Daily Dose of Common Sense

You know how you can’t even sneak a bottle of water through airport security? Well, two British women thought they could get a dead guy past security. Sounds like something straight out of Weekend at Bernie’s, but it’s true.

The BBC and other British media reported that the women placed the man, a relative of theirs, into a wheelchair and covered his face with sunglasses in a bid to get him aboard a flight to Berlin.

Boy, those two women are ballsy. Either that, or they are secretly filming a British sitcom with plenty of high-jinx and hilarity.

These days, airport security is an invasive process: No shoes, no metals, no liquids, no coats, etc. And it’s only getting worse. Attempting to sneak a dead person through is a really, really, bad idea. (Especially when you can just take a train instead.)

As flying gets increasingly more laborious, expensive (hello, outrageous extra baggage fees!), and just downright miserable, at least one regional airline knows what consumers want–less hassle.

SeaPort Airlines, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, offers regional flights within the Pacific Northwest and also within the Mid-South region. Started in 2008, their goal is simple: Provide quick and easy commuter flights at a reasonable cost.

A quick flight cost comparison with another major airline showed one standard SeaPort fare to be about $200.00 less expensive than its competitor. They also offer free airport parking and suggest you need only arrive 15 minutes before your flight–even with check-in bags.

Best of all? They tout themselves as a “TSA free airline.” Yep, you read that right. Since they are a regional airline and fly into smaller terminals they are exempt from full-scale Transportation Security Administration screening.

Now that’s how I want to fly.

Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• The city of Boston dismissed thousands of tickets and tow fines for people who were issued violations while preparing for a storm that never came. The city had declared a snow emergency in expectation of the big storm cutting up the eastern seaboard. Stay classy, Boston.
• A 5-year old girl in Indiana called 911 when her dad experienced chest pains. She remained calm and stayed on the line for nearly ten minutes. She is now credited with saving her dad’s life.

And, some did not.

• Southwest Airlines kicked Kevin Smith off a flight for being too fat. Smith claims he fits between the two arm rests, which is the test of whether a person is too large for their seat. Huge PR nightmare for Southwest Airlines because Smith is a celebrity. I ask why the airlines even let him board in the first place, instead of kicking him off once on the plane?
• New toy: Fisher Price’s Bigfoot the Monster. It’s cute in a Muppet-gone-bad kind of way, but do we really want to encourage children to believe in this nonsense?

I usually don’t just link to other commentary here (as I like to throw in my own .02, too), but there is such a great post on Gizmodo regarding the TSA that everyone should RUN to read.

Joel Johnson wrote a piece called, “President Obama, It’s Time to Fire the TSA.” Here is my favorite paragraph:

It’s been nearly a decade since terrorists used airplanes to attack our country, and last week’s attempt makes it clear that the lack of terrorist attacks have nothing to do with the increasing gauntlet of whirring machines, friskings, and arbitrary bureaucratic provisions, but simply that for the most part, there just aren’t that many terrorists trying to blow up planes. Because god knows if there were, the TSA isn’t capable of stopping them. We’re just one bad burrito away from the TSA forcing passengers to choke back an Imodium and a Xanax before being hogtied to our seats.

No one wants to die in a terrorist attack. However, look at the odds. You are more likely to be killed by a bolt of lightening than a terrorist attack. And, your chances of being killed by lightening are very, very low. (Read more about your “Odds of Airborne Terror” here.)

Think the TSA is responsible for that? From Johnson’s post:

Security expert Bruce Schneier nails the core incompetency: “For years I’ve been saying ‘Only two things have made flying safer [since 9/11]: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers.’”

And, yet, we shake down old ladies, business men, mothers, and husbands at the airports like THEY are the criminals. It’s sad, really. And it’s only about to get worse. The last hour of your plane flight, you’ll be confined to your seat. You also won’t be able to have anything in your lap during that last hour.

Feel safer yet?

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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Just not when I want to travel.

You’ve probably heard about the 2,000 or so folks stuck in the Chunnel for 16 hours on Friday. No heat, no food, no water, no bathrooms. For SIXTEEEN hours. Doesn’t it seem incomprehensible that any person would be forced to endure these conditions in this day and age? After 4 or 5 hours, you think someone would have come up with a solution to get those people out of there. Or, at least found a way to get them food, water, and blankets.

Remember the Jet Blue incident a few years ago where passengers were left sitting on a runway for over 10 hours? They were so close to the terminal but no one was allowed to get off the plane. Again, this was during an intense winter storm.

Delays beyond three hours are rare and occur in extreme circumstances, usually during peak travel days in the winter, when extreme weather can have a huge impact on scheduling.

Over the 2008-09 winter period, U.S. airlines reported 373 tarmac delays in excess of three hours, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

So, the good news is that the DOT has just mandated that the maximum length passengers can be confined in a plane on the runway is 3 hours. It seems pathetic that we needed the government to get involved in this no-brainer. But, airlines see us as little more than cattle. In fact, they are complaining that a 3-hour cap is going to cause “more cancelled flights and greater passenger inconvenience.”

Yeah, because sitting for 10 hours on a runway isn’t inconvenient for us AT ALL.

I would much rather have my flight cancelled or rescheduled than sit on the runway for a few hours. Wouldn’t you?

Photo: Carl Court / AFP/Getty Images / December 19, 2009

Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• Coming soon to an airport near you: the ability to safely and comfortably nap while waiting for your flight. There have been days where I would have paid a LOT more than the $30/hour these places charge in order to get a few zzzzz’s.
• For you fast-food haters, it turns out that the quality of meat served in most chains is much better than what’s served to children in school cafeterias. It’s easy to see why: schools don’t have to worry about being sued.



























