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

June 2, 2004

Air Travelers Face Long Summer Wait
The line to get through security at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport stretched outside the terminal and down a sidewalk Tuesday morning. In just one hour, the line lengthened from a 40-minute wait to more than two hours. By 11 a.m., the line had diminished to just a 20 to 30 minute wait. With a 14-percent increase in air travel this Memorial Day weekend over the last, airport officials had warned that vacationers mixed with business travelers would create a mess at the security gates today. All 18 checkpoints at the world's busiest airport were opened at 5 a.m., but could not move the bulk of travelers through fast enough to prevent the frustrating wait. Channel 11 | Posted 6:30 a.m.
-- Denver Post: A bad time to reduce security screeners
-- US News: An 'EZ Pass' for approved passengers?

• Looks as if the crowds are back. We've enjoyed empty terminals and abundant air travel deals for almost four years, but the gig's up. Here's a reminder of what things used to be like. Send us your comments.

Flight Attendant Jailed For Fake Note
A flight attendant accused of writing a note saying a bomb was on a plane must remain in jail until her next court date, a judge ruled today. Gay Wilson, 37, sobbed during her initial court appearance on a felony charge of unlawful interference with a flight crew. She will be detained until a Thursday hearing on the charge, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. But U.S. Magistrate Charles Bleil said she had a "spotless record" and hinted that she could be released after that hearing. "From all that I understand at this point, she's the type of defendant for whom conditions of release would routinely be set," he said. The American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Boston was diverted to Nashville on Thursday after Wilson, who was not on duty during the trip, said she found the note in one of the plane's bathrooms, authorities said. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the note read, "There is a bomb on board this flt to Boston in cargo. Live Sadaam!" AP | Posted 6:45 a.m.

FLL Residents Protest 'Land Grab'
A new protest took flight Tuesday for some neighbors near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport who claim the county is trying to push them out. Signs in front of houses declaring “Not for sale by owner” are cropping up all around the Melaleuca Gardens neighborhood in Dania Beach. On Tuesday, many of those residents took their cause to the new community outreach center that the county just opened to pass out information about the expansion. Some Melaleuca Gardens residents see it as the county’s first step toward acquiring their homes in what they call a "land grab." “I knew that there might be increased noise. I had no idea there was a possibility they would come in and take our house and we'd be forced to move,” said Tiffany Adams, a Melaleuca Gardens resident. NBC 6 | Posted 7 a.m.

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• And finally ... MSN linked to my recent column on tipping at restaurants, and one of the more thoughtful responses came from Josh Moulton, the executive chef at 44 Restaurant at the Royalton Hotel in New York: "You are right that restaurants should pay servers more," he said. "The overall problem is the profit margin of most restaurants. Generally speaking it is only 8-12%, which isn't much. In Europe, where a gratuity is added, restaurants put servers on salary and the tip becomes more of a bonus. I think that is how it should be." Posted 7:10 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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