The Transportation Security Administration is facing an existential crisis.
In Houston, wait times at the screening area hit three hours this week. Atlanta and Philadelphia had to close entire checkpoints because they didn’t have enough staff. Now there’s talk of entire airports shutting down because of insufficient TSA screeners.
If you’re heading to the airport this weekend, you might want to pack a little extra patience. As of midnight Friday, the Department of Homeland Security is out of money, and that means the people keeping our skies safe are back to working for IOUs. (We discussed the effectiveness of federalized security screeners on Saturday, and we’re still having a great conversation if you want to join.)
A looming government shutdown means the agency could lose its funding as early as this weekend, leaving 61,000 federal screeners to work without a paycheck.
Picture this: You’re driving 85 in a 65-mph zone, and a state trooper pulls you over. But instead of a $200 ticket, he hands you a warning and a pamphlet on the importance of speed limits.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a Biden-era Department of Transportation (DOT) rule that would have forced airlines to show you a full fare up front. That included the cost of a checked bag, a carry-on, and changing your flight.
Spirit Airlines is haunting the halls of bankruptcy court again. For the second time in about a year, the threat of liquidation looms large for the beleaguered discount carrier.
Of all the annoying things couples do when they travel, the coerced seat swap may be the worst.
Kirstyn Allen saw it on a recent flight from Atlanta to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Two newlyweds boarded the plane after her and pressured another passenger to surrender her assigned seat so they could be together.
Do you knock three times on the airplane fuselage before you board a flight? Or do you carry a lucky rabbit’s foot on vacation? If you do, then you might be a superstitious traveler.
You can almost feel it when you fly these days. It’s that sense that you’re a second-class citizen with limited rights — or none at all.
An airport can be a dangerous place.
Just ask Brandon Barron, who recently flew from Charlotte to Orlando with his wife, four young kids and his mother, who has Alzheimer’s.
