Now that's a real scan
A security scanner at London Heathrow doesn't just spot weapons or other contraband. Its X-rays see through
clothing, producing a "naked" image of passengers. The device is inside a curtained area where passengers,
chosen at random, assume several poses to register their image. Those who demur are given hand searches.
"It was really horrible," one woman passenger told the London Sunday Times. "It doesn't leave much to the
imagination because you're virtually naked, but I guess it's less intrusive than being hand searched." A man
said he was "shocked" at what he saw and felt "embarrassed." Security officials say the scanner is far more
effective than conventional metal detectors, but the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has refused to
deploy it until it can be modified to preserve some modesty.
Is that a baboon on the waiting list?
Yes, that was a primate you saw yesterday at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport. A pregnant
baboon, whose name was not released, escaped from her holding cage Wednesday as she was
being loaded onto a 3:30 p.m. Continental Airlines flight to San Francisco, according to the Houston
Chronicle. The baboon was being delivered to a Bay Area zoo. She managed to climb into the rafters
below an elevated terminal concourse, though officials say she never entered the passenger areas of
the airport. Animal control specialists were brought in, and where able to coax the animal back into
captivity. But the incident did force the baboon to lose her assigned seat. "They didn't hold the flight
for one baboon," said Houston airport system spokesman Roger Smith. "They found another aircraft
to put her on."
Controversial idea: Charge fliers by the pound
Looking for fodder to start a lively water-cooler conversation? Try Marc Fisher's column in The Washington
Post , where he suggests that airlines should charge passengers by the pound. "Two pounds of apples
cost more than one," he writes. "Mailing a big, fat envelope is more expensive than mailing a letter.
Smokers pay more for life insurance than do non-smokers. So why shouldn't you pay an airline according to
how much you weigh and how much space you take up?" He notes the nation's struggling airlines are trying
to cut costs anyway they can, and cites a recent study by the National Center for Environmental Health that
found U.S. passengers' increasing weight costs airlines an extra $275 million per year in fuel costs. Fisher's
take: "... the solution lies directly beneath the floor of the passenger cabin: Charge passengers by the pound,
just as freight in the cargo hold is priced. That would not only help the airlines, but more important, would
create a social and financial disincentive for becoming or staying obese." Let the debates begin.
Would you like Internet while you wait for your car?
Hertz will add wireless, high-speed Web access in more than 50 airports across the USA during the first
quarter of 2005 under a deal with Wayport, a provider of Wi-Fi wireless and high-speed access. Hertz says
customers at certain airport locations will be able to connect from inside the Hertz facility as well as from
the #1 Club Gold rental area. First locations include airports in California, Florida, Texas, New York, Illinois
and Pennsylvania. Members of Wayport's Wi-Fi World program will be able to use the service as part of
Wayport's standard package. Other customers can purchase a one-time connection for what's described as
a minimal fee.
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