Tagged: security

Airline Ticketing Will Include Nonbinary Gender Option

The major U.S. airlines are changing their online ticketing sites so that passengers can identify gender with options other than male and female. According to the Associated Press,…

How to Check TSA Wait Times Online

Following bad weather, government shutdowns, and other disasters, airport horror stories usually start to circulate online about security wait times rivaling Lawrence of Arabia in…

What to Do About TSA Delays Caused by Government Shutdown

The U.S. government's partial shutdown, now in its fourth smash week, has started to have a negative impact on airport security lines. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)…

U.S. Airports with the Most and Least Secure Wi-Fi

You already know that airport Wi-Fi can be maddeningly slow. Did you know it also could be leaving you vulnerable to hackers?That's the conclusion reached by a new study (which you can…

Biased Metrics? Concerns Over Privacy and Race in Airport Face Scans

APRIL 10, 2018If the federal government and technology companies get their way, it won’t be long before your face becomes your boarding pass at every major airport in the United…

Arthur Frommer: What Would Happen if Mexico Published Warnings About the U.S.?

The Secretary of Travel for Mexico, one Enrique de la Madrid, was recently interviewed by the editor of Travel Weekly and expressed considerable upset at the various “advisories”…

TSA to Make You Remove Snacks from Your Carry-On—Except When It Won't

The next time you go through airport security, you could be asked to remove all food from your carry-on luggage, along with all the other stuff that gets removed—your shoes, your…

Privacy vs. Security: How Hotel Guests Can Get Around the Rise in "Room Checks"

I do a strange thing in hotel rooms sometimes: I host a live radio show. When I'm on the road, thanks to the magic of Skype, my room becomes my studio. And it used to be a quiet, easy…

San Francisco Airport Can Now Send Emergency Texts to Passengers

San Francisco International Airport has become the first in the nation to receive approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send emergency text messages directly to any…

U.S. State Department Travel Advisories: Where to Find Them, How to Read Them

Pop quiz: What's the difference between a "travel alert" and a "travel warning"? If you don't have a clue, the U.S. State Department determined that you're not the only one. Widespread…

Our Top Tips for Surviving Holiday Air Travel this Year

The airlines are expecting 51 million passengers to fly in United States in the final two weeks of December, a figure that’s up 3% from last year’s record number. Break it down and…

Airlines Limit Smart Bags Allowed on Flights

The supposed next big thing in luggage just hit a snag. Several U.S. airlines have announced bans on technologically sophisticated "smart" suitcases with lithium-ion batteries that…

More Complex Screening Begins for U.S. Passengers

You might remember that last spring, several international airlines, mostly from predominantly Muslim countries, were banned from allowing laptops in passenger cabins. That, and the…

After Las Vegas, Should Airport Security Measures Now Be Applied to Hotels?

The recent horrific shooting in Las Vegas has touched off a number of articles and proposals by travel writers on the relationship of hotel security measures to acts of…

Now Is the Best Time to Apply for or Renew a U.S. Passport, Says State Department

If you need to apply for or renew a U.S. passport, the best time to do so is right now, according to the U.S. State Department.Processing times are shortest between September and…

Non-Flyers Now Allowed Into Secured Areas at Pittsburgh Airport

We've got good news for airport shoppers, chaperones, and prolonged goodbye-sayers.For the first time since 9/11, an American airport is allowing people without tickets into secured…

Italian Airport Relaxes Liquid Ban—for Pesto Only

Each year, hundreds of jars of pesto are confiscated at airport security checkpoints in the Italian city of Genoa, where the sauce made from basil, pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil…

Great Barrier Reef's Value, Food Theme Park in Tokyo, and Carry-On Pesto in Italy: Today's Travel Briefing

JUNE 27, 2017 — Good morning, everybody! Here's the latest from the world's markets, airports, and underwater marvels.HOW MUCH IS THE GREAT BARRIER REEF WORTH? (Kyodo News)You can't…

No Laptop Ban on Flights from Europe to U.S.—For Now

For the time being, a ban on in-cabin laptops will not be extended to flights from Europe to the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security.However, a…

No Laptop Ban on Europe Flights, A New Budget Airline, and Facial-Recognition Boarding: Today's Travel Briefing

JUNE 7, 2017 — Good morning, everybody! Today's news is all about air travel.U.S. NOT EXPANDING LAPTOP BAN TO FLIGHTS FROM EUROPE—FOR NOW (Travel Weekly)For the time being, a ban on…

Travel Without Hesitation to Foreign Democracies, but Steer Clear of Authoritarian Nations

The scene was captured by photographers. They trained their cameras on sign-wielding protesters exercising their constitutional right to gather outside a foreign embassy and criticize…

A Mandatory Fee at NYC's Met?, Europe Travel Alert, and an Expanded Panama Canal: Today's Travel Briefing

MAY 4, 2017 — Good morning, everybody! Here's the latest from the world's museums, cruise ships, and tourism hotspots. U.S. GOVERNMENT ISSUES TRAVEL ALERT FOR EUROPE IN WAKE OF TERROR…

How to Protect Your Phone from Hackers (And Other Bad Stuff) When You Travel

Cell phones have become as indispensable during travel as they are everywhere else—whether you need directions in an unfamiliar city or simply want to keep in touch with the folks back…

The World's Safest Country for Tourists

Finland has been named the world's safest country for travelers in this year's edition of the highly regarded Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report from the World Economic…

Trump Hotel Deal Off in Dallas, World's Safest Country Named, and Emirates Cuts Flights to U.S.: Today's Travel Briefing

APRIL 20, 2017 — Good morning, everybody! Here's the latest from the world's hotels, airlines, and tourism bureaus.PLAN TO BUILD TRUMP HOTEL IN DALLAS FALLS THROUGH (Associated…