Well that's not a pot of gold...

After a brief rain shower yesterday we were treated to a beautiful (double?) rainbow!  I don't think I've ever actually seen the end of a rainbow before! And imagine my surprise when it ended, not on a pot of gold, but another flight!

It fun to see all the other business and casual travels get equally excited about the rainbow. You might have thought we had never seen one before!

So many things wrong with this product...

I've seen this "texting dictionary" at a few different airports recently, and today at DCA all the clerks were wearing little badges further advertising it. This product bother me for so many reasons!

1. It's $4.99! Really?
2. You could find this stuff all for free online! Or in the actual dictionary since apparently LOL, FYI, OMG  and “♥” have all been entered in the OED. (Side note: There are so many things wrong with the recent update to the OED but that's a different blog post for a different blog!)
3. Who buys this stuff???
4. How many acronyms are there (that people legitimately use) that you need a spiral bound dictionary?
5. Of all things in an airport store, this is the product you choose to hype??
6. How do the producers of this product really see it being used? Do you read it and memorize the acronyms? Or carry it around with you to look them up when someone texts you some funky symbols or letters?
7. How is it actually structured? Do you look up the acronym or the phrase? For example would look up Starbucks and find *$? Or look up *$ and learn that means Starbucks? Or does it have both, like a Spanish-English/English-Spanish dictionary?
8. Possibly the thing that bothers me most about this product is the amount of time I've spend thinking about it!

Nice idea...in theory...

TSA seems to have updated their signage recently and there is a proliferation of these notices at airports through which I travel. In addition to the larger signs which detail the difference between "Casual Traveler" and "Expert Traveler" there are signs which would lead you to believe there are different lanes for said types of travelers. A very nice idea in theory. If I was a first time traveler it might be nice to have a lower pressure lane to go through without feeling harassed by the person behind me in a rush or where someone took more time explaining procedures. As a business traveler it would be great to have "express" option.

But this is where the theoretical meets the actual and the idea fails for a number of reasons:

• Many airports are too small for multiple lines so I just see these signs randomly placed throughout the screening area, essentially rendering them meaningless
• There is no one policing these lines. What is to keep a family with multiple children and stroller out of the "Expert Traveler" line? If I was a casual traveler I would want to get behind the speedier business folk.
• People do not self-select well. My idea of an "expert traveler" might not be the same as the person next to me in line (or apparently even the same as TSA's definition...twice a month? try twice a week!)
• The expert traveler line might very well be duplicative anyway. Many airports (especially the larger ones who might actually use these signs) have priority lines for members of frequent flyer programs (one of the listed characteristics of a "expert traveler"), rendering the expert traveler line useless.
• And all of this is going to go right out the window the second someone is running behind for a flight. You can bet if I'm running behind and the "Casual Traveler" line looks like - I'm going to be in it! Maybe that's the answer? Could we have lanes for folks who arrive 30 minutes before their flight, 60 minutes before their flight, 90 minutes before? Although if I arrived early to a flight only to find my line was really long while people who showed up late were able to sail through I would be super frustrated.  I don't know. (Believe or not) I don't have all the answers.

All that being said...I really wish these were a viable option some days!

Also I really love the signs for their reference to skiing.

Fingers Crossed!

I'm getting ready to call for a taxi and head back to Des Moines. The only problem is my colleague is in New York where they are already getting snow and are anticipating getting more. His flight isn't until 5pm and mine is at 1:30pm.  I won't know if he made his flight until after I land in Des Moines.

There is a decent possibility I could get all the way to Iowa just to need to turn back around and head back to DC...which should be getting their own snow at that point.

I've said all along I anticipate getting snowed in somewhere this winter and it's look like this could be it!

Fingers crossed we both get to Des Moines (and more importantly, are able to get home from Des Moines)!

Deja Vu?

Back to Des Moines tomorrow. Same day of the week. Same flight.  Last week I made it from my apartment, to DCA, through security and to my gate in approximately 17 minutes.  I'm not sure I"ll be able to replicate that this week. I tried to make a reservation for a taxi but was told they're not taking reservations for tomorrow "due to the weather." Um... we're only supposed to get 1 to 3 inches. And it isn't supposed to be all snow until 3pm tomorrow.

Hopefully I can get there!

The nicest part of tomorrow and last week is that I get to travel in comfort. It's so much nicer to travel in jeans than a suit.

On the other hand I think people treat me differently when I look like a professional instead of a college student!

My Opinion on the New Advanced Imaging Technology in Airports

I went through the new Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) this week and, for what it's worth, I wanted to weigh in on the debate on their use.

To be completely honest, I don't love them. While I have read the TSA information on their safety and privacy I am not entirely convinced. Pilot and flight attendant organizations have spoken out against their use due to concerns over radiation doses. While the radiation doses for passengers being screen is below the dose limits specified by the American National Standards Institute (http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/safety.shtm) there are concerns from the pilot and flight attendant organization over their repeated exposure to these machines. While I will not pass through AIT as often as a pilot or flight attendant, I will pass through more often than the occasional traveler.

The privacy piece concerns me as well. TSA has taken measures to ensure the privacy of passengers such as "the officer who assists the passenger never sees the image the technology produces. The officer who views the image is remotely located in a secure resolution room and never sees the passenger" (http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/privacy.shtm).  Additionally, according to the website, these officers are not allowed to bring photo-enabled devices into the resolution room.  However I don't trust people to abide be these rules. There have already been issues of machines storing these images (http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20012583-281.html) some of which were recently published online (http://gizmodo.com/5690749/these-are-the-first-100-leaked-body-scans).  Additionally there have already been instances of screeners acknowledging and teasing over (in this case colleagues) these images (http://politifi.com/news/Airport-security-screener-arrested-for-retaliating-over-penis-size-jokes-719517.html).

So with all of that said hopefully you can see why I don't necessarily love the AIT. However I also don't love: limiting my liquids, needing to pack my liquids in a separate bag, taking my shoes off and walking barefoot through the security gate, taking my laptop out of my bag, (getting stuck behind someone who doesn't realize all of these things are mandatory), etc. On the other hand I recognize the importance of those security measures, including the AIT. As times, technology and terrorists change our security systems need to change as well. As evidenced by the so called "underwear" bomber last Christmas, metal detectors are simply not enough to prevent an attempted attack. I'm willing to walk through the AIT if it means having some level of safety on my flight.

I understand that there are those who do not want to be subjected to the AIT or "enhanced" pat-downs for personal, religious or privacy reasons and I respect their decisions. However I don't feel there should be any allowances made in security. If passengers are uncomfortable with these new (and well publicized) security measures there are other modes of transportation available.

So those are my thoughts. What are yours?

In case you were wondering...

you cannot, in fact, carry-on snowglobes on a flight

Do people really travel with snowglobes??