TSA’s Stone: Blame machines, not screeners
TSA’s Stone: Blame machines, not screeners — Failures to detect weapons and explosives at airport security checkpoints are being incorrectly attributed to shoddy work by screeners, the head of the Transportation Security Administration said. So-called human failures were often the result of government watchdogs intentionally loading the bags a certain way into the machines to exploit the limitations of the screening equipment. (Star-Telegram)
Rental cars make perfect getaway vehicles — Most people who walk into a rental car company are looking for reliable transportation for business, vacation or to help them out in a pinch. For some, however, a trip to the rental car lot is a search for the perfect getaway vehicle. Over the past several years, car rental companies and law enforcement agencies have watched the growing trend of people using rental vehicles during the commission of crimes. (Shreveport Times)
US Airways continues to bleed — Mirroring problems ravaging the entire airline industry, US Airways yesterday said it continues to bleed money, losing $191 million in the first quarter amid record-high fuel prices and super-cheap fares. The nation’s seventh-largest carrier and the dominant airline at Pittsburgh International Airport did say it flew more people than it did a year ago and paid its employees a lot less — its labor costs were 25 percent lower than a year ago. (Post-Gazette)
Hawaii hotels are fullest, and most profitable, in US — Hawaii’s hotels were the fullest — and the most profitable — in the nation during the first quarter, with more than 84 percent of the rooms occupied. Hawaii hotels earned an average of $138 per room a night during the quarter, leading all U.S. cities, according to a report released yesterday by Hospitality Advisors LLC. (Star-Bulletin)
Travel insurance doesn’t always deliver — Trip cancellation insurance is a hot add-onto summer vacations. Before 9/11, fewer than 10 percent of travelers bought insurance, according to InsureMyTrip.com, an East Greenwich, R.I., insurance site. But since the terrorist attacks (and the tsunami disaster), about 1 in 5 travelers does. At the same time, more firms are peddling policies, including travel websites and agencies. Unfortunately, the policies don’t always deliver. (US News & World Report)
Qantas crew doesn’t like LAX hotel changes — Qantas cabin crew staying in Los Angeles say they fear for their safety after the airline moved them to a hotel in the city’s crime-prone downtown area. Angry flight attendants have told their union they feel trapped in the giant Bonaventure Hotel because they are too afraid to venture out after dark on deserted downtown Los Angeles streets. (The Australian)
Contributing: Charles Leocha, John Frenaye