Curves in the Road to Redeeming Miles
FAA Pushing New Aircraft Safety Tool
Canada Bag-Screening Rule Gets Second Look
Denver Airport’s Wi-Fi Censorship on a Par With Saudi Arabia
New Airports: Beijing’s Terminal 3
CURVES IN THE ROAD TO REDEEMING MILES - The New York Times
With planes fuller than ever and paying passengers competing for seats, it’s never been more difficult to redeem your frequent-flier miles. To make matters worse, airlines are tightening restrictions and expanding blackout dates, and raising the number of miles required to get a seat. Despite all this, airlines are issuing more miles than ever, filling the market with a glut of miles and passengers wanting free tickets. So what are passengers supposed to do … besides complain on Internet message boards? Well, there are a few things that can be done, so find out some tips for using your miles even when it seems impossible.
Link: The New York Times
FAA PUSHING NEW AIRCRAFT SAFETY TOOL - Forbes
A new GPS plane-locating device could bring greater safety to America’s runways. With close calls and ground incidents on the rise, the FAA is pushing hard for the certification and implementation of the new technology that would provide pilots with a detailed, real-time map of the relevant airport’s runways. While some are concerned that this could mean pilots are staring at computer screens instead of flying, in practice, pilots seem to glance at the new technology and then confirm what it’s saying by looking out the window.
Link: Forbes
CANADA BAG-SCREENING RULE GETS SECOND LOOK - USA Today
Every bag that arrives in the U.S. from Canada must be re-screened, thanks to laws put in place after 9/11. This means that roughly 6 million bags from Canada are re-screened each year at U.S. airports, and 50,000 to 100,000 of them miss their connecting flights, according to a study by the Airports Council International and the Canadian Airports Council. This is despite the fact that Canadian security standards are considered to be just as good—if not better—than American standards. But thanks to a new report from a committee appointed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, this rule—which costs airlines $5 million to $7 million per year—is finally being re-examined.
Link: USA Today
DENVER’S WI-FI CENSORSHIP ON A PAR WITH SAUDI ARABIA - BoingBoing
Here’s the good news: Denver International Airport offers free Wi-fi access. The bad news is that they use the ironically-named “SmartFilter” by Secure Computing. This lovely piece of software is the same one used by oppressive governments including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and even Iran. Numerous technophiles have criticized this filter as far too harsh, since it blocks some sites for ‘nudity’ for offenses such as displaying images of Michelangelo’s David.
Link: BoingBoing
NEW AIRPORTS: BEIJING’S TERMINAL 3 - Jaunted
As the Beijing Olympics draw ever closer, China’s preparations for the Games are reaching a fever pitch. The architectural firm behind Beijing International’s new terminal has released a series of renderings of what the completed terminals will look like. The terminal begins trial operations on Feb. 29, and is slated to open fully by late March.
Link: Jaunted
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