September 16, 2011 The House of Representativesis proposing a 60% budget cut to Amtrak that would virtually shut down much of the railroad.
Arthur Frommer has written an excellent blog post on the subject:
(Frank II)
September 16, 2011 It’s something out of science fiction.
Heathrow Airport, just outside London, has introduced driver-less pods to transport passengers between the car parks and terminals.
Each pod can hold up to four passengers and is guided along tracks via laser sensors. They can reach speeds up to 25 mph and run on batteries that recharge themselves. Travel time between the car park and terminal has dropped nearly 60% over the previous bus system as the average wait for a pod is 34 seconds. There is no timetable as each pod is requested as needed.
In the U.S., Raleigh/Durham airport is looking into the feasibility of the same system for their airport.
(Frank II)
September 16, 2011 Amtrak, the train service people either love or hate, reports that through the first 11 months of their current fiscal year (ending Sept. 30) ridership reached 27.8 million people up over 5% from last year. They hope to reach 30 million for the first time within the next two weeks.
Ridership was up on all areas of the country except for the northeast where service was interrupted for a few days due to Hurricane Irene.
Amtrak credits the increase on the ease of train ridership without the hassle of airport security
(Frank II)
September 15, 2011 Just months after a Colgan Airways Bombardier Q400 crashed outside Buffalo, NY, the airline allowed newly hired flight attendants to work on flights before they finished training.
The FAA claims that 84 flight attendants were assigned to 172 passenger flights on the Q400 between Nov 3 and Nov. 9, 2009, even though they had not been taught how to use the fire fighting system of that particular aircraft.
And for that, the FAA is also suggesting a fine of $1.9 which comes down to approximately $5500 per flight attendant per flight.
Colgan Airways was purchased by Pinnacle Airways in 2007 and has ceased to exist. All aircraft were merged into Pinnacle’s system.
(Frank II)
September 15, 2011 Just a reminder that this Saturday, September 17, is National Passport Day.
All passport offices will be open and no appointment is necessary.
If you need a passport, and don’t want to take time off from weekday activities, you might want to take advantage of the only Saturday the numerous Passport Offices will be open.
(Frank II)
September 14, 2011 I just thought I’d give everyone a heads up that there will be some interesting (I hope) and big (depending on your scale) changes coming to 1bag1world.
So….stay tuned….
But, if there is something you’d like to see, let me know. If it’s feasable, I might implement it. (Feasable meaning it’s capable within the limitations of this site and affordable meaning it won’t cost anything.)
(Frank II)
September 13, 2011 On Sunday, 1bag1world reader KF wrote about a Pittsburgh Post Gazette article stating that a new express line at Pittsburgh International Airport would open today strictly for those passengers with ONE carry-on bag.
Today is the starting date and MSNBC is also reporting on it.
It’s one bag, no larger than 22 x 14 x 9. Not one bag and a personal item, just one bag. A coat or sweater will be permitted as well.
Now, wouldn’t it be nice if other airports adopt this great idea made especially for us “onebaggers.”
(Frank II)
September 11, 2011 Today marks the tenth anniversary of one of the worst days in American history.
May we remember those who unnecessarily lost their lives on that day and commend ourselves for not giving in to tyranny.
As travelers, our lives changed dramatically. It’s no longer easy to go from point A to point B but we continue to do so. We don’t let fear, rhetoric or threats stop us from embarking on our journeys.
I wish everyone here safe travels wherever you may go.
(Frank II)
September 6, 2011 Homeland Security Czar Janet Napolitano and TSA head-honcho John Pistole both stated in separate appearances that we’re moving towards an intelligence and risk-based approach to how we screen airline passengers.
Because of this new approach, and thanks to new technology, we may soon not have to take our shoes and belts off while going through airport security. This is similar to what is done in most of the world.
In nearly 10 years since Richard Reid, the infamous “shoebomber,” tried to carry explosives in his shoes, not one person going through security has tried the same thing.
However, no specific date for the change was mentioned.
Both also went on to say that one of the last restrictions to be lifted will be the one on liquids. Technology is far off on this one according to Napolitano.
It looks like we’re stuck with the 3-1-1 bag for quite some time. But, every little bit helps
(Frank II)
September 3, 2011 Our friends at Frommer’s published an article on
How To Avoid Bedbugs While Traveling.
Sadly, this has become a growing problem and one no one wants to have to deal with. By following the suggestions in this article, I believe it’s possible to reduce your bringing home those pesky, biting little creatures
It’s the procedure I now follow when checking into a hotel.
(Frank II)
September 2, 2011 Starting in October, Air Canada will charge a checked bag fee for flights between Canada and the U.S.
Coach passengers will pay $25 for the first bag and $35 for subsequent bags. (Business/First/Elite fliers get free checked bags.)
One free checked bag will still be the rule for flights within Canada.
Aren’t you glad we mostly carry-on?
(Frank II)
August 28, 2011 With all the news of Hurricane Irene affecting flights, hotels, trains, car travel, etc., it had me wondering:
What do one baggers do to prepare themselves for emergencies while traveling?
