MetaFilter posts tagged with airport

"We are supposed to notify a supervisor. You’re a supervisor, right?"

anastasiav — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:38:11 -0800

Do I have the right to refuse this search?

Airport Float

FfejL — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:49:02 -0800

The 3 million people of the San Diego metro area are served not just by a single airport but by a single runway, making it the 2nd busiest single-runway airport in the world (behind London's Gatwick). But where to put a new one? How about 10 miles out to sea?

Atlanta Airport Chaplain

wittgenstein — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:00:08 -0800

"I said, 'This is a dilemma, because if that was your 81-year-old grandmother sitting out there, you would be fit to be tied,' " Cook says. "And I said, 'I'm sure the news channels would love this story if I gave them a phone call.' " Being a chaplain at the Atlanta airport.

No more ditching in the Hudson is a plus.

allkindsoftime — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:33:00 -0800

The Manhattan Airport Foundation. From the About Us: It doesn’t take long to realize Central Park squanders 843 acres of the most valuable real estate in the world. From the FAQ: To date, nearly 100 investors have signed on to provide approximately $130M in equity with another $80M from the bond market making Manhattan Airport the most ambitious privately-funded airport development project in US history. Apparently this is for reals.

An Unclear Future

mattdidthat — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:41:18 -0800

Clear, the "security service" that allowed travellers to bypass TSA security lines, offered a Father's Day discount if you purchased a one-year membership by June 21. On June 23, Clear ceased operations. Sorry, no refunds.

Behind the scenes at Airport Security Theater

BigLankyBastard — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:41:44 -0800

"Serious problems" found at nation's airport security checkpoints. Local TV station KSTP found that airport employees, including cleaning staff, are often allowed to enter secured areas of airports at night without anyone checking their identification badge or the bags and other belongings they bring into the so-called sterile areas. More disturbing even than this revelation is the video showing the reporter, with hidden camera, hanging around various national airports' security checkpoints for hours and asking numerous pointed questions about security procedures... and is never asked to explain what he's doing. Previously, natch.

Oh, it's a big, pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels; why, it looks like a big Tylenol!

crapmatic — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:12:32 -0800

Mark takes us on the A380 (warning: image heavy) from Dubai to New York with meticulous photographic detail. For $7300 you can fly the A380 with access to amenities like showers and a full-service bar, and stroll down to see the plebs in steerage. Arguably the last time a flying hotel was tried in earnest was the post-WWII Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, a staple of Pacific routes until jet-powered 707s appeared on the scene.

Trolling the head of the TSA

ChasFile — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:23:31 -0800

Trolling the Head of the TSA: Bruce Schneier [previously], consummate voice of sanity on all issues of security, co-authors an article in The Atlantic [previously] demonstrating how weak and ultimately pointless most of the new security practices put in place at airports since 9/11 are by, among other things, boarding airplanes with large amounts of liquid, using fake boarding passes he printed off his computer, and wearing an "I <3 Hezbollah" t-shirt. TSA head Kip Hawley then responds on the TSA's blog. Schneier then responds to the response on his blog. Hawley then leaves a comment to that post. Schneier fires back again in his monthly newsletter. Quite an interesting and intelligent debate, despite both men humorously falling victim to the idioms of the medium and getting increasingly snarky with each passing post. [via this month's crypto-gram, a good read all the way around.]

The Things He Carried

chunking express — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:33:06 -0800

The Things He Carried. "Airport security in America is a sham—'security theater' designed to make travelers feel better and catch stupid terrorists. Smart ones can get through security with fake boarding passes and all manner of prohibited items—as our correspondent did with ease."

John Travolta's custom built home with runway

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:56:26 -0800

"I moved here, primarily, to have the bigger, stronger, runway," Travolta explains, "then built a taxiway to the house that would endure the weight of the 707."

TSA gets Xray goggles. No, seriously.

allkindsoftime — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:54 -0800

Scanners that see through clothing installed in US airports. Good news! No more testing. Time to roll these puppies out. It's OK though, seriously guys. See we're gonna blur the faces when we look at their sexual organs, so everything's cool. K? Prev.

plus, there's food. And bars.

oneirodynia — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:13:31 -0800

With over 35,000,000 visitors a year, it could be argued that it is the busiest museum in the world. Yet most people are there to catch a plane. The San Francisco International Airport is the first airport accredited by the American Association of Museums. It houses a permanent aviation exhibit, as well as dozens of rotating exhibits in various terminals, some of which are only available to screened passengers ( and for some reason, one has to dig through press releases to see photographs: Catalinaware, Victorian Majolica, Eight Centuries of Buddhist Imagery.) More pictures of the aviation museum from the Flickr site of the completely awesome Telstar Logistics. Another blog post on a past exhibit, The Engineering of Sound.

Building big buildings. And knocking others down.