• AT&T has developed an app called “Mark the Spot,” which will allow users to tell the telecomm giant about service problems. No one knows if this will really help improve service. But, sometimes it just makes you feel better to complain.

And, some did not.

• There was an article about how tattoos aren’t acceptable in Washington, D.C and many must go to great lengths to cover up their body ink. So, not only are our politicians inefficient, they’re repressed. Hooray for America!
• There is now a gizmo sold that allows caregivers to text while pushing a stroller. Who needs to watch for other pedestrians or cars?



• A Starbucks barista was written up for chasing after a tip-jar thief. This gets knocks for many reasons. First, the barista should have known better than to chase after a potentially harmful criminal for a few measly dollars. Second, Starbucks actually reprimands the employee, which seems silly. Third, and most important, WHY do baristas need tips? They should be paid more so that we’re not guilted into giving them more money for DOING THEIR JOBS.

Photos: hgmonster.tumblr.com/, flickr.com/photos/taylar/

Think you can carry on that snow globe you bought while on your trip? Think again. The TSA will not allow snow globes to be carried on any flight because they can’t measure how much liquid is inside.

So, even if your snow globe fits in your quart bag with all your other small liquid items, the TSA is likely to confiscate it. Your precious memories must suffer for the TSA’s ineptness.

Some people are confused about what’s defined as a liquid or gel, [Transportation Security Administration spokesman Dwayne] Baird said.

“If you can pour it, pump it, squeeze it, spread it, smear it, spray it or spill it, it’s considered a liquid or gel.”

What about a small snow globe with less than three ounces of liquid sloshing about?

“I would think they would just say ‘no,’ because they can’t really determine how many ounces are in there,” Baird said.

A snow globe. Has it gotten that bad? Do we really think this makes us safer?

Via BoingBoing

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The answer, of course, is no.

Today is the third Friday the 13th in 2009, the most times that combination can possibly occur in one year. It’s rumored that millions of people postpone surgeries or travel on this day, and many are frightened that something bad will happen to them today. Is it true? Are many people paralyzed with fear over Friday the 13th?

It appears not.

…in Chicago, for example, neither O’Hare International Airport nor United Airlines has noticed any drop in the number of people flying on Friday the 13th.

“It’s an old wives’ tale,” said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski in an e-mail.

The same goes for two of the biggest hospitals in the city–Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the University of Chicago Medical Center–where it appears people are just as likely go to go under the knife that day as any other, and aren’t rushing to the doctor, either.

And, investors don’t care, either. Friday the 13th is typically a good day for the stock market.

So, don’t let the superstition get to you. Travel, invest, and plan events for today as you would any other day. That’s what most of us are doing, anyway. As Stevie Wonder said,

When you believe in things
That you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition aint the way

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Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• Science-Based Medicine has a great article on the dangers of homebirth with a midwife. It is the most dangerous form of planned birth in the U.S. As a friend on Twitter said, “Get to the hospital, hippy!”
• In an effort to encourage Californians not to drive so much, pay-as-you-drive insurance plans will now be offered there. If you’ve ever experienced their traffic, any reasonable measure to get fewer cars on the road gets a thumbs up.
• A Wisconsin woman called 911 to report herself as a drunk driver. She said she didn’t want to hurt anyone. We realize she never should have gotten behind the wheel in the first place, but at least she wised up. Most drunk drivers don’t have the cajones to report themselves; instead, they take their chances on the road.
• The two greatest SNL hosts ever–Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin–take over hosting duties for the 2010 Oscars. Smart choice by the producers, who must know that the show format is stale, stale, stale. Here’s hoping for a “Pete’s Schweatty Balls” sketch on awards night.

And, some did not.

• A company has released a $100 mobile device that connects only to Twitter. It doesn’t make phone calls or let you retrieve emails. Only Twitter. In case you didn’t know, you can get an iPhone at these prices, which will give you a whole lot more functionality.
• 53% of Maine voters denied gays the same rights as heterosexuals. Hey, Maine, you think gay marriage is immoral? Blag Hag said it best: Know what else is an abomination, Maine? Lobster.
• Because the airline industry is doing so well, United says “no” to track suits in first class. Shouldn’t they just be grateful that anyone can afford to buy a first class ticket these days?
• A man repeatedly saw Jesus’ image on his truck window. While many look to this as a sign, we think he just needs to wash his truck more often.

As I’m sure most parents have now heard, Southwest Airlines flight attendants kicked a cranky two-year old child off their plane last week. Mother and son were flying together from Amarillo, Texas to San Jose, California, and the toddler started shouting and crying before the plane took off.

Pamela Root’s 2-year-old son was screaming for the Southwest Airlines plane to “Go! Plane! Go!”

“I want Daddy!” Adam shouted. Over and over again.

Despite her embarrassment, the stay-at-home San Jose mom remained confident that once the plane took off and she fed him, Adam would calm down and take a nap–just as he had on the half-dozen other plane rides with Mom.

The flight crew wasn’t willing to find out.

The mother couldn’t give the kid a few small snacks to keep him quiet before takeoff? He’s hungry, in a strange space, and screaming, and she decides not to give him anything. Huh? I’m assuming they were not the only two passengers on the plane. Did the mother not care at all about anyone else around them? I’m not saying the airline should have kicked them off the flight, but come on, lady. When it was obvious her son wasn’t calming down, her common sense should have kicked in. Giving him something small may have distracted him and prevented the whole episode.

Seems like an unfortunate incident that could have been avoided with a few Cheerios.