Uncategorized

If you often find yourself “warwalking” on business trips, then the Digital WiFi Detector from Hobbes Innovation might be for you. Not only does it sniff out WiFi networks, it tells you whether they are encrypted and if so, how. It’s also small enough to carry around with you.

Via GearLog.

In the event that its bid to be the latest airline to fly into Chicago O’Hare is rejected, JetBlue is considering the possibility of using Gary/Chicago International Airport as an alternative.

Located just across the Indiana border, about 26 miles from Midway and more than 40 miles from O’Hare, Gary is located ideally for those who want quick access to East Chicago.

But this geography also presents unique obstacles. Chicago has truly outstanding public transportation. Renting a car on a business trip to the area is for the most part unnecessary. But that all changes if you’re flying into Gary. Neither the Red nor the Green lines come even close to the airport. This means that travelers will have to rent, take an expensive taxi, or brave Chicago’s notoriously rough South Side by bus. By contrast, O’Hare has its own El stop: the terminus for the Blue line.

If JetBlue wants travelers to take the Gary option seriously, their prices will have to undercut those of other airlines by at least the price of a car rental or taxi fare. Otherwise, travelers will scurry for Midway, where JetBlue competitor Southwest Airlines reigns supreme.

It’s common knowledge among frequent fliers that departing earlier in the day will lead to fewer delays. According to Joe Brancatelli, statistics support what most of us have known all along.

Across the board, from major hubs like Atlanta to more remote airports like the Sea-Tac, an earlier departure time means a much higher likelihood of an on-time arrival. As the day progresses, airports get more backed up. For example, travelers arriving in Atlanta after 8pm have only a 50% chance of arriving as scheduled.

But sometimes you just can’t schedule a flight to leave first thing in the morning. And sometimes delays happen even when your flight takes of at 5 a.m. In theses cases, attitude is everything. My father likes to quote Kurt Vonnegut, who said that “unexpected travel plans are dancing lessons from God.”

Chances are that even with a delay or a cancelled flight, your business trip will still be a success. Keep cool, work with the folks from the airline and all will be well.

From the New York Times:

A federal bankruptcy judge ruled today that Northwest Airlines flight attendants have the right to strike, potentially paving the way for a crippling labor disruption at the nation’s fifth-largest airline.

If the flight attendants and the airline fail to reach an agreement on a reduced salary and benefits package by Aug. 25, the flight attendants would have the right to walk out, Judge Allan L. Gropper of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York ruled.

Northwest immediately said it would appeal. It said it has “a range of contingency options” in the event of a strike, and vowed to “take all necessary actions to continue to operate its normal flight schedule.”

The company’s chief executive, Doug Steenland, said the airline intended to continue talking with the flight attendants’ union. “Northwest’s continuing goal is to reach consensual agreements with all of its unions,” he said in a written statement.

The union, the Association of Flight Attendants, said the court ruling was a victory. “In upholding the right to strike, the court recognized that bankruptcy is not a free ride for rich executives. This levels the playing field,” the union’s general counsel, David Borer, said in a written statement.

The strike would be the second major labor action taken against the airline by one of its unions in a year. Last August, Northwest mechanics walked out after union leaders rejected wage and benefits cuts the airline was seeking in order to avoid bankruptcy.

We don’t need to tell you that a work stoppage on the part of flight attendants at Northwest could create major snarls and overload other airlines which are already experiencing unprecedented load factors. We’ll refer you back to the Frequent Flier Survival Manual’s work stoppage survival tips for more information.

Gizmodo reports that while liquids can’t be carried onto US flights, the rumored restrictions on electronics are inaccurate. Screeners may ask you to take your ipods out of the bag along with your laptop for separate screening, but you don’t have to check them.

In a recent post, the folks at Starwood Hotels mention that a Jetsons-style suitcase may soon be following travelers through the airports, obeying their every voice command. The crazy suitcase – called Fido – is the brainchild of Peter Yeardon.

From The Lobby:

Fido uses motion robotics and voice recognition technology to actually FOLLOW YOU through a concourse using programmable voice commands, including laser sensors that will keep it from crashing into passing travellers and to recognize and navigate uneven terrain.

But for all of Fido Luggage’s utter brilliance in conception, even if it reaches the mass market stage it will, most likely, be banned from airports as autonomous, motorized luggage could create a security nightmare.

Personally, I think any inanimate object that obeys commands and moves is just a little creepy. I prefer my machines to sit nicely on my desk and stay where I can keep an eye on them. But maybe that’s just too many episodes of Battlestar Galactica talking.

According to the Guardian, KLM has been ordered to pay a flier for forcing him to give an onstage presentation for the World Health Organization conference in jeans, T-shirt and sneakers due to his luggage not arriving in time. KLM is appealing the verdict.

Study Warns Cell Phones Could Cause Airliner Crash:

Lifting the current ban on use of cell phones aboard airliners could pose the risk of a major accident, according to a new engineering study. More info here.

Airlines grapple with a carry-on crisis (San Jose Mercury News):

According to Jane Engle, repoprting for the Los Angeles Times, in 1998 the Association of Flight Attendants filed a petition with the Federal Aviation Administration wanting the FAA to set and enforce a maximum size for carry-ons. The FAA said no. More notes from the article:

“Thousands of injuries linked to carry-on baggage occur each year,” the union said in the petition.

The one bag plus a personal item rule seems is now enforced only sporadically. Bag size limits are left up to each airline, so what flies with Continental may not be appproved by United.

Some airlines are increasing onboard storage. American Airlines recently installed deeper bins on its MD-80 fleet to allow bags to be stored with wheels facing out, making room for more bags.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, the powerful chairman of the Senate Commerce committee, said he wants fliers to be limited to one carry-on item of a fixed size. The idea of installing templates at checkpoints to block oversize bags was also raised.

Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition said “It would kill the business traveler,” he said. “It would add to the complexity and chaos of business travel today.”

My take is that carry ons are fine, it’s the people that take 20 minutes of standing in the aisle fussing to get them stowed that are the problem. Severe limits on aisle clogging should be seriously looked at. Have a checkpoint with a simulated airline interior and a stopwatch. Time travelers on how long they take to get their rear ends into their seats. Anyone taking more than 15 seconds gets their bag checked…

In his column this week, Imagine It: The Sun, Some Ancient Ruins, You With No Laptop (subscription required) Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal writes of his vacation trip sans PC. Bottom line is that thanks to his Blackberry and iPod he “didn’t miss” his laptop and claims the experience convinced him that “even some short, light-duty business trips could be conducted without a laptop.”

Mossberg used the enhanced BlackBerry 8700c phone which will soon be sold in the U.S. by Cingular, and found that it served well as a Web browsing device, but Cingular’s BlackBerry Internet Service mail storage at a paltry 25 megabytes was far too limited.

The $30 iPod Camera Connector allows you to download your pictures onto the iPods hard disk and is a workable backup and viewing solution.

Since both items are more convenient to use on a plane compared to a laptop (and much lighter to carry) I’m eager to see if this combination of tools will catch on with travelers.