Downgraded: Checking in your bags at US airports
You’ve mastered the self-service check-in. You’ve printed your own boarding passes. Now, get ready to tag your own checked bags: “American Airlines(AMR) and Air Canada say they’re in talks with the Transportation Security Administration for a trial program in Boston likely later this year to let travelers tag their own checked bags for the first time in the U.S. Delta Air Lines (DAL) says it’s in talks with TSA for a trial at another airport.” Not a huge deal, frankly, and 32 airlines worldwide have already been testing this for some time at airports around the world, but it’s new to the United States. It’s another transfer of responsibility from the airline to you. Don’t expect to receive any discounts, vouchers, or thank-yous for doing someone else’s job, either.
Upgraded: Inflight wi-fi on Southwest
Southwest is (finally) getting on the inflight wifi train (err, or plane…) and their price will be a relatively low $5 per connection, regardless of flight duration/distance or device used to connect.
Upgraded: Passion for AirTran’s first class seats
Fans of AirTran, which is being taken over by Southwest, have set up a website devoted to saving the first class seats that AirTran frequent fliers have grown accustomed to. Join the resistance at AirTranSOS.com.
Upgraded: Your cellphone as a key
The Clarion Hotel in Stockholm is the first hotel to install a cellphone-based room lock/key system. It’s a limited rollout, for starters. In theory, you’ll be able to check in by phone and walk straight to your room, bypassing the front desk, and avoiding the need for a room key. Neat, if it works.
Upgraded: Back-channel efforts to change our security theater
If existing efforts to change TSA policy have failed — and if the policy itself has continuously gotten worse for travelers — then perhaps a back-channel effort to effect change may be in order. Reader Ed sends in this open letter to the CEO of the Walt Disney Company. The letter-writer, Arthur Krolman, argues that Disney is tacitly endorsing TSA policy, and is thereby supporting the “nude photography or inspection of private parts” of children. Ouch. Will Disney take the bait ?…
(image)
RSS (FeedBurner)
Read with Amazon Kindle
Subscribe by E-mail
Follow on Twitter
November 4th, 2010 at 3:57 am
There are hotels in Japan that already have a cellphone-based lock.
For example:
http://first-cabin.jp/en/system/
November 4th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Eleking, do you still have to check in at the front desk? With First Cabin, it seems that you do.
November 5th, 2010 at 12:11 am
the disney letter is great….i am just SO morose about this new enhanced pat down…I have thought about softly moaning with faux pleasure while they do it, but will that be taken as aggression? i mean, seriously, how do they know I don’t enjoy being felt up by another woman??
November 5th, 2010 at 10:17 am
$5 for wi-fi on a flight seems reasonable to me. I’d likely pay that. Current pricing is excessive, IMO. I do have a Boingo account and I wish that allowed access to wi-fi on flights, even at a discounted rate.
November 6th, 2010 at 10:47 am
$5/flight flat pricing is more appealing than the comparatively complex pricing plans elsewhere. I think it would be a good move for the future of inflight WiFi if that type of pricing was widely adopted. Monthly and/or annual plans are fine too, but should involve heavy discounts and be similarly simple (for example, $15/month or $150/year for access on all equipped airlines and flights).
November 12th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
I have no problem in putting a tag at my own bag, the real issue is that needs to be considered is the overbearing TSA Policy.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Loving the idea of a cell phone as a key. Kind of unnecessary but still pretty cool!