This is the the first edition of a new feature showcasing some of the crazy things that happen in airports. It was a busy week, so let’s get started:
Miami Airport – A TSA worker was charged with grand theft after allegedly stealing from passengers’ bags and hiding the items in a specially constructed pocket added to his uniform jacket. Michael Pujol was arrested after a stolen iPad appearing on Craigslist was traced back to him. Pujol has been suspended from duty and will appear in court on Feb 17. No word on when the guy who packed not one, but three iPads in his checked luggage will appear before the Common Sense Tribunal. [ read more ]
Singapore Changi – An American woman is suing the Changi Airport Group after falling on loose carpet three years ago at Terminal 3. The woman has spent $ 125,000 on medical treatment after injuries sustained to her neck, right wrist, right knee and ankle. She is now seeking $128,000 for medical expenses plus an additional $141,000 for future medical expenses, loss of future earnings, loss of earning capacity and future transport expenses. Who knew slipping on loose carpet could be so dangerous? And here I was thinking that being run over by that car ON THE SIDEWALK in Toronto a few years was bad! With a plate and 16 pins in my leg and over a year of rehab, I was obviously very lucky. The carpets of Changi appear to much more dangerous if we are to believe this lawsuit! [ read more ]
Manila Terminal 1 – Just 3 months after winning our coveted “Worst Airport in the World” title and subsequently finding itself on several other “worst airport” lists, the Manila Airport Authority has jumped into swift action and began its renovation project at NAIA Terminal 1 this week. While we applaud the efforts, we need to remind them that it was not bad aesthetics alone that made the terminal become the shame of the Philippines – it’s also the theft and corruption within the terminal. This week, columnist Joaquin Henson wrote about how his wife’s suitcase had been broken into at the terminal and valuable items stolen. [ read more ]
New York City JFK – The TSA never ceases to shock me. This week, the TSA admitted that screeners at JFK airport violated procedures when two elderly women, ages 85 and 88, were asked to show their medical devices, including a colostomy bag, concealed under their clothing. While the TSA denies the women were strip searched, one of the victims recalls being told to “Pull down your pants. Pull down your underwear.” If all members of the TSA cannot be sensitive towards elderly passengers, why not have a special line for the elderly or sick passengers requiring special attention and just have the officers with sensitivity training man those lines? [ read more ]
Minneapolis – A Florida man has been charged after videotaping men in an airport restroom using a camera rigged into a book. Joshua Fletcher was charged Monday at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after someone complained to police that the man was seen holding what appeared to be a book with a hole in it, with a camera or cellphone behind the book. Charges say airport police approached Fletcher outside the restroom and recovered the cellphone, which contained multiple videos of men urinating in public restrooms. [ read more ]
Boston Logan – State police report that a Lufthansa Sky Shift catering truck clipped the wing of a Boeing 747 parked at Terminal E. Police say it was an minor accident and there was no damage to the plane. We suspect the driver was in a hurry as he attempted to reach the plane before its 30 minute delivery or its free time deadline was up. [ read more ]
Detroit Metropolitan Airport – An Airport Authority officer and a city police officer were bitten by a retired White House bomb-sniffing dog after it escaped the Continental cargo facility at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Monday night. The officers suffered minor injuries and the dog was captured and then placed in quarantine. [ read more ]
In the Air
Passengers on a recent British Airways London – Miami flight were in tears, fearing a “cold, watery grave” after a crew member mistakenly played a crash message on its PA system. The passengers were told the plane was going down and they should brace themselves for an emergency water landing in the Atlantic. Moments after the announcement, a crew member announced their error in playing the wrong message. Oopsie! [ read more ]
Lists
This week Frommers Best and Worst Airports was all over the airport news this week! We’d like to thank them for giving SleepingInAirports.net a few shout outs! [ read more ]
Forbes also released their Best Airports for a Layover. [ read more ]
Got a tip about any bizarre or funny airport stories happening in the news? Email me at donna[at]sleepinginairports.com
Until next week…..
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