Forgive and forget? Think again, the wounds linger with his week’s travel crimes. A politician, an airline, a TSA agent, two air traffic controllers, and a married couple are all caught crossing the lines of morality, civility and decency this week. Read about their crimes and decide which party is to blame.
Long Layover
A flight that was scheduled for 13 hours became a two-day travel ordeal for more than 200 passengers on United 857 from San Francisco to Shanghai. Three hours into the flight, several toilets broke and the plane was diverted to Anchorage, Alaska. The next day United brought another plane, but that plane had a computer overheat and the passengers were once again stuck on a plane without working power and toilets. After being separated from their luggage and subsisting on hotel and meal vouchers for two days, the passengers successfully took off for Shanghai on a third plane on Tuesday afternoon. United has noted that they will be refunding tickets and might also be looking into additional compensation.
Obama vs. Santorum
The Obama administration has a strict policy against press coverage of Sasha and Malia Obama’s private lives. However, Rick Santorum didn’t get the memo. While several press outfits pulled their coverage of Malia’s school trip to Mexico to respect the first daughter’s privacy, Santorum spoke with Glenn Beck on Tuesday criticizing the president’s parenting. Misinterpreting a U.S. State Department warning about crime as a government directive against visiting the country, Santorum argued that Obama was being a hypocrite for sending his child. Obama’s Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter spoke to MSNBC expressing her dismay that the children were brought into the campaign.
Photo Credit David Prasad
Locked and Loaded Laptop Case
Cleveland authorities were also in the spotlight this week after they caught 60-year-old Richard Buxman traveling with a loaded handgun and knife while passing through security at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Inside the laptop case screener found a folding knife, a loaded 9mm handgun, two loaded clips, and a loose bullet Charged with carrying a concealed weapon, Buxman was arrested and then released on bail. According to police statements, his wife has said she packed the bag and forgot about the arsenal inside.
Home Movie
Looking through home movies Matt Dubiel found footage of his then 3-year-old son, who was traveling in a wheelchair with a broken leg, being patted down by a TSA agent in 2010 at Chicago’s Midway Airport. Reliving the incident, Dubiel once again felt anger, sadness and frustration as he saw his young son clearly upset by the agent’s search. On Saturday, Dubiel posted a video on YouTube and by Monday the video had been viewed100,000 times. The TSA has remarked that they have change their procedures for children since 2010 and pat downs for fliers under 12 are possible, but now uncommon. In addition, the new TSA Cares hotline exists to further coordinate security clearance for passengers with disabilities and medical conditions.
Remote Control
It’s not a good week for air traffic controllers. This past Saturday the FAA suspended a controller in Miami for sleeping, then on Monday the FAA suspended two Cleveland employees after a controller was watching a movie on the job. On Sunday Morning, March 18, the controller accidentally activated his microphone and broadcast 3 minutes of Cleaner, a 2007 film starring Samuel L. Jackson, on federal airspace. Air Traffic controllers are forbidden from using video players and other personal devices on the radar room floor. A nearby military aircraft pilot caught the broadcast and alerted the tower to the incident.
Big Game, Bad Business won Last Week’s Icarus Award. For a comprehensive listing of travel failures, check out the Icarus Award archives. Remember to vote for this week’s guilty party.
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By Lily J. Kosner for PeterGreenberg.com
Related Links: CNN, NY Daily News, Daily Mail, USA Today, CNN
