F2
COMING&GOING Tips for reducing in-flight stress
Can’twe just get along? Steven Slater’s unusual
method of quitting his job as a flight attendant for JetBlueAir- ways raises the question:Why have the friendly skies become so unfriendly? Could it be all the extra fees?
Could it be because planes are so crowded these days?Or is it those long security lines? Answer:All of the above, says
RobertReid,U.S. travel editor for Lonely Planet. “Passengers feel like they’re
payingmore and getting a little less,” he toldCoGo. “Flight at- tendants are the oneswho hear about it themost.They’re the ones passengers see.They repre- sent the airline, and they bear the brunt of this tension. It’s not that surprising that it leads to something like this.” Slater reportedly yelled ob-
scenities at passengers over the loudspeaker on a flight to John F.Kennedy InternationalAir- port inNewYork, then fled down the emergency chute af- ter an argumentwith a passen- ger.
While not condoning Slater’s
behavior,CoreyCaldwell, a spokeswoman for the Associa- tion of FlightAttendants, said that flight attendants have it rough these days.They’rework- ing longer hours for lowpay. And because airlines are charg-
LETTERS Thanks somuchfor your very
honest article about late airport arrivals [“Time flieswhenyou’re trying to get to the airport none too early,” Aug. 8]. I, too, am afflicted and cannot learn my lesson. Thought I had when a late house departure meant a seven-minute drive from my home in Arlington to DCA. (I will not admit to my traffic speed on 395.) Was sure I learned it after being scolded by SuperShuttle — twice — about my requested pickup times. It’s kind of negative reinforcement; as long as I don’t get caught, I keep thinking I can get away with it. Mustberebellion.Mymother
has been known to leave her house four hours before a sched- uled flight. And she packs a
EZ EE
KLMNO
ing fees for checked baggage, passengers are carrying onmore and heavier bags.According to a survey the association released inMarch,more than 80 percent of flight attendantswere injured over the past year dealingwith carry-ons in overhead bins.The most common injurieswere strained and pulledmuscles in the neck, arms and upper back. (Slater reportedlywas struck in the head by either the passen- ger’s bag or the overhead bin doorwhen the passenger tried to grab her bag before the plane had come to a full stop.) The association has called for
uniformsize requirements for carry-on bags, but a bill intro- duced inCongress last year reg- ulating carry-ons hasn’t gone far.
So assuming that passengers
and flights attendantswill con- tinue to have occasionalmo- ments of grumpiness,what can passengers do to avoid another Slatermoment?Reid has some tips: lIf the ticket-counter agent
doesn’t give you an upgrade or change your seat, don’t be rude. That agentwill probably also be your flight attendant. lBe friendly. Say hello to
your flight attendant.Ask how he or she is doing. lDon’t trash the plane. lDon’t getmad if your flight
attendant asks you to put your iPod away. Followthe rules. “If you treat peoplewith the respect youwant to be treated
with, even on an airline, you’ll have a better flight,”Reid said. Hey, youmight even have as
much fun as the passengers on a recent Lufthansa flight fromTel Aviv to Frankfurt.They got into a pillowfightwith their flight atten- dant in the coach section, a video ofwhichwas posted on YouTube. That fight ended in laughter and cheers, not an arrest.
Entry fees Starting Sept. 8, some foreign
visitorswill have to pay $14 to en- ter theUnitedStates. The feewill apply to travelers
fromthe 36 countries in theDe- partment ofHomeland Security’s VisaWaiverProgram.Those visi- tors are required to register their passport information and itiner- ary online under theElectronic SystemforTravelAuthorization (ESTA) system. Thewaiver programallows
people fromdeveloped countries with high-income economies to travel to theU.S. for 90 days or lesswithout a visa.The electronic authorization the travelers re- ceive is good formultiple entries for up to two years. Customs andBorder Protec-
tion, aHomeland Security unit, will claim$4 to administer the program.The remaining $10will help finance a newtourismpro- motion programcreated by the Travel PromotionAct. For information on theESTA
system,
visitwww.cbp.gov/esta. Reporting:Nancy Trejos.
Q&A Screening the TSA for a change
To fly in the post-9/11 world, travelers practically have to imitate striptease artists, kicking off shoes, tossing coats into bins, even unfastening metal belt buckles hoping that gravity is looking the other way. But in the new documentary “Please Remove Your Shoes,” the roles are reversed: U.S. airport security is disrobed before our critical eyes. And it looks pretty bad in this naked state. The film interviews a host of experts— federal air marshals, a Federal Aviation Administration employee, a Transportation Security Administration screener, a passenger interrogated for carrying a metal box full of money, etc.—who divulge the oversights and ineptitudes that riddle the system. To dig deeper into the plot, staff writer Andrea Sachs spoke by phone with Fred Gevalt, former publisher of the Air Charter Guide and the film’s executive producer. Excerpts:
What inspired you to make this movie?
weekahead of time.Clearly, Iam not her spawn.
