Pierow’s Prattle

• Tag Your Checked Luggage with the Destination Airport Code to Avoid Loss [Travel]

A US government program to increase the circulation of one dollar coins is being used by travel enthusiasts who buy thousands of dollar coins with credit cards that award frequent-flier miles for purchases.  The one dollar coins are shipped for free by the mint and can then be spent directly or deposited into a bank account. (more…)

SailMail is radio based e-mail system designed for yacht owners to facilitate email communication while at sea. SailMail’s utilizes its own world-wide network of SSB-Pactor radio stations, satellite (Iridium, Inmarsat, Globalstar, Thuraya) or any other method of internet access.  Much of its underlying technology is built upon the Winlink software used by amateur radio enthusiasts but SailMail only requires a marine radio license, not an amateur radio license. (more…)

Nate Silver uses statistics to breakdown the threat of an airborne terrorist attack.  For example:

“There were a total of 674 passengers, not counting crew or the terrorists themselves, on the flights on which these incidents occurred. By contrast, there have been 7,015,630,000 passenger enplanements over the past decade. Therefore, the odds of being on given departure which is the subject of a terrorist incident have been 1 in 10,408,947 over the past decade. By contrast, the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are about 1 in 500,000. This means that you could board 20 flights per year and still be less likely to be the subject of an attempted terrorist attack than to be struck by lightning.”

[Read the full text at FiveThirtyEight]

Gizmodo has posted a leaked copy of the TSA’s new rules for airplane travel dated December 25, 2009.  It reads, in part:

During flight, the aircraft operator must ensure that the following procedures are followed:

1. Passengers must remain in seats beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
2. Passenger access to carry-on baggage is prohibited beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
3. Disable aircraft-integrated passenger communications systems and services (phone, internet access services, live television programming, global positioning systems) prior to boarding and during all phases of flight.
4. While over U.S. airspace, flight crew may not make any announcement to passengers concerning flight path or position over cities or landmarks.
5. Passengers may not have any blankets, pillows, or personal belongings on the lap beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.

[Read the full text at Gizmodo]

Philosecurity.org has posted a real copy of an American citizen’s DHS Travel Record retrieved from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Automated Targeting System (ATS). This was obtained through a FOIA/Privacy Act request and sent in by an anonymous reader.  The document reveals that the DHS is storing the reader’s:

• Full credit card number and expiration

• IP address used to make web travel reservations

• Hotel information and itinerary

• Full Name, birth date and passport number

• Full airline itinerary, including flight numbers and seat numbers

• Cruise ship itinerary

• Phone numbers, including business, home & cell

• Every frequent flyer and hotel number associated with the subject, even ones not used for the specific reservation

[Article on Philosecurity.org]     [PDF of the original document]

The Air Boss carry-on travel bag was designed by the guy that runs onebag.com and has received rave reviews from the carry-on travel community.  There seems to be a large fan-base over at FlyerTalk as well (and those guys know a thing or two about travel).  The bag is only available by ordering direct from the manufacturer and sells for $225.  I’m sold on this thing…Now for the pressing question – which color to buy?

Kiplingers Red Oxx Recommendation

The Scottevest Signature System is a jacket with integrated pockets for all of your electronic devices.  With a total of 52 pockets  (including one big enough for a laptop computer) it’s both the ultimate geek clothing accessory and a great gadget for traveling.  The two jacket system retails for $340 but this coupon gives you 20% off and a free hat.

X-Ray View of the Pockets in the Scottevest System