Travel Show 2: TSA Peek-a-Boo

Posted by Patrick Wiscombe on March 8, 2010 under Travel Show Podcasts | Be the First to Comment

In this edition of the Travel Show, we talked about:

TSA will see more of you
American, flight attendants at odds
Win a trip to Virginia
Thailand continuing to offer travel insurance

The Transportation Security Administration announced nine more U.S. airports will be getting body-scanning technology. The lucky airports to get the body scanners: Fort Lauderdale, San Jose, Columbus, San Diego, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Kansas City. Two body scanning machines are coming online this week: Boston’s Logan International Airport and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. All are among 150 machines bought with money from the federal stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama last year. Both the new and existing machines will be in a primary position, meaning they will be the default screening equipment passengers face at a checkpoint. The existing machines have been in a secondary position, being used only when a passenger failed a metal screening or posed some other risk factor. Passengers retain the right to opt out of a body scanning for a more intense but traditional screening. The Associated Press timed a body scanning at 25 seconds. TSA officials said the units won’t be able to print or store images, and that the officer viewing them will have no contact with passengers. Passengers who accept a scan — and pass — will not have to walk through a metal detector or other security equipment. Those who decline will have to walk through a metal detector and also submit to a patdown.

—————————————————————————————————————–

PODCAST SPONSOR: The Travel Show with Patrick Wiscombe is sponsored by GetAwayToday.com. Get an extra $10 off your Disneyland Resort vacation just for using promotion code CASTLE at checkout.

——————————————————————————————————————

Contract talks between American Airlines and its flight attendants have broken off. The flight attendants union said that it would ask federal officials to start a 30-day cooling-off period, after which the flight attendants could strike. The two sides are fighting over wages and other items. The union, which represents about 18,000 flight attendants, wants raises to offset pay and benefit cuts that workers accepted in 2003, when American was close to bankruptcy. American has lost $3.6 billion in the last two years and they say it spends more per employee on flight attendants than Delta, United, Continental and US Airways and must cut labor costs. It has offered a mix of 2 percent raises in some years and industry-average raises in others over an eight-year contract. American is also in talks with pilots and ground workers over new contracts. The ground workers have also vowed to seek the ability to strike if a deal isn’t reached in the next week. Federal law makes it difficult for airline employees to legally strike because of the broader economic effect if air service is interrupted.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation is offering families a chance to win a free vacation in the commonwealth. Four trips are being offered. The prize for the first drawing on April 9 includes two nights at Great Wolf Lodge, admission to Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestown, Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center, and passes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. Drawings for the other trips will be held May 14, June 18 and Aug. 3. To enter, go to the Web site http://www.Virginia.org/family.

Thailand is continuing to offer insurance coverage worth $10,000 to anyone harmed in riots and demonstrations as it seeks to attract tourists scared off by political turmoil. Tourists who face travel delays because of riots or demonstrations will be given $100 per day. But this amount and the hospital stay cannot exceed a total of $10,000. Tourists of all nationalities will also have their visa fees waived until March 2011 and it may become a permanent policy. Airlines will enjoy a 10 percent discount for parking fees and a 20 percent drop for landing fees through the end of 2010. Electricity bills for hotels are also being discounted.

—————————————————————————————————————–

PODCAST SPONSOR: The Travel Show with Patrick Wiscombe is sponsored by GetAwayToday.com. Get an extra $10 off your Disneyland Resort vacation just for using promotion code CASTLE at checkout.

——————————————————————————————————————

Tags: travel news, travel podcast