Theresa Flynn Arlington
I am one of those people who
gets to the airport a couple of hours early. I take advantage of the wait to read a book or maga- zine. There is one time when I cut
it a bit close. I was in Dallas and hada giant stuffed raccoon Ihad wonat athemepark that Ihadto mail to my nephew. The friend driving me was going to stop at the airport post officeontheway to the terminal. We ended up circling almost the entire air- port to get to the post office. There was only one person in line ahead of me . Who was mailing a package to some ob-
scure overseas destination with customs and insurance forms to deal with. Whenmy turn finally arrived, they almost didn’t allow me to mail my package because it was too large, but they found some class of mail that would allow it. It was still a long drive to the
terminal. Whenmy friend got to the curb, I did my O.J./Hertz Rental Car imitation to get tomy gate. Fortunately, this was pre-9/11, so security was quick and I could checkmy suitcase at the gate. I was the next-to-last passenger to board, and was scolded by the gate agent. I was amazed that my suit-
case made it into the cargo hold before we took off.
John Z. Wetmore Bethesda
Wake up to home delivery. 1-800-753-POST
I’m64, a Vietnam vet, so I’ve been around. I was flying my own airplane into New York the morning of 9/11 and felt part of the event. I watched TSA be created too quickly. They were a little too big for their britches from the get-go, and they have gotten worse. When I sold my business in 2006 and retired, I decided it would be interesting to do this project.
The interviewees did not hold back.Were they eager to tell their stories?
I think most of them were. This is an important topic, and from their standpoint, they were frustrated guys. They’d been trying to do their job, and the government wouldn’t let them do it.
Were you surprised by the flaws in airport security?
I was surprised at the extent of it and the kind of wholesale obstructionist quality to a lot of the management. The sort of stuff like putting federal air marshals to work washing the fleet out back. [In the movie, after being accused of being a
SF
they need to have you and me in the pen or pit around the checkpoint, visibly being wanded and patted down. Essentially that requires them to put all of their resources on people who they know are not a problem. It’s sort of reverse profiling. The other thing I find appalling is their use of the Internet. Their Web site advertises so much. They are visibly proud of and very quick to disclose where they’ve got the body scanners or CTX [explosive detection device] machines or whatever the latest piece of technology they are being pushed to deploy. That is just preposterous.
BOSTON AVIATION SERVICES INC.
The documentary takes a look at the security system’s failings.
whistleblower, one federal air marshal, P. Jeffrey Black, was grounded and ordered to clean company vehicles.] So much of this stuff is Kafkaesque and Catch-22: Dig me a 10-foot hole over there and when you’re done, fill it up.
You shot a lot of footage in airports. Did you have easy access to these locations?
Not initially, but as soon as I pulled out a checkbook, not a problem. Reagan and Dulles ironically were the most straightforward, the easiest to deal with and the least expensive. Logan [Boston’s airport] was difficult. But if you belly up to the bar and say you’re willing to pay for this, then all doors open up.
Which security-related issues do you find particularly worrisome?
The uniforms that TSA screeners use frustrate me, because there are a lot of agencies that regard these guys as tin cops. They are mismanaged and in many cases unmanaged.
Any others?
Here’s a disturbing thought: What if all along the theatrical aspect [of TSA] was intentional? TSA has been quoted one too many times as saying they are essentially a deterrent. And if this is to be a deterrent, then
At the end of themovie, you showa letter from the TSA declining to participate. Did you also approach the FAA?
We didn’t need to talk to anyone at FAA because most of the people who were responsible had moved over to TSA. I did subsequently talk to a guy named Billie Vincent, who was at our screening inD.C.He was responsible for FAA airport security from ’82 to ’86.He verified a lot of what these guys had said.
What do you hope viewers take away from this documentary?
The main message for America is:Wake up and quit trying to delegate everything.Weigh in on the subject, get involved. Because as much as we like to blame our politicians, I think all of us are guilty as sin of not participating enough in the maintenance of our country.
Any suggestions on howto achieve that?
What we can do as citizens is raise hell with Congress. You’re not going to do anything at the airport because you do not have under the administrative lawthe First Amendment rights that you would normally expect, you don’t have the Fourth Amendment right of search and seizure, and you don’t have the Fifth Amendment rights. You really do have to do what you’re told at the airport.
But in the film, passenger Steve Bierfeldt spoke outwhen TSA officials grilled him about thatwad of cash.
Oh, man, they messed with the wrong guy. ACLUsponsored him, and they launched a suit against TSA. They weren’t looking for a monetary award, but they wanted TSA to admit it was incorrect and to do something about it. I don’t think you’re going to have the money problem again.
Do you think that you covered all angles of this knotty issue?
Obviously we would have loved to have interviewed TSA.Having said that, I’ve had a fascinating 21/2
years making this movie. It’s
probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, and I’ve built airplanes and started businesses, gone to war.
Since themovie’s DVD release on July 1, have you heard from any TSA officials?
We haven’t heard a word. The only thing I have heard [through other media sources] is that TSA says all of the allegations in the movie are old and no longer apply.My reaction has been, Well, we made quite a few allegations; which ones are they talking about?
Nowthat the project is complete, howdo you feel about flying?
Well, so far, I’mnot on the do- not-fly list. But I try to flip a switch and pretend I don’t know what I know and just go into passive mode, because anything less will get you into trouble.
sachsa@washpost.com
For more info on the movie, visit
www.pleaseremoveyourshoesmovie. com; $26.80 for the DVD.
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