Tag Archives: airport security

Remote-Controlled Toys and Air Travel—What You Need To Know

Talk about timing. Last month my 3-year-old daughter was invited to her pal Chris’ birthday party. A few days before the party we went shopping for a gift. After 2 hours contemplating what constituted as the “perfect” present (for Chris… and my daughter’s next 7 birthdays) we settled on a remote control Jeep. Believe it or not that Jeep turned out to be the hit of the party. Chris ripped it open and let it fly through the backyard. For the next hour or so party guests lined up for their turn to take the Jeep for a spin. That’s … Continue reading →

Eliminating Long Waits At Airport Security Screening Areas

What would life be like if we couldn’t call ahead and reserve a table at our favorite restaurant? And what would golfers do if they didn’t have the option of making a tee time? The scene at eateries and golf courses would likely resemble the chaos of airport security screening areas. Frustrated individuals made to wait in endless lines taking their ire out on the people next to them. But, what if airline passengers were able to reserve a time to go through airport security checkpoints? Don’t choke laughing. The Transportation Security Administration recently announced it is exploring whether such … Continue reading →

More Ways To Avoid Nasty Looks At Airport Security Screening Areas

As I mentioned in a previous blog, no traveler wants the distinction of being the clog in the airport security line. At least I don’t; especially considering some of the unkind words I have overheard other passengers toss in the direction of line cloggers I’ve had the misfortune of standing next to. So how can you avoid getting the nasty looks and becoming the target of verbal assaults at the airport security screening area? Here are a few more tips: Tip #5—–Asthma Sufferers Take Note New security rules prohibit aerosols from being packed in carry-on bags. Which means that some … Continue reading →

How To Avoid Nasty Looks At Airport Security Screening Areas

Have you ever gotten the look at the airport? You know the icy, if-daggers-could-fly-from-pupils stare that fellow passengers give to anyone who is holding up the line at the security screening area? Believe me; if you know want to protect your child from hearing a litany of profanities (I kid you not) you don’t ever want to be the one causing the bottle neck at the airport X-ray machine. With the busy holiday travel season fast approaching and the advent of new security devices still a ways off I am providing some steps you can take to make sure your … Continue reading →

Can We Find A Way To Eliminate Liquid Restrictions On Airplanes?

Have you ever wondered how it is possible that we can create a vehicle that transports people to the moon, yet we can’t seem to come up with an airport-screening device that can detect liquid explosives? Having such a machine would mean that we could all go back to toting unlimited supplies of juice for our children without having to worry about exceeding the Transportation Security Administration’s existing 3-ounce rule. Well… it looks like help is on the way. Hopefully. Executives with the Homeland Security Department recently announced that they are working with top government scientists to test a new … Continue reading →

The Benefits Of Advance Technology Airport X-Ray Machines

I you read this blog regularly then you know I have a lot to say regarding the airport security screening process and specifically the X-ray machines employed by the Transportation Security Administration. Simply put: I am not as concerned about the intensity of the X-ray as much as I am with the consistency of the machine. (For whatever reason, I always seem to get stuck behind the passenger who makes the machine malfunction.) Bottom Line: I just want to get through the security checkpoint as quickly as possible. If you share my philosophy on airport security checkpoints you will be … Continue reading →

So Much For The ShoeScanner

I was really rooting for this machine. As I mentioned in a previous blog I travel with a young child and had really hoped the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be able to work out the kinks with the ShoeScanner they were testing at a Florida airport. I happen to be one of the airline passengers who had hoped to someday go through airport security without having to take my shoes off. The ShoeScanner was supposed to make that happen. For those of you who are not familiar with the security device it was supposed to work like this: Passengers … Continue reading →

The Secret Code That Gets You Screened

I’ve wondered, while standing in the airport security check line, what makes them single out a person for a thorough screening. Sometimes, it doesn’t seem to make sense — the harried mom, or the hurried businessperson, or the cute, youngish woman flying alone (that’d be me) gets pulled out of line and searched. It happened to me on a flight from Newark, NJ to Cincinnati, Ohio. I got pulled out of line and had to wait — feeling nervous and awkward — while the security folks pawed through my bag and went over me with that wand thing. At first, … Continue reading →

ShoeScanners and Toddlers

Recently, I’ve done alot of bragging about what a wonderful little traveler my toddler daughter is… well, now it’s confession time. There is a part of flying that she absolutely dreads—-removing her shoes at airport security. I’m not exactly sure what causes her such distress (on our recent trip to Hawaii she screamed each time we had to deposit her shoes into the plastic bin and watch them travel through the X-ray machine). We don’t wear shoes in our home—maybe that’s it. Whatever the reason, she had an absolute fit in three different airports. I’m sure the TSA agents there … Continue reading →

Grandma Puts Baby Through Airport X-Ray Machine

It’s not exactly how you want to start off your holiday travels—taking your baby to the hospital. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what one woman had to do after she mistakenly put her 1-month-old grandson through an X-ray machine at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this week. According to police, a shocked security worker noticed the shape of a child on the carry-on baggage-screening monitor and immediately pulled him out. The infant was immediately rushed to a local hospital, where doctors determined he did not receive a dangerous dose of radiation. Airport officials are calling the incident “an innocent mistake by an … Continue reading →