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

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September 1, 2004

Gap Seen in Airport Screening
US airlines are vulnerable to the same kind of midair bombings that apparently blew up two Russian planes on Aug. 24 because most travelers are not screened for explosives, industry specialists and officials said yesterday. Russian investigators said Monday that traces of hexogen -- an explosive often used by the military in various countries -- had been found in the wreckage of the flights, which crashed almost simultaneously last week, killing 90 people. "Small amounts of this type of product could be very dangerous, especially in a pressurized airplane," said Jim Ludwiczak, head of US firm Blasting and Mining Consultants. "I wouldn't say it's hard to get hexogen. If you're involved anywhere with military-type explosives, you can get it." Reuters | Posted 6:30 a.m.
• Technology Not Up to Snuff (USA Today)
• Hexogen At a Glance: How it Works (AP)

If this is true, then all that we've worked for during the last three years is meaningless. Our airport security is a porous as it was before 9/11.

Caribbean Revolt Against Cruise Ships
A revolt is growing in the Caribbean over increasingly massive cruise ships disgorging thousands of passengers who swamp beach towns, buy perhaps a soft drink and a few trinkets, and re-embark a few hours later. Mexico's government is considering charging its first per-passenger cruise tax, while beach towns that no longer want to serve as a mere backdrop for the $15 billion cruise industry are starting to say no to the big ships. Belize recently became one of the first nations to try to limit arriving liner passengers. The tiny Caribbean nation capped them at 8 000 a day after it was invaded by about 13 000 people simultaneously - equivalent to a sudden 5 percent increase in its population. Business Report | Posted 6:35 a.m.

Scary Near-Miss at LAX Confirmed
An arriving Asiana Airlines jumbo jet narrowly missed a departing Southwest Airlines flight at Los Angeles International Airport last month after a controller mix-up that apparently placed both planes on the same runway, federal authorities confirmed Tuesday. A captain aboard the Asiana Boeing 747-400, which was arriving from Inchon, South Korea, aborted the landing Aug. 19 and came within several hundred feet of a Southwest jet headed to Albuquerque, according to a report obtained by The Times. Los Angeles Times | Posted 6:45 a.m.

Hurricane Frances Takes Aim at Florida - Hurricane Frances strengthened back to a Category 4 storm today while continuing its steady trek toward the Bahamas and Florida. The long-range forecast -- subject to extremely wide margins of error -- edged slightly north, toward northeast Florida, but forecasters cautioned that five-day forecasts always shift and have average margins of error of more than 400 miles. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, said it is too soon for residents of South Florida to let their guard down. He said a few of the computer models used in forecasting still have the core of Frances heading for South Florida, even the Keys, by the end of the week. Miami Herald | Posted 7 a.m.

Flight Attendants Want to Remove Tilton - Another United Airlines union is seeking to oust senior management at the troubled airline, saying its strategies are “reckless and incompetent.” Leaders of the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, which represents 21,000 flight attendants at United, voted unanimously to replace United CEO Glenn Tilton and his management team, vowing to “take all necessary and appropriate legal steps to seek the failed executives’ replacement.” They criticized the company for seeking further concessions from workers to restructure the company and emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Chicago Business | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Alitalia in Emergency Bankruptcy Talks - Alitalia directors and union officials met today to thrash out a rescue plan for the Italian airline which could go bankrupt in a month, as shares closed at a near-historic low. A day after the company reiterated its critical cash shortage, Alitalia shares dropped by 5.68 per cent to 0.1875 euro ($.32), an all-time low, before closing at 0.192 euros on worries the airline might fail in an overall lower market. News.com | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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• Off the Record ... I had to laugh at Loren Steffy's column in the Houston Chronicle, which threatened to charge readers and extra $5 for reading the story. "I'm sorry if you don't like it, but we have to do this to stay competitive," Steffy writes, taking a jab at Northwest's new booking fees. "Please pay by major credit card before you continue reading." On a related topic, I just re-posted Joel Widzer's column about network carriers fighting their way back to profitability. Posted 7:15 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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