Pilot Paul's Travel Accessories and Travel News Blog

Air Travel Tips: Tips For Flying Safer August 1, 2005 05:36

"I Bought It On eBay"- Strategies For The New and Experienced eBay User August 5, 2005 12:59

 
You can find almost anything on eBay.Anything from obscure motorcycle and boat parts, to cars, real estate, and businesses.That goes tor travel related items too.In fact, you can find many travel accessories there. It helps if you know exactly what you are... (Read Article)

Airline Travel Lingo! Does The Language Need An Interpreter? August 6, 2005 17:09

 
So many things have their own language. If you aren't an "insider", you can often feel left out or ignorant. It is impossible to be up on all the technicalities and terms in every arena that you encounter. In an effort to help airline passengers, this article... (Read Article)

Where Should You Travel With Children? August 6, 2005 17:33

 
Traveling with children is a wonderful way to make family memories. It can also be a great challenge. Finding the right destination can be half the battle. My wife has a gift for finding fun, inexpensive destinations that are great for building family memories.... (Read Article)

TSA Considers Changes in Carry-on Knife Policy August 21, 2005 05:33

 
The TSA is considering removing the ban on carry-on knives, ice picks and razor blades.

Yes, I miss carrying on my Swiss-army pen knife, but I think that this is a big mistake.

Didn't we learn on 9/11 that box cutters in the hands of determined killers could kill thousands of people?

Flight Attendants agree.

The following Washington Post article explains:

TSA Proposal Questioned By Flight Attendants

The Washington Post, August 17, 2005

The nation's largest flight attendants union yesterday questioned a federal government proposal to end the ban on knives, ice picks and razor blades on board commercial airplanes.

"As the front-line personnel with little or no effective security training or means of self defense, such weapons could prove fatal to our members," Patricia A. Friend, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said in a letter to Edmund S. "Kip" Hawley, the new leader of the Transportation Security Administration. "They may not assist in breaking through a flightdeck door, but they could definitely lead to the deaths of flight attendants and passengers."

The TSA is reviewing security procedures at the nation's airports to determine whether they protect against current terrorist threats. An internal TSA document last week detailed proposals that focus on protecting the nation from an inflight suicide bombing attack and suggested that certain categories of passengers, such as high-ranking government officials and airline crews, could be exempt from security screening. The proposals also included a possible end to the ban on certain items allowed in carry-on luggage.

A TSA spokeswoman said the proposals would not reduce the level of security at airports, adding that no final decisions have been made. "The approach is about focusing the limited resources TSA has where the threat is the greatest," spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said. "The challenge here is to look at security through the lens of threat vulnerability and consequence. The suggestions that are being considered are part of a larger effort to challenge the measures we have in place to help us improve security."

The flight attendants, whose union represents 46,000 members, said that easing the ban on some prohibited items could pose a safety risk on board the aircraft and lead to incidents that terrorize passengers even if they do not involve a hijacking.

"Even a plane that is attacked and results in only a few deaths would seriously jeopardize the progress we have all made in restoring confidence of the flying public," Friend said in her letter. "We urge you to reconsider allowing such dangerous items -- which have no place in the cabin of an aircraft in the first place -- to be introduced into our workplace."

The TSA's proposals come at a time when Congress is cutting the number of federal airport screeners and as security experts increasingly believe that U.S. airliners are adequately protected from another Sept. 11-style hijacking because of reinforced cockpit doors, air marshals and more vigilant passengers.

Yesterday, the pilots union said it agreed with many of the TSA's new proposals and welcomed the review. "We applaud the fact the TSA is taking the time to review their procedures and their screening process," said Bob Hesselbein, who serves as head of security at the Air Line Pilots Association, the union representing 64,000 U.S. airline pilots.

Hesselbein suggested that security screeners could be more effective if they were trained to do more than search for scissors and Swiss Army knives of innocent travelers.

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If you'd like to learn some more security screening tips, click here for Pilot Paul's security screeinig tips.

If you want to speed and streamline your time in the security line, the biggest way you can do that is by wearing airport friendly shoes.

(Read more...)

According to the FAA, Child Safety Seats Won't be Required on Airlines August 28, 2005 15:54

 
This week, the FAA ruled that they will not require children to be in safety seats when aboard airline flights.

This is contrary to the NTSB's (National Transportation Safety Board) recommendation for requiring them.

Parents may still bring child seats onboard (which I recommend), and they will still be allowed to hold children in their laps.

The FAA said, "Mandating the seats would not necessarily improve safety while imposing an additional cost. It will encourage the use of safety seats but leave the choice to parents."

They do make a good point: they say if forced to buy an extra ticket, some families would choose to drive instead, which is a "statistically more dangerous way to travel".

Studies show a seat mandate could cause another 13-42 road fatalities in the next 10 years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration supports FAA's decision.

Mark Rosenker, NTSB Acting Chairman, said he was "disappointed" in FAA's decision. He made the pertinent point that adults are required to buckle seat belts on takeoff and landing, and "we continue to believe that infants and young children deserve the same protection."

When my children were young we hauled the car seats through the airport and on and off the planes. We had two children in car seats for a few years. It was difficult, but I have even seen parents traveling alone with three children in car seats.

Yes, they need help and sometimes have to rent one of those luggage carts, but I still think it is worth the effort.

We managed alone with two seats by fastening a handle at the top of one of the child seats. Using a wheeled suitcase, I could hook that handle onto the rolling suitcase hook and sliding the second child seat (by fastening the seat belt) over the extended suitcase handle.

What motivated me to deal with the inconvenience of it was the thought of having to deal with the guilt of an unnecessarily or more severely injured child if I hadn't wanted to bother messing with bringing the seat onboard. (Read more...)