Sure, with days notice of a hurricane we can all change our plans, but what about earthquakes, terrorist attacks or civil insurrection? Do you pre-plan for “what ifs” or would you rely completely on your hotel/hostel?
If traveling internationally, do you carry the local phone number’s of your country’s consulate?
Have the local contact information for your airline or train? A copy of their schedules?
Extra food in case you are trapped in your room for a number of hours or even a day? Access to clean water?
Access to news?
Flashlight?
Travel health insurance with evacuation privileges?
What do you do or do you do nothing assuming the odds are against anything bad happening?
(Frank II)
August 23, 2011 New rules took effect on Tuesday that will benefit the airline passenger:
1) Passengers involuntarily bumped from oversold flights will get more compensation. Under the new rules, busmped passengers can get up to $650 if the airline can get them to their destination with one or two hours of their originally scheduled arrival time for domestic flights or up to $1300 if they are delayed longer.
Previous limites were $400 and $800 respectively.
The new amounts will be adjusted every two years for inflation.
2) Current rules state that any domestic flight delayed more than three hours must allow passengers to get off the plane or face fines. International flights were exempt.
Now, international flights must abide by the same rules except they area allowed up to four hours before they must comply.
Exceptions are allowed for safety, security or air traffic control-related reasons.
3) If you pay to check a piece of luggage and the airline loses your bag, it must now refund the bag fee. This is in addition to them compensating passengers for lost or damaged baggage.
(Frank II)
August 17, 2011 For the second time in a week, an airline passenger decided to urinate on a plane without bothering to go into the toilet.
On Tuesday, French actor Gerard Depardieu, relieved himself on the floor a his upcoming flight from Paris to Dublin. According to witnesses, the inebriated actor got up as the plane was taxiing for take-off, announced he had to relieve himself—he used other words—but was told by the flight attendant that he’d have to sit down and wait. Instead, he got up and urinated on the carpet. He then quietly sat down.
The “dumbfounded” crew turned the plane around and went back to the gate. The flight was delayed two hours while the carpet was cleaned. No reports of arrest or even if Depardieu was taken off the plane. In fact, the airline, Cityflyer, posted the following two tweets:
Frank@OBOW
French actor Edouard Baer, who was flying with Depardieu on the day of the incident, said Depardieu wanted to apologize for the incident and explain that he was not drunk but actually suffers from a prostate problem. He said the incident was humiliating for Depardieu.
Baer also said that Deaprdieu offered to clean it up.
We also learned that Depardieu was removed from that flight and caught a later one to Dublin.
A note to Mr Depardieu….here in America we have a product you may be interested in. It’s called “Depends.”
(Frank II)
August 15, 2011 Last week, explicit photos emerged online reportedly showing a male and female employee of Cathay Pacific engaged in a certain sex act in a plane’s cockpit.
While normally, this is not the kind of publicity an airline would want, it’s even more disturbing because Cathay Pacific has just started a new marketing campaign. Its catchphrase:
“The team who go the extra mile to make you feel special.”
Cathay Pacific says they may hold back on the campaign for awhile for fear the phrase might be misinterpreted. They also said that the two employees shown in the photographs are no longer employed by the airline.
Thanks to Monte for bringing this information to my attention……
(Frank II)
August 15, 2011 Have you ever been caught with a few hours between flights? Not enough time to go anywhere yet too much time to just sit in the terminal. Sure, you might try catching 40 winks at some deserted gate but that’s usually not very comfortable.
Soon, you may be able to rent a Sleepbox.
This pod like structure is already in trial in Moscow and getting rave reviews from passengers.
Designed by a Russian architecture firm, the Sleepbox contains a bed, TV, wifi, a laptop desk with recharging plugs, alarm clock and choice of lighting. It can be rented out for anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. Each unit is automatically cleaned between users.
I can definitely see this in international transit lounges where most people would prefer not to have to go through immigration and customs to get to a hotel when they are only transiting through the country.
(Frank II)
August 11, 2011 I knew that would get your attention!!! :)
Okay….the Statue of Liberty, which celebrates its 125th birthday this October, will close shortly after the celebrations for a year of renovations.
The renovations will improve both the safety and the accessibility of the interior of the statute.
Liberty Island will be open during the closure and the statue itself should be unencumbered from view. You just won’t be able to go inside.
According to the National Park Service, only 30% of the island’s visitors actually go inside the statue. Access to the crown is limited to 240 people a day and all reservations between now and the statue’s closing in late October have been taken.
(Frank II)
August 10, 2011 Airports in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, ran tests in July on a new type of body scanner that releases no radiation at all.
The new devices from a UK based company uses a “passive” screening technology. Rather than emit radiation, they receive terahertz waves naturally produced by objects and people. When a concealed object blocks those waves, it appears as an anomaly.
However, unlike the generic body that will be seen on the updated scanners in the U.S., this newer device does show actual body images—but without showing “intimate” parts. The company claims the machines neither capture nor store intimate body details. You be the judge:
No word yet if Australia is going to replace it’s curent technology with this.
For more detailied information go to: Australia Tests Radiation Free Body Scanners at AOL News.
(Frank II)