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:59:14 -0800

The new terminal at Beijing airport is big. No, wait, I mean it's REALLY BIG. That is, REALLY FUCKING BIG. And there's plenty of other massive construction projects underway in Beijing, many designed by European architects. Like they say, though, if you wanna make an omelette, you gotta break some eggs. And well, they seem to be doing a better job of that than these guys. And hey, what the hell, while we're at it: demolition montage.

Destroying Homes Since 1992

jeffamaphone — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:56:40 -0800

Discussion of the beauty and consequences of urban decay pops up here from time to time. In 1992 Lambert-St. Louis International Airport began its expansion program. The airport's website has a timeline and lots of photos. Since the planning began, there has been a fair amount of controversy of one form or another surrounding the expansion. Despite all the shininess of their press releases, things are progressing very slowly. The people who have been impacted most, however, are the people who lived in the communities on top of which the expansion is happening. They have all been displaced. Documenting the fate of Carrollton, one neighborhood purchased in its entirety by the airport, is local artist and former resident Desy. Her blog 56 Houses Left and her photo stream is both sad and beautiful as it documents the neglect, decay and ultimate destruction of a once thriving area. It is an excellent counterpoint to the picture painted by the airport. Some houses have been burned, some have been tagged by racists, some have been demo'd, some strangely ignored, and some people are holding out.

A tail around two cities..

drstein — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:59:57 -0800

After several disagreements between the Texas cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, the Greater Fort Worth International Airport at Amon Carter Field opened on April 25th, 1953. The lavishly decorated terminals were served by several airlines, including American, Braniff, Continental Airlines, and the now defunct Eastern Airlines. Love Field in Dallas eventually won over more airlines and passengers. The construction of the Dallas-Ft Worth International Airport at its new location was the final nail in the coffin for ACF. After a mere 20 years, the Amon Carter airport was all but abandoned and eventually demolished.

We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore!

ThePinkSuperhero — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:19:42 -0800

I now know what to do in case I ever got stuck on an airplane that's not going anywhere- organize and stage a revolt, like the passengers of Continental flight 1669.

Chattin' With Kip

Bovine Love — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:04:32 -0800

Conversation with Kip Hawley, TSA Administrator (Part 1) Part one of five, Bruce Schneier chats it up with Kip, TSA Administrator. The TSA and airport security have long been hot topics on Metafilter; here is a chance to read some hard questions put to the man himself and his answers.

TSA busts myths, too!

spec80 — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:23:05 -0800

Last week, a woman at DC's Reagan Airport was detained because of water in her son's sippy cup. In an unusual step, the TSA has posted their own Mythbusters site where they show the security footage and the official incident report. Here is BoingBoing's take on the video. And a security/security technology blogger posts about the larger lesson that people readily side against the TSA "because there's no accountability or transparency in the DHS."

"TSOs have been trained to not touch the monkey during the screening process."

scrump — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:29:17 -0800

The TSA would like to help you travel with your service animal. As with any set of guidelines, sometimes people try to game the system.

Oh, I wish we had the image tag again...

bitter-girl.com — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 08:29:02 -0800

Bare naked travel? (Previously on MeFi: here, except now they're actually doing it, and here). The TSA wants to see you naked. Just don't paint "Kip Hawley Is An Idiot" on your torso in Pepto-Bismol before you go to the airport.

"Kip Hawley is an Idiot"

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 07:14:19 -0800

"Kip Hawley is an Idiot". Careful what you say about the Director of the TSA when you're waiting to pass airport security.

Make pumps not bombs.

Kickstart70 — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:04:33 -0800

News of stupidity in the fight against terrorism: Up to three years in jail for not loudly enunciating, in front of his mom, that he had a penis pump. If you do not know that you are an American citizen, it's your fault and you may be deported as an illegal alien. Manhattan train stopped because of some woman's bottle of iced tea? BC Ferry delayed 3 hours because of a forgotten briefcase (my coworker lives next to the terminal and has learned that this was an RCMP officer's briefcase, though that detail has not made the media). There are so many of these stories...we really need one place to group them all together.

Bunny Outruns Airliner

brownpau — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:20:26 -0800

Bunny versus Airbus A380. The bunny was on the runway as the A380 came in for a landing, but managed to avoid getting pancaked by bolting as the behemoth decelerated. We salute you, Runway Bunny.

Good food? At airports?

expialidocious — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 13:39:44 -0800

Traveling soon? Check out your airport's food for health or taste. A move away from single concessionaires has brought star chefs and big money to some locations and frustrated locals (Sea-Tac, halfway through article) in others. But the overall airport-food picture is still weak enough to inspire six pages of Rooneyesque diatribe. [more inside]

Plane-ly amazing!

neurodoc — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 18:23:13 -0800

Looking for detailed flight info? This site takes airplane flight tracking to air traffic control levels. Be sure to check out the complete airport status and the facinating flight movies.