First bedbugs now measles

Public health officials are trying to contact all passengers who flew next to a New Mexico woman who has come down with measles.

It seems she flew from London to Washington, DC (IAD) on Feb 20 and then two days later flew from Baltimore (BWI) to Denver (DEN) to Albuquerque (ABQ).

Officials are also warning anyone who was at those airports on those days and may have, unknowingly, come in contact with the woman, to see their doctors should they get any symptoms of measles. 

I think I may start traveling in a Hazmat suit. 

(Frank II)

Good design or bad

I get to see lots of new products. Between experience, and training, I can usually come up with  a thumbs up or thumbs down opinion as to usefulness and even success.

But this product has me stumped: the Pacsafe Venturesafe 150.

What do you think? Practical? Usefull? Ridiculous looking?

One bag behavior

I hope no one here has ever acted this way:

(Frank II)

New 737 interior

Boeing is offering a new interior design to its customers and many are buying. It offers redsigned and larger storage bins (by a little), more headroom, but the same seat width and legroom.

 I couldn’t get it to resize to fit so here’s a link to a drawing of it:

New 737 Interior

(Frank II)

Bed bugs bite BA

Got a problem with an airline? Don’t bother writing a letter. Do what others have done—go public on the internet.

First, there was the guy who wrote a song and put up a video on Youtube on why United Breaks Guitars.

Then actor/director Kevin Smith went ballistic on twitter when he was bounced off a Southwest flight for being too big.

And now a Los Angeles woman has started a website, www.ba-bites.com  claiming she was bitten by bedbugs on not one but two separate BA flights.

 If Andy Warhol is looking down I have only one thing to say to him: It’s a lot easier now to get your 15 minutes of fame. 

For the entire BA-bedbug story, click here. You may have to register on the site but it’s free.

(Frank II)

Update on February 25, 2011 by Frank@OBOW

Once point of interest…”Snakes on a Plane” was a movie. It didn’t really happen. 

Update on March 1, 2011 by Frank@OBOW

British Airways is admitting that it found bedbugs on one of its planes and has taken it as well as another out of service for fumigation. 

Apparently, both of the planes were the ones flown by the woman who put up the website about bedbugs on her BA flights. 

Ten ridiculous travel accessories

CNN has come up with a list of 10 ridiculous travel accessories.

I have to admit, none are on my packing list.

Okay, the one pictured here is really more for our female readers. I’ll let them chime in. 

(Frank II)

OBOW Apple device icon

When you view the OBOW webpage on your Apple iPhone or iPod Touch and select “Add to Home Screen” a custom OBOW icon will now appear which is based on the running man from our roundel logo. Let us know what you think. Using home screen icons of this type really speeds access to pages you visit most often.

(Brad)

Pol takes ferry home after refusing TSA pat down.

Alaska State Representative Sharon Cissna was scheduled to fly from Seattle on Sunday, where she was receiving medical treatment, to her home in Juneau.

She had already gone through a body scan at SeaTac when she was told she’d have to have a pat down because they could see she had a mastectomy. She refused.

Instead she decided to skip the idea of flying and take the ferry instead.

No word from either TSA or the pol’s offce as to why a mastectomy would be the reason for a pat down.

(Frank II)

Update on February 24, 2011 by Frank@OBOW

After four days, she finally made it home. Her trip took the following route:

She rented a car in Seattle and drove over the border to a small airport outside Vancouver. From there she took a small plane to Prince Rupert, BC. Then, a two day ferry trip to Juneau.  Taxis also helped along the way. 

European airports unhappy with easing of ban on liquids

In less than two months, the EU is scheduled to start lifting its ban on liquids in hand luggage. Only airports in the area are saying not so fast; the technology to sniff out explosives is not very “reliable.”

European airports and airlines are lobbying the EU to extend the ban until better equipment is available. The EU isn’t buying and plans to go along with its plans as scheduled.

European Airports balk at Easing Ban on Liquids

(Frank II)

Do you smoke after security?

One of the nice things about being able to blog my thoughts is that sometimes, thanks to getting up too early, and not having enough coffee, they go in their own direction.

My online calendar reminded me that I have a dentist appointment next week. And that whole experience is somewhat strange. 

Every time I go, It’s usually not very pleasant. Let’s face it, there’s a good chance my teeth are going to get either scraped, drilled, or worse, and I pay for it.. 

Then I read the thread over in “Readers Comments” about the fees Canadians pay. 

Wait a minute, I’m an American. I pay fees too. In fact, I pay for airport security with my taxes and fees. And that’s not a pleasant experience either. 

What happens. I show up at the airport. They tell me they want to see me naked (virtually). Then, if they feel like it, they will start “feeling” it, and I’m paying for all of it.

I always thought that when someone was paid to see you naked and to “touch your junk” it was called…..prostitution.

And not once have they ever offered me a cigarette afterwards.  

It’s President’s Day here in the U.S. where we honor two great men who fought for our freedoms. The same freedoms one government agency is trying desperately to take away from us. 

Happy holiday.  

(Frank II)

Multi-function soap

Cool Tools on Dr. Bronner’s, a favorite of many enterprising travelers:

The potent soap is vegetable-oil based (including jojoba, coconut, and hemp oils) that when diluted can be used in a number of different ways. When I spent four months traveling through China it replaced my shampoo, face and body wash, deodorant, laundry detergent, and, when I ran out of it, my toothpaste (but only once as it overwhelmed my mouth). Using it meant I could pack less and lighten my load. I have also brought it camping to clean pots and pans where the use of harsher soaps and detergents would sully sensitive environments. - Cool Tools

(Brad)

Wheels vs no wheels

I know what you’re thinking, we’ve discussed this before……but…..let’s face it, it’s a hot topic amongst one-baggers.

