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No-fly list among airlines has doubled following the attempted attack in December
Airport security news has been slow. Nothing major to report, which is a good thing. I did find out that the Transportation Security Administration has doubled the no-fly list since the arrest of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab. The list has gone from about 3,400 people to about 6,000 people.
I wonder how accurate the list is, and does knowing this information give consumers a piece of mind when flying the friendly skies. You tell me.
New year promises cloud with a silver lining for air travel
www.mediabistro.com
Air travel has been, without a doubt, more stressful for many family travelers over the last few weeks. According to today’s report, air travel is looking up for passengers, well, in some areas.
USA Today Travel | David Grossman
In recent years, surging oil prices, airline bankruptcies and consolidation, terrorist bomb plots, invasive security procedures, pandemic scares, ancillary airline ticket fees and the deepest recession in decades have transformed business travel into a Darwinian struggle for survival. Once the havoc created by the recent attempt to bring down a U.S. jetliner abates, 2010 may prove to be a less turbulent and more benign year for air travelers. Barring the return of the H1N1 flu, an unexpected oil price surge or another unforeseen crisis, air travel may even hold a few bright spots in the coming year. Here are eight factors likely to affect air travel for business travelers in 2010.
Capacity changes in a gradual economic recovery
To combat the recession, many corporations slashed travel budgets by as much as 30% and downgraded travelers from first or business class to coach. In response, U.S. airlines reduced domestic capacity by nearly 11% and international capacity by 7% according to the Air Transport Association.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects the world’s airlines lost $11 billion in 2009 and will lose another $5.6 billion in 2010. Despite these horrific losses, IATA believes the worst may be over as passenger demand is slowly rising again. Airline passenger traffic has now reached the halfway point between its highest peak in early 2008 and its lowest levels in early 2009. (READ MORE)
Airline passengers update latest security measures
Happy Monday!
News is slow today. I thought it would be nice to post the latest video about airport security. Have any of you experienced the full-body scanners yet?
I have not, but it’s in my very near future.
Associated Press | USA Today Travel
No fingerpointing here, president to improve airline security
Now, if only the airlines can follow President Obama’s lead. Stop playing the blame game and step up to what needs to be done to ensure safer, more reliable air transportation. I think that this was a great wake-up call for the president. Stimulus package, check, healthcare, check, safer airlines…hmmm, this one is tricky.
The FTS team still advises against flying right now. We’re exploring all the talk about body scanners and just how this will affect family travel. More to come.
Los Angeles Times | Michael Muskal and Christi Parsons
President Obama today accepted responsibility for improving airline security and intelligence gathering as he outlined a series of failures that allowed an alleged bomber to board and try to destroy a jetliner bound for the United States on Christmas.
In televised comments, the president released a declassified investigation outlining what went wrong in the incident that ended safely but became a political firestorm. Obama called for more vigilance, recommending changes in airline security as well as better use of a government watch list designed to let authorities know about potential terrorists.
“Ultimately, the buck stops with me,” he said. He said he wanted the intelligence community to assign “clear lines of responsibility” for immediately pursuing leads on those threats. (READ MORE)
Civil liberty groups say stringent airline screening spurs racism
Full-body scans and intense pat downs are all part of TSA’s new airline screening procedures for passengers arriving from nations listed as “state sponsors of terrorism.”
The American Civil Liberties Union oppose this type of screening stating that there is no no realistic way to predict the national origin of a potential attacker. What do you think?
Reuters News Service
NEW YORK (Reuters) – More stringent screening launched on Monday for airline passengers from 14 nations, part of a crackdown after the botched Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound flight, are ineffective and unconstitutional, civil liberty groups charged.
The tighter security measures, which range from passengers being patted down to advanced explosives detection and full-body scans, constitute racial profiling when there is no realistic way to predict the national origin of a potential attacker, the American Civil Liberties Union said.
The measures announced by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration affect passengers arriving from Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — nations listed as “state sponsors of terrorism” — as well as Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.
“Every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening,” the TSA said. (READ MORE)
Nightmare of delays slowly dissolve at Newark Airport
Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger
This has REALLY gotten out of control!
However, I do understand TSA’s position. They cannot afford to let something like the Dec. 25 incident happen again… ever. Their butts are on the line.
It’s sad to say, but flying with your family is not a good idea right now. Airport security and the extreme precautions taken by TSA will only get worse, and I’m a very optimistic person.
It would be nice to say that you can avoid delays by flying out of smaller airports like Burbank Airport or Lehigh Valley International Airport, but that’s not a good idea since most small airports are connected to the major hubs anyway.
The FTS team is grounding all families right now. We’ll inform you when we think it’s safe to fly again. By “safe” we don’t mean danger. “Safe” for us is avoiding unecessary delays and harrassment.
Here’s the latest…
MSNBC
Newark, N.J. — Flights departing Newark International Airport were running behind schedule Monday in the wake of a security breach.
Officials say a man was spotted walking through a screening checkpoint exit into the secure side of a terminal on Sunday.
The incident caused major delays and grounded flights for six hours Sunday at the airport, one of the busiest in the nation.
A spokeswoman for Continental Airlines told NBC News that about 100 flights were affected, including 27 cancellations.
