allegations of Abuse
When Nadine Pellegrino was arrested in 2006 after a physical confrontation with agents of the Transportation Security Administration at Philadelphia International Airport, she probably had no idea that the outcome of her situation would result in a divided panel of three judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia ruling on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 that agents of the Transportation Security Administration who operate security checkpoints at airports nationwide cannot be sued over allegations of abuse by passengers.
Pellegrino and her husband Harry Waldman were on their way traveling home to Florida with…
Travel Alert July 2018: Port-au-Prince in Haiti
If you are traveling to, from or through Port-au-Prince in Haiti over the next few days, be aware that widespread civil unrest, violent demonstrations and crime which is currently rampantly occurring there may disrupt your travel plans.
According to this official travel advisory from the Department of State of the United States…
Recent Comments