Yesterday the United States Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-to-5 in favour of an amendment, as part of immigration reform, to require the finger printing of all foreign travelers departing the United States. The bill, proposed by Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT), implements biometric tracking of foreign travelers under the Department of Transportation in three phases. …
Sharpen up your knives, polish your golf clubs, restring your lacrosse stick and pack them in your carry on bag for your upcoming flights … but don’t pack a drink. On the 25th of April 2013 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is adjusting its list of items prohibited as carry on items.  The TSA…
What might seem like common sense for one traveler may be an unknown topic for another. Walk through any airport at any time of day you’ll see people breezing through check in and others struggling to understand the process at the counter. Step into an airport security screening checkpoint and you’ll see some pros zip…
In the spring of 2004, following the commuter rail bombings in Madrid, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began devising a plan to “protect the Nation’s transportation systems and ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce,” for the railroads and mass transit systems in the United States. The result of the TSA’s efforts to increase…
Over the past week there have been numerous news reports surrounding the arrest of Jetblue Captain Robert Paulson, at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, for having a gun in his carry on baggage, and over the past week important details seem to have been left out of these stories … … before we delve into…
The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Administrator John Pistole has recently announced plans to create and oversee a ‘Trusted Traveler‘ program. Under the TSA’s proposed ‘Trusted Traveler’ program airline passengers would be able to avoid Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) scanners, leave their shoes on and leave their laptops in their bags. The TSA’s proposed ‘Trusted Traveler’…
POST EDITED ON 10-MARCH-2011 : CORRECT AN ERROR IN THE FINANCIAL NUMBERS CAUSED BY A SPELL CHECKER The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) budget is enormous, but is the agency prioritizing and allocating its funds in the most effective manner? At present the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lists the TSA’s budget at US$8,164,780,000 with US$7,910,780,000…
Yesterday I wrote about being briefly detained by the Connecticut State Police, at the request of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and that once detained I was informed that I was not free to leave Bradley International Airport. Since my post went up I received both comments on the blog and in my email that…
Generally I don’t respond to unsigned reader mail sent to me from bogus GMail accounts … but today I am making an exception. Why am I making an exception? Well today’s Reader Mail comes from “A Concerned Reader” … and the IP address associated with the “A Concerned Reader” email is the same IP address…
This travel essential is for iPhone and iPod touch users … and given that a quick look around almost any flight will reveal that there are more iPods/iPhones than screaming kids, frequent fliers and Federal Air Marshals … I figured I should add this info the Essentials List. As an iPhone users I do not…