Transportation Security Administration officials made passengers leave Terminal C and be rescreened after the man entered the “sterile” area around 5:30 p.m. The man wasn’t found, but the TSA said its re-screening effort ensured every passenger was fully screened. (READ MORE)
Terrorist attack gets you one free ticket from airline
All jokes aside, overall, I think this is a nice gesture. I mean, what else could the airline do to illustrate that they really 
do care about passenger safety. Delta Airlines, the carrier who owns Northwest, is even showing its gratitude to the passenger who subdued the Nigerian bomber. Exactly what that package includes has not been disclosed.
What do you think? Is a free plane ticket enough? What would you expect in a case like this one?
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Associated Press | Harry R. Weber
ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines Inc. is offering travel credits to passengers on the Amsterstam-to-Detroit flight that a terror suspect tried and failed to blow up on Christmas.
Spokeswoman Susan Elliott told the Associated Press today the world’s biggest carrier is notifying passengers about the vouchers. The amount wasn’t disclosed.
According to authorities, a Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as the plane was preparing to land in Detroit on Friday. It was carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew members.
Delta is offering its gratitude to one of the passengers who subdued the suspect. Elliott declined to say whether that passenger would receive additional compensation beyond the travel voucher. (READ MORE)
Increased delays and limited cabin service has spiked private jet bookings
I’ve always thought that booking a private jet for long haul flights is the way to go for families. I’m hearing that the rates to book a private plane are more affordable than ever.
In today’s report, it clearly states that the recent terrorist act isn’t the direct reasoning behind more private flights. Passengers simply want more control, like, knowing that their flight will get to its destination on time and there will be meal service. You know, typical things that we’ve come to expect when we fly.
Elite Traveler.com
December 27, 2009 – NEW YORK, NY — Winter storms combined with late travel plans and increased marketing efforts have spurred a spike in private jet flights over the Christmas holiday. However, executives of several private jet companies contacted by Elite Traveler said that Friday’s terrorism attempt against a Delta Airlines’ flight operated by subsidiary Northwest Airlines has not specifically led to new bookings.
With reports of delays due to increased security procedures, including additional screening for international flights bound for the U.S., plus new limitations on cabin service, commercial airlines are once again facing the difficult situation of making air travel less convenient.
Among the new policies being implemented is making passengers remain seated during the final hour of their flight and turning off inflight moving maps showing an aircraft’s location. The latter, according to various news reports has resulted in some flights operating without inflight entertainment, and combined with airport delays, making holiday family travel more difficult.
“That incident (the Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit) just reinforces the differences between private and commercial travel,” Woody Harford, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of CitationAir told Elite Traveler. However, he added, his company’s increase in business has been “a result of our relaunch more than any commercial incident.” In the Fall the operator changed its name from CitationShares to CitationAir by Cessna followed by a major marketing blitz. (READ MORE)
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 passengers explain
As expected, airport security has been tightened since the attempted terrorist attack. Interesting, I thought security was already tight at the airport. Makes me wonder just how prepared TSA officials are when it comes to potential threats.
Whether you are on a return flight home or are leaving for the New Year, be prepared for the extra time it will take to get through security. Talk to you kids, if possible, before you head to the airport so that they know what to expect and to be on their best behavior :/.
Passengers on the Northwest flight say the noise sounded like firecrackers. I’m shocked to see the smiles on the faces of the people in this video. It’s almost as if they don’t realize that their plane could have been blown up.
Here’s video from AP…
BREAKING NEWS: Nigerian man tries to ignite powder on a Northwest flight
The White House says that the Northwest Airline Flight 253 from Amsterdam, was an attempted terrorist attack and they are looking into it. Apparantely, the man, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has ties with al-Qaeda and tried to blow up the plane upon its descent into Detroit on Friday.
Family travelers, you can expect tighter security on your return flight home. When you pack your carry on, be mindful of deeper searches through your bags and be especially careful if you are traveling with powder baby formula. You may want to take it out, in advance, for TSA to inspect.
The FTS team will have more updates on Monday, unless, something breaking happens, we’ll bring it straight to your inbox before then. Subscribe.
Merry Christmas!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The Associated Press
A Northwest Airlines passenger from Nigeria, who said he was acting on al-Qaeda’s instructions, tried to blow up the plane Friday as it was landing in Detroit, law enforcement and national security officials said.Passengers subdued the man and may have prevented him from detonating the explosives, the officials said.
“We believe this was an attempted act of terrorism,” a White House official said.
Federal officials imposed stricter screening measures after the incident.
Rep. Peter King of New York, the ranking Republican member of the House Homeland Security Committee, identified the suspect as Abdul Mudallad, a Nigerian. King said the flight began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit. There were 278 passengers aboard the Airbus 330.
There was nothing out of the ordinary until the flight was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. That is when the pilot declared an emergency and landed without incident shortly thereafter, Cory said in an e-mail message. The plane landed at 11:51 a.m. ET.
One of the U.S. intelligence officials said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.
The passenger was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence source said the Nigerian passenger was being held and treated in a Michigan hospital.
All the sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.
One law enforcement source said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaeda to detonate the plane over U.S. soil.
The official said an official determination of a terrorist act would have to come from the attorney general.
The official added that additional security measures are being taken without raising the airline threat level.
The official declined to describe what additional measures law enforcement was taking. (READ MORE)
