Tagged: airport

The Best Way to Check TSA Wait Times in Advance (It's Not the TSA App)

As the partial government shutdown continues to drag on, many U.S. airports have reported extended wait times for passengers at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. TSA…

"The TSA’s New $45 Fee to Fly Without ID is Illegal," Says Regulatory Expert

On Sunday, February 1, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began charging travelers without REAL ID $45 to fly.This may come as a surprise, but no U.S. law requires you to…

What Airline Refund Rights Do Americans Still Have? Here's What Remains

In 2025, the major U.S. airlines were taken off the leash by the incoming federal administration. A lobbyist for the airlines, Sean Duffy, was installed as the head of the Department…

7 Tips for Surviving the FAA Flight Reduction Crisis—Including One You'll Wish You'd Thought Of Yourself

You’ve read the news: The U.S. government shutdown is now the longest in history. TSA agents and air traffic controllers haven’t been paid in over a month, so Transportation Secretary…

Here's Each Airline's Rebooking Policy for Flights Canceled by FAA Reductions

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that in response to the government's failure to reopen, it will cull the flight schedule in the United States by about 10% starting…

Before You Fly During the U.S. Shutdown, Check These Websites

The U.S. federal shutdown has lasted more than a month. Workers in the Transportation Security Administration and in the air traffic control system have not been paid, and their…

Holiday Airfares are Significantly Lower this Year. Just How Low?

While it might be too late, at this stage, to find an affordable Labubu to put under the tree, at least holiday airfares have softened. According to the folks at Dollar Flight Club,…

6 Ways Travel Is About to Get More Expensive—And Why

Hotel ratesAccording to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), hotel rates are expected to increase globally by 4% over the next few years.This is partly due to demand…

The Unexpected Travel Effects of the Federal Shutdown

No matter how common they have become, U.S. Government shutdowns can be painful, especially for travelers.Already, the action that began on October 1 is affecting everything from…

Can You Opt Out of a Face Scan for International Flight Departures in the U.S.?

This month, a facial recognition system at U.S. airports completed its pilot stage and moved to official implementation. As of September 26, there are 57 major American airports where…

U.S. Airlines Try to Abandon Passenger Rights and Performance Reports—to Secretly Police Themselves

The nation's largest airlines are quietly asking the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to virtually eradicate every meaningful consumer protection we have. If the big carriers…

The TSA Has Banned These Hair Care Products from Checked Luggage

This year, the Transportation Security Administration has made a few important tweaks to security rules at the airport.In February, the TSA clarified that portable chargers and power…

In Parts of Europe, They're Letting You Fly with Up to 2 Liters of Liquid Now

On July 8, at the moment U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was throwing a fancy press event for the cameras to announce the end of the Transportation Security…

It's Official: The TSA Has Ended Its Loathed Shoe-Removal Policy

At airports across the United States, the Transportation Security Administration is now letting passengers in the standard screening line keep their shoes on. First noticed by flyers…

Warning: Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access via Credit Cards Is Increasingly Futile

Access at more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide is granted through the Priority Pass program for people with some of the most popular credit cards in travel. Those cards include…

The Big Three Airlines Are Misleading Travelers So They Can Rig the System

We have two airline industries in America. There are larger carriers, led by the Big Three oligopoly of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. And then we have…

Flyers without REAL ID Asked to Arrive 3 Hours Early (Or Just Bring This Instead)

REAL ID is a case study of how constantly shifting politics in the United States makes it nearly impossible to get constructive long-term projects done. First developed in 2001 after a…

Newark Airport is a Mess. Has it Become Less Safe to Fly in the U.S.?

Even people who live nowhere near New Jersey have been shaken by reports of chronic flight delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) due to ATC. There's…

Don't Have a REAL ID? You Can Use These Forms of Identification Instead

Update, December 1, 2025: As of February 2026, the United States government will charge its citizens a $45 fee to fly if they go to the airport without a REAL ID. Read more about the…

America's Air Traffic Control Needs Fixing—Here's What to Do (and Not to Do)

About the author: William J. McGee is the Senior Fellow for Aviation & Travel at American Economic Liberties Project. An FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he spent seven years in…

Can You Really Get Water Past TSA by Claiming It's "Medical"? Fact-Checking Social Media

An Instagrammer says he figured out how to get full-size bottles of water past Transportation Security Administration checkpoints."Here's the greatest travel hack of all time,"…

U.S. Aviation Safety is Under Fire

About the author: William J. McGee is the Senior Fellow for Aviation & Travel at American Economic Liberties Project. An FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he spent seven years in…

When Stuff Gets Left Behind at the TSA, the U.S. Government Sells It on This Site

Every travel blog and morning TV show seems to have unpacked every last detail about Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama. The store where your luggage might wind up for sale if…

What's It Like to Take Uber's Shuttle to LaGuardia Airport? Our Review

Airport shuttles were one of the many victims of the Covid-19 pandemic. Across the United States, a bunch of shuttle services went out of business, and most have not come back.But Uber…

The Big Lie of Aviation DEI

One day after Donald Trump's second inauguration, the White House issued an executive order entitled "Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation" that rescinds all Diversity, Equity, and…