Travel News

Icarus Award: F Is for Failure

Locations in this article:  Philadelphia, PA San Francisco, CA

A number of TSA agents, baggage handlers and flight attendants throughout the country are getting a failing grade this week. Yes, on a whole, airport and airline crew are hardworking and upstanding, but we also have a few rogue cases. Read on to hear about loaded guns, missing iPads, confiscated peanut butter and even more mayhem.

F for Firearms

This past Sunday, Jaclyn Luby, flight attendant for regional Republic Airlines, had a very public flub. Luby just forgot that she was carrying a loaded weapon in her luggage charge. To make matters even more failing, the police officer who uncovered the weapon at Philadelphia International Airport accidentally discharged the .38 caliber handgun. No one was harmed, but Luby now faces disorderly conduct charges and the office who fired the gun is now on desk duty.

F for Family Pet Fatality

After the death of their beloved golden retriever, Maggie Rizer and her family are fighting back against what they perceive to be “the negligence of United Airlines.” At the end of the summer, the family took their two dogs, including 2-year-old golden retriever Bea, home from New York to San Francisco. In addition to paying $900 for Bea’s flight, the family took extra precautions and labeled the kennels, provided ice water bowls and got the pets checked out. The family was informed of Bea’s death by an worker who stated “one of them is dead.” An autopsy proved Bea died of heatstroke no doubt due to two 15-minute intervals where the plane was turned off and temperatures rose.

F for Fraud

Looks like Andrea Sirlo, if that is his real name, has seen “Catch Me If You Can” a few too many times. Sirlo was caught at the Turin Airport in Italy wearing a pilot’s uniform and carrying a forged ID. According to reports for The Guardian, Sirlo is the unknown man’s fake identity, which he used to fly at least one Luftansa and one Air Dolomiti flight as the third pilot. Sirlo has now been grounded after his recent arrest and admitted to the local authorities that he was inspired by the Spielberg film

F for Find My iPad

If you have the nerve to steal an iPad, let’s hope you also have the smarts to turn off the location services. Not so for Wendy Ronelle Dye, a 43-year-old flight attendant for Horizon Air. Dye was arrested in her Oregon City home after a Nevada man’s iPad was traced to her home. Dye claims her intent was to turn the tablet in. However, police found that she had updated her information onto the device. The iPad is with its rightful owner and Dye has been suspended.

F for Filing a Complaint

Stephanie Lambert was a mom on a mission. In preparation to flying across the country with two small children, she came to the airport ready to keep her kids satisfied with apple sauce, and peanut butter and jelly. Too bad the TSA had other plans. After a long and questionably-practiced screening, the TSA agent confiscated her jar of peanut butter. Not one to let the peanut butter go to waste, Lambert filed a SF-Tour Claim Package form, which is normally used when TSA loses expensive electronics. Lambert’s claim was accepted and she got for $3.99 from the U.S. Treasury for new peanut butter. Way to stick it to the man, mom!

The Gin Cure won the last Icarus Award. See all the winners and/or losers in the Icarus archives. And remember to vote in this week’s poll.

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By Lily J. Kosner for PeterGreenberg.com

Related links: NBC, Opposing Views, Huffington Post, Digital Life, MSNBC