{"id":324,"date":"2008-07-16T10:16:30","date_gmt":"2008-07-16T15:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/tsa-brings-back-secondary-screening-at-gate\/"},"modified":"2016-12-17T18:44:31","modified_gmt":"2016-12-18T00:44:31","slug":"tsa-brings-back-secondary-screening-at-gate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/tsa-brings-back-secondary-screening-at-gate\/","title":{"rendered":"TSA brings back secondary screening at gate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ontheroad\"<\/a>
\nBy Joe Brancatelli<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

Boy, we sure could live without this:<\/strong> Just when you thought
\nit might be safe to go back to the airport, the Transportation Security
\nAdministration<\/strong><\/a> has gone back to the future and revived one of its
\nleast-liked practices. The TSA has reintroduced secondary screening at
\nthe gate. The program appears to be selective rather than nationwide —
\n"These checks are not announced in advance and can occur at any gate,
\nat any time," the TSA thundered on its Web site — and not in response
\nto any particular security threat. … The Inspector General of the
\nHomeland Security Department<\/strong> says that low morale among front-line
\nscreeners may be compromising security. The 29-page report from
\nInspector General Richard Skinner says screeners are frustrated and
\ndistracted and TSA efforts to address the problems have been
\ninadequate. The TSA wasn’t pleased to hear this. It claimed that
\nSkinner’s report had "flawed conclusions." … The TSA has adjusted its
\npolicy for members of Clear and other registered traveler programs. Once RT members exit their proprietary lanes, they may
\nproceed directly to the tables where travelers are removing shoes and
\nlaptops. RT members can no longer jump that line and go direct to the
\nX-ray machines and magnetometers.\n<\/p>\n

HOTEL HOT SHEET<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Toledo, another contender for the King of Velcro:<\/strong> You have
\nsurely heard the term "Velcro Hotel," a reference to lodgings that
\nconstantly change their chain affiliation. The brand signs on the
\nbuildings, say hotel<\/a><\/strong> wags, change so frequently that they are affixed
\nwith Velcro. Amongthe current contenders for the title of the King of
\nVelcro are the current Hotel Pennsylvania<\/strong><\/a> in New York and the
\nInterContinental<\/strong> Kansas City<\/strong><\/a>. Both hotels<\/a><\/strong> have had myriad brand names over
\nthe years. Two up-and-comers: the current LaQuinta<\/strong> in Stamford,
\nConnecticut, and a Marriott<\/strong> on Sutter Street in San Francisco<\/strong>, both of
\nwhich have had at least five names each. Now the latest challenger: The
\n14-story hotel on Summit Street in Toledo, Ohio. The property opened in
\n1985 as a Sofitel. Three years later, it became the Marriott Portside.
\nIn 1994, it became the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, then shed the Holiday
\nInn name when Crowne Plaza became a separate brand. Four years later,
\nit became a Wyndham. In 2005, the building was sold and the 241-room
\nhotel was renamed the Toledo Riverfront. A new owner purchased the
\nbuilding 15 months ago for $7.5 million and hired a new management
\ncompany. This month, after $6 million of renovations, the hotel became
\nthe Crowne Plaza Toledo<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n