TravelCommons

Tag: TSA

  • Podcast #65 – New Ways to the Front of the Line; Southwest Skips Nickel & Dimes

    Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after taking a month’s break. We see if there’s anything to the TSA’s recent attempts to reduce security line waits — the Clear Registered Traveler and the Diamond Lane Self-Select programs. We also take a look at Southwest’s attempts to attract more business travelers. A listener story on traveling injured causes us… Continue Reading →

  • Jumping the Line – Using Clear Registered Traveler and Diamond Lane Self-Select

    I’ve had first hand experience with a couple of the TSA’s recent attempts to provide an “overall increase in throughput” — the Registered Traveler program and the Diamond Lane Self-Select program. To save you the suspense, neither is going to create a sudden outpouring of love for the TSA. Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #64 – Escaping the Travel Bubble; Mark’s Travel Tips

    Finally recorded in the Brooklyn Marriott in New York after hauling my recording gear across the Atlantic to Amsterdam, over to Minneapolis, and finally to New York. In this episode, a number of listeners comment on airport security, we talk about breaking out of the “travel bubble” that insulates so many frequent travelers from the cities they visit, and I… Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #63 – The 733-Mile Stare; TSA Can’t Help Themselves

    Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago after a week of skiing in Colorado. In this episode, we talk about some of the difficulties faced by today’s frequent travelers. A listener gives a blow-by-blow account of the myriad of lines he faced trying to get home from Newark. Another listener relates about the challenges of attending a business conference… Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #55 – True Cost of Connecting; See More With The Family

    Recorded in the Marriott Courtyard in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the current “blogstorm” about United Airlines’ poor customer service provides the data to calculate the true cost of connecting flights. A recent combined business and family trip to New York City makes me realize that my family isn’t a burden in my travels, but instead an eyeopener. Listeners comment on… Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #54 – Traveling Injured; How Bad Is Travel Experience Really?

    Recorded in the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, the former Playboy Club, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, I talk about the travails of “playing injured” — traveling while sick. A listener comment makes me wonder if I’m exaggerating the state of the US travel experience. We get a good suggestion on how to wrestle with charging all those electronic devices we… Continue Reading →

  • The Shoe Carnival Still Alive in Orlando

    The shoe carnival — that degrading one-legged dance we do for the entertainment of TSA screeners across the country all because one guy tried (and failed) to light his shoe on fire some six years ago — has survived the introduction of the ShoeScanner in Orlando’s airport. Home of some of the worst TSA lines, Orlando Airport is piloting this… Continue Reading →

  • Podcast #48 – Frequent Flyer Strategies, Measuring Hotel Bandwidth

    Recorded in the Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa near Palm Springs, CA, we talk about a surprise at the rental car lot and some good and bad TSA experiences. My search for frequent flyer seats to South Africa leads to a discussion about how diversifying or concentrating your “deposits” into frequent travel programs yield different results. The Travel Tech… Continue Reading →