This Christmas eve we take a look at cuddly TSA bomb-sniffing puppies, a cute town in southern Spain that voted to have itself painted blue and then decided to stay that way and finally a look at the remarkable hotel prices in Indianapolis for the Superbowl. We at ConsumerTraveler.com hope you have a wonderful Christmas day and happy holidays.
In the doghouse: TSA puppies panting for local foster homes
TSA is looking for part-time foster homes for their bomb-sniffing dogs. These special Labradors are genetically engineered and trained for bomb sniffing, they they need a normal upbringing with a scripted regimen that must be followed for around ten months. Then TSA takes the dog back. I could be an emotional roller coaster if you fall in puppy love.
Their explosive-finding pouch (sic) is considered a member of the family in their Boerne home. The boys see him as a brother. Yet, he is handled as a working dog. The Abdullah’s have a scripted regimen that must be followed for Eeagan to become a certified TSA canine team member.
Like the hundreds of dogs that came before him, Eeagan’s name is special. The animals are given the names of fallen troops and 9/11 victims. Eeagan’s namesake is Captain Martin Egan who was killed in the September 11 attacks.
The government pays for the dog’s every need during the entire stay. The TSA canines live with the families for about ten months, then it’s on to explosive training. The Abdullah’s say they have to give Eeagan up in February 2012.
To find out more from TSA about the puppy adoption program click here: http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/programs/puppy_program.shtm
Smurf village in Spain votes to stay baby blue
What started out as an idea for a Smurfs movie has turned out to be an economic boom for the town of Júzcar, near Malaga in the Spanish province of Andalucía. Sony picture executives talked the traditional white town to allow itself to be painted blue for the movie. Of course, Sony promised to paint the town white again after the filming.
They were looking for one of the White Towns of Andalucía to be painted blue. At first the villagers were incredulous but the executives maintained that the publicity stunt, created to mark the opening of The Smurfs movie (Los Pitufos in Spanish) would make the village stand out. Just a little.
The villagers had little to lose and a wad of Sony’s cash to gain, so they held a meeting and voted unanimously to agree to Sony’s colorful request. After all, it was only for a short time and Sony promised to paint all the houses back to their original color. 1,100 gallons of vivid blue paint later, Júzcar became Smurftown.
Afterwards the town voted to stay blue and Sony didn’t have to repaint the town white. Make sure to click through to see the town in its Smurf blue glory, or better yet, visit.
Indianapolis hotel rates shoot to the moon for the Superbowl
When the Superbowl comes to town, hotel prices are expected to go up, right? You bet! But hotel rates in the Indianapolis area are reaching prices that are beyond expectations. Price gouging has hotel prices 2,000 percent higher than their normal rates.
A scarcity of rooms is the culprit behind this price gouging. As a contingency for hosting the big game, Indianapolis blocked off 18,300 hotel rooms in 141 hotels in and around the city for the National Football League. All of this occurred months ago, forcing many establishments to experience no vacancies long before Indy visitors could firm up their travel plans.
For those who demand the convenience of closeness, a few hotel rooms are still available in the near vicinity. The caveat is, they are super pricey. The Quality Inn & Suites, for instance, a 2 star hotel about 9 miles from downtown Indianapolis, will go for $1000 the night before the Super Bowl. Normally the same room costs $60 a night. That difference is the equivalent of a 1500% rate hike.
Even budget hotels on the outskirts of town are taking advantage of desperate travelers. The Knights Inn Indianapolis Airport, for example, is charging a whopping $800 a night in early February. That figure represents nearly 2000% more than the normal rate of $39.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