Tom Bihn, yes there really is a Tom Bihn, wrote a blog entry on his own blog on why he believes going sans wheels is the better choice.

Thoughts?

(Frank II)

More screeners arrested

Two TSA screeners at JFK airport have been arrested for stealing from checked luggage.

This only days after a TSA supervisor at EWR admitted taking bribes from one of his subordinates who was also stealing from passengers.

What do we learn from this:  always one bag it and always keep an eye on your stuff.

(Frank II)

Don't miss this thread about threads

OBOW Forum poster DM has correctly identified a key challenge for the light traveler: jeans that will dry overnight.

Except for 1 or 2 pairs of actual blue jeans that I have seen that include coolmax (but are still over 60% cotton), nothing even comes close to what I would consider a “Holy Grail” of sorts for travel pants. Blue jeans allow you to blend in many corners of the world, are comfortable and fashionable, but are just too heavy and slow-drying for the common lightweight traveler. - OBOW Forum

Ozone’s $139 Tilleys might be an option for some. I’d be looking to spend a bit less. Travelsmith has a Coolmax offering for $69 a pair.

(Brad)

New bills introduced affecting air travel

The Senate today passed an amedment to an aviation bill that would make it illegal for any Federal employee to misuse a body scan image. This includes all airport screeners and those at federal courthouses. Besides the actual image itself, the amedment also covers copies made by any type of recording device including cameras, cellphones or videocameras.

Violators could be sentenced to up to one year in prison and or $100,000 for each offense. The amendment passed 98-0.

Over in the House, there is a move to make the current “Passenger Bill of Rights” a law.  Unlike the current FAA rules about tarmac delays which only covers domestic carriers on domestic flights, the new bill covers all airlines on both domestic and international flights.

This is the third time this bill have been introduced. It failed the previous two times.

(Frank II)

Goodbye to the ban on liquids in carry-ons? It may be coming.

Last May, the EU announced it would end the ban on liquids in carry-ons by 2013. It believes the technology is available that would allow the safe transport of liquids.

The ban would be lifted in phases. The first taking place this April.

According to the EU, starting April 29: “transit passengers, beginning journeys in a non-EU country but taking a connecting flight inside the EU, will be able to keep any liquids purchased at the airport or onboard their first flight in their hand luggage, provided that it is in a sealed tamper-proof clear bag with proof of purchase attached.”

The move is designed to end the process of transit passengers being forced to give up duty-free purchases before taking a connecting flight.

Now before you start wondering how the U.S. feels about it, well, they may have their own answer.

A machine originally designed to test the quality of wine in a bottle,is being modified to look for explosives.

The inventor says the patented machine uses MRI technology to tell if wine in an unopened bottle is good or spoiled. He said he can convert the machine to tell if a liquid is either dangerous or not.

The Department of Homeland Security has been funding the project.

(Frank II)

Delta eliminates Skymiles expiration

As of January 1 of this year, miles in Delta’s Skymiles FF program will no longer expire. This is the first airline to offer non-expriring miles and I’m hoping it won’t be the last. I’m guessing many of us belong to these programs and can now benefit from this.

Delta Press Release

(Frank II)

New lightweight wheeled bag

Antler, the people who brought us the Sub-0-G lightweight bag, has come up with a new line they call Liquis.

The Antler Liquis International Carry-on is a 4-wheel spinner bag,hardshell polycarbonate, weighs 4.4 lbs, and measures 22 x 14 x 9.

Already on sale in the UK and Austalia, they should be available in the U.S. shortly.

(Frank II)

New 747 unveiled

Boeing introduced the new 747-8 “Intercontinental” over the weekend in Everett, WA.

This new version of the 747 is longer than any ofther commercial airplane flying today, it’s tell tale “hump” has been extended 13 feet, it has a new upward sweep wing design, has larger windows, will seat more passengers, and is more energy efficient. Blah, blah, blah.

That’s all fine and dandy, but what about the important stuff to one baggers. Well, according to Boeing, the overhead storage bins have been reconfigured to hold more bags than before. I couldn’t find any specifics.

This also marks the first time a new Boeing airplane was introduced in colors other than “Boeing blue.” This Intercontinental had bright red and yellow paint which, according to Boeing, means “prosperity, fortune and the promise of success” in some cultures.  Considering the exact plane shown is one of eight going to an unnamed VIP customer, the guess is to somewhere in either southeast Asia or India.

BTW, the first 747 was introduced over 40 years ago. How time flies.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Help Save PBS and NPR

The House of Representatives just released their budget proposal, and it zeroes out funding for both NPR and PBS—the worst proposal in more than a decade.

These two media organizations offer programming for everyone. They help to not only educate us but to entertain us with intelligent programming—and that includes numerous travel oriented programs.

Help to tell the current House of Representative leadership that cutting off funding was unacceptable the last time they were in charge, and it’s unacceptable now.

I signed a petition to save NPR and PBS. Can you join me at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/nprpbs/?r_by=-18656263-6fwS2Vx&rc=confemail

(Frank II)

Update on February 13, 2011 by Frank@OBOW

I posted this because I’m a believer in the free flow of information from all sides and want to preserve it.

Sadly, the comments took a turn toward argumentative, of which I will take some of the blame.

So, I”ve decided to turn off all comments.

If you are in agreement with the petition, please feel free to sign it. If this infuriates you, I apologize.