Well that's new

 Locked

Unlocked

The first thing I do after entering a hotel room is lock the door. Generally I'm staying in decent places (ie Hampton Inns, not the W, but in nice enough areas) and I'm not scared for my safety or anything, but you can never be too careful.

I was a little thrown at the Hampton Inn in Concord I stayed at this week. I had never seen a lock like this before! And I wondered if it would be as effective as your standard hotel latch.

 Ironically enough after remarking about the new lock style, taking pictures of it and planning to point it out on my blog I did, in fact, get to learn that it is effective. After falling asleep Tuesday night someone tried to get into my room. I could hear them insert a keycard and then shake the door back and forth as if trying to open it. I can only imagine they thought it was their room (as is easy to do when everything looks like the same) but it startled me out of bed anyway! Definitely not my best night's sleep ever.

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.

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??