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E L L I O T T ' S TRAVEL NOTES
Travel news, opinion and analysis

July 29, 2004

Glitch Forces Philly Mass Evacuation
A technical glitch on a screening machine at Philadelphia International Airport prompted the evacuation of five departure concourses and forced thousands of passengers to be reexamined, officials said. Police ordered the terminals cleared after a federal Transportation Security Administration worker saw an image of a small-caliber revolver that flashed on an X-ray machine. Passengers were permitted to start back into the departure areas after it was determined the incident did not involve an actual gun. Amy Von Walter, a TSA spokeswoman, said the evacuation was caused by a technical glitch with an internal testing mechanism. Federal officials declined to describe the nature of the glitch. A TSA employee said the image was on one of the X-ray machines. AP | Posted 6:30 a.m.
• Screeners Thought Gun Had Gotten Through (PDN)
• Was It A Phony Bomb Drill? (WPVI)

I know what they say: 'Better safe than sorry.' But come on. Five departure concourses? In the middle of summer? Considering all the weapons that are let through the screening process, I think we're overreacting a bit here.

Airlines: Demand Soars, Profits Slide
Demand for international air travel has soared in 2004, finally bringing to an end the three-year slump in overseas travel that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, new international statistics show. But airline experts say the long-awaited rebound in international travel is unlikely to translate into a matching growth in profits, because rising fuel costs and growing competition in domestic travel are still dogging the world's largest airlines. Globe and Mail | Posted 6:35 a.m.

Making Friends With Frequent Fliers
After collecting tens of thousands of miles in airline loyalty programs and setting aside time to go away, many frequent fliers complain it's nearly impossible to get on flights to the popular vacation spots they want to visit. "Unless you're flying to Des Moines, Iowa, in the winter, on a Tuesday night, it's almost impossible to get a free ticket," grumbled Scott Cuming, a San Antonio physician waiting for his luggage recently at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. "I'm shocked when I can use my AAdvantage miles," he said. Responding to such concerns, some carriers are trotting out new tools and offers to make their programs more flier-friendly. The Dallas Morning News | Posted 6:45 a.m.

Court Strikes Down Extra O'Hare Fee - Travelers setting out from O'Hare International Airport have been spared a $4.50 surcharge to help fund an airport expansion project. The fee on tickets sold at O'Hare was excessive and the Federal Aviation Administration should never have approved it, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington ruled Tuesday. The city applied for permission to charge the fee in 2002. Officials said the money would pay for tests needed for an environmental study that the FAA must conduct for the proposed $15 billion expansion. AP | Posted 7 a.m.

Screeners May Have Extended Wait on Purpose - The federal security director at Arizona's largest airport has been placed on leave amid accusations that staff intentionally lengthened passenger wait times while asking the Department of Homeland Security for more screeners. The Arizona Republic obtained internal e-mails between security director Marcia Florian and Fred Carter, screening chief at Sky Harbor. AP | Posted 7:05 a.m.

22 Airports Lose All Flights - At least 22 US airports have lost or are losing all airline flights in the past three years, little-known casualties of harsher economics that are changing air travel. Some airline industry analysts expect more small airports will lose service as large and small airlines restructure operations. But so far, the effect on travelers appears to be slight. USA Today | Posted 7 a.m.

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• Off the Record... when it comes to travel, how do you define "hero." Maybe it was the nameless passenger on an American Airlines flight last month who gave up his seat for a soldier. According to the carrier, it started a "domino effect" until the forward cabin was filled with servicemen and servicewomen. Posted 7:10 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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