In the travel industry, today is what's known as an exodus, where those who've been home all holiday weekend finally extricate themselves from the cocoon of family and friends and head back into the regular world. What that means is hundreds of thousands of travelers will again take to the skies, their luggage busting with foil-wrapped frozen leftovers and new techie toys. Which is why you need to see this short video.

This is freaking us out. Breaking into a bag using only a ballpoint pen? Sure, we knew it could happen, but what's so odd about this video is that we can't tell if they're trying to warn about or encourage doing this. Hey, if you lost your lock key, you can get in! Or hey, if you want to steal someone's panties, you can get in! Weird.

The easiest way to protect from a ballpoint break-in, we suppose, is just to bite the bullet and go for one of the hard-case luggages that latch closed, like Samsonite's Oyster line. As for us, we're just going to continute not putting valuable items in our checked bags.]]> JetSetCD 2011-12-27T10:02:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/8/25/155923/746

First things first. Here at Jaunted, we like kids. Heck—some of us even have them! Thus we don't typically advocate the use of kid-leashes because they look stupid, are dehumanizing, and keeping kids in line shouldn't require strapping something around them. On the other hand, we understand their practicality in certain tourism-related settings. Here's the top three places it may be okay to put your kid on a leash:

· At a medieval castle
It was in one of the eight tall turrets at Conwy Castle in Wales that we first noticed the high percentage of little kids on leashes, and for once it all made sense. These turrets have very thin, steep steps. The walkways can be precipitous, not to mention scarily uneven. Parents had prepped for the outing by breaking out the harnesses, and we watched in awe as they easily navigated their way down spiral staircases and around the medieval layout (with a 91' deep well!) knowing their children wouldn't fall into the many abysses at any moment.]]> JetSetCD 2011-08-25T15:59:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/4/20/113554/495

Say goodbye to the Department of Homeland Security's color-coded terrorism warnings system. It's gone! Outta here! We know it was awesome to make fun of it while it lasted, but the DHS has finally wised up to the fact that it really wasn't fazing anyone, least of all travelers. Today in NYC, Homeland Security security Janet Napolitano unveiled the new—and hopefully improved—terrorism alert structure, which does away with colors in favor of simple warning messages.

What this means is no more looking for a yellow or orange warning at the airport. Instead, you can follow the new warning system on Twitter @NTASAlerts, and even be its friend on Facebook here. Thankfully, there are no alerts posted right now, and let's hope it stays that way.

If you'd like to fully educate yourself on the new National Terrorism Alert System, check out what future alerts may look like here.

[Photo: PelicanWind]]]> JetSetCD 2011-04-20T15:04:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/4/13/113816/269

Don't cry "rape" when you pass through one of the TSA's full-body scanners, because actual airport rape does happen, and it's not something to be taken lightly. In the early morning hours yesterday, a 26-yr-old man was arrested at Denver International Airport after sexually assaulting a 22-yr-old woman who was staying in the airport through the night after missing her connection.

The two allegedly began chatting at a bistro within the airport, but when the girl excused herself, the man followed then assaulted her. It was only when two of the airport employees outside saw the assault through the windows that 911 was called and the man arrested by airport security.

This crime should immediately cause a siren to go off in the heads of solo travelers who find themselves hanging out in airports, especially after hours. Being past TSA security on the "airside" end of an airport doesn't automatically guarantee safety, and in such a place of transience, it's best to reflect on the "don't talk to strangers" lesson you learned in kindergarten. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-04-13T11:42:59-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/1/6/32238/79359

Forget about the United pilot who spilled coffee on his controls, accidentally activating the hijacking alert button. There was a real hijacking attempt yesterday, and for some reason it's been pretty underreported. Perhaps because the alleged hijacker wasn't successful? Still...

According to BBC News, a Turkish Airlines flight headed from Oslo to Istanbul was flying high like normal, when, suddenly, a passenger towards the rear of the plane donned a mask and held up a radio handset-like device claiming he had a bomb and wanted the plane turned around and taken back to Oslo. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-01-06T09:06:04-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/11/17/6386/9825

With all the bad news about brand new airplanes it might be a wise move to stick with flying some of the older, proven birds. That’s a good idea—as long as the planes aren’t too old—so that’s why the FAA has begun to look into planes that are past their prime. Concerned with things like metal fatigue and other old age issues the FAA is seeking to set some limits on a plane’s longevity.

In addition to their countless directives and other safety paperwork, the agency is now looking to create a specific number of take-offs and landings per airplane. They’re thinking that a specific amount of flight hours would limit the risk to passenger and crew safety, and once a plane hits that magic mark it would be taken out of service. However, it does sound like they’re leaving some loopholes open just in case an airline wants to request an extension—we’re looking at you Delta with some of those older than dirt DC-9s. ]]> kjb 2010-11-17T09:00:39-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/11/1/84011/9414

We can now officially welcome the holiday travel season, and not just because Thanksgiving is weeks away. Over this last Halloween weekend, someone at the Bradley International Airport outside Hartford must have forgotten that snow globes are a no-go for launch. Thankfully the TSA was in place to protect us from this rogue souvenir, and the entire airport was shut down and evacuated.

Before 11am yesterday our buddies in blue identified something suspicious in a carry-on bag, and as a precaution, things in Terminal A—AKA the entire airport—were closed down until things were proven safe. ]]> kjb 2010-11-01T10:30:11-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/