Complaints of misconduct against TSA screeners jumped more than 26 percent
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) faces increasing complaints and violations according to a GAO report.
The report said 3,408 misconduct allegations were filed against TSA workers last year, up from 2,691 in 2010. Most concerned violations of attendance and security policies, the report by the Government Accountability Office found.
The TSA, created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, lacks a comprehensive review process “to verify that TSA staff at airports are complying with policies and procedures for adjudicating employee misconduct,” the report said.
Responding to the report, the TSA defended itself, saying in a statement that it followed the “highest ethical standards.”
Inheriting frequent flier miles
Despite the fact that many airlines issue blanket statements in their rules that miles are not transferable, period, many airlines do in fact allow miles to be inherited. Give a call to their frequent flyer service departments and you’ll get an entirely different answer from what you see on their web sites, as this chart shows.
Hotels add libraries as amenity to keep guests inside
Will hotel guests stay in hotels if they have good books to read? Some hotels are testing that concept. I really don’t think so, however, the nicer reading rooms (libraries) may encourage more guests to stay and work there in public areas. Just a thought.
While the trend began at boutique hotels like the Library Hotel in New York, the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Ore., and the Study at Yale in New Haven, it is expanding to chain hotels.
For these chains, a library — or at least the feel of one — allows a lobby to evolve from a formal space to a more homelike atmosphere, one that younger customers seek. Adam Weissenberg, vice chairman for the travel, hospitality and leisure groups at Deloitte, said, “My general impression is that this ties into changing demographics.” He added, “Younger travelers want to be part of the community.”
For hotels, the challenge is to persuade guests to spend more time, and money, in restaurants and bars, rather than venturing outside.
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.
