By Associated Press
Published November 16, 2006, 11:51 AM CST
DETROIT -- A man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after officials say they found him carrying more than $78,000 in cash and a laptop computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide.
Sisayehiticha Dinssa, an unemployed U.S. citizen, was arrested Tuesday after a dog caught the scent of narcotics on cash he was carrying, according to an affidavit filed in court.
By Emma Graves Fitzsimmons
Tribune staff reporter
Published November 16, 2006, 7:00 PM CST
Louisiana Hot Sauce, into the garbage.
Canned sausages, trashed.
Irish whiskey, tossed.
Passengers have watched security guards at Chicago airports throw away 10,000 bottles and cans of precious goods confiscated because they were packed in carry-on luggage.
Travelers have forgotten—or never learned—that screening rules are still in effect three months after most liquids and gels were banned from carry-on bags, airport officials said.
As the busy holiday travel season approaches, the Transportation Security Administration is reminding travelers to pack liquids, gels and aerosols in checked bags. For carry-on bags, the items must be placed in a 3-ounce or smaller container and zipped into a 1-quart clear, plastic bag.
Sisayehiticha Dinssa, an unemployed U.S. citizen, was arrested Tuesday after a dog caught the scent of narcotics on cash he was carrying, according to an affidavit filed in court.
Sisayehiticha Dinssa - maybe an undercover agent from Kazakhstan?
Unemployed and carrying all that cash....must have traded in his food stamps
Begs the other question...how the heck does one keep a name like that after becoming a US citizen? Shouldn't it be a pre-requisite to change it if the JP can't pronounce it? How about Sammy Dimsum? That's easy enough and exotic enough...no?
My late uncle was christened Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich N....nitsky. Sometime at or after Ellis Island, it was changed to Vyacheslav Alexander N....
He went by "Alex".
No, there shouldn't be any prerequisite to change it. You can be called whatever you want. Although, after trying to spell it to someone over the phone just once...
My late uncle was christened Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich N....nitsky. Sometime at or after Ellis Island, it was changed to Vyacheslav Alexander N....
He went by "Alex".
No, there shouldn't be any prerequisite to change it. You can be called whatever you want. Although, after trying to spell it to someone over the phone just once...
I know how he felt. My full name is Ilia Ike Ch.....ze. I've gone by Ike all my life.
November 26, 2006
The US government is to charge USD$28 annually to process background checks on each airline passenger who joins a privately run traveler registry aimed at speeding the trip through airport security.
The Transportation Security Administration said the fee charged to private companies would cover the agency's costs for performing the checks and overseeing the program.
Previous TSA fee estimates of up to USD$100 had generated a backlash from airports and companies interested in the program. They said higher cost would sap passenger interest.
Earlier this year, government security officials agreed to cut the fee to around USD$30.
Congress created the registered traveler program after the September 11 attacks in response to complaints about long security lines that became common at airports with stepped-up passenger and bag screening.
The program is mainly aimed at frequent fliers, which include premium-paying business travelers on major airlines at busier airports.
Supporters say it will lead to a faster and easier trip through airport security for those who sign up and agree to submit personal information for background checks and fingerprints or other biometric information to be embedded on an identity card.
The registered traveler program has been slow to get going and so far is in place only at Orlando Airport.
But the privately held company running that operation, Verified Identity Pass, said it plans to expand the service to Cincinnati, Indianapolis, San Jose and the British Airways terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport by the end of the year or January.
In Orlando, passengers currently pay USD$99.95 for a one-year membership, which covers expenses for TSA vetting. Verified Identity Pass said it has registered more than 30,000 people for its registered traveler programs, most from the effort in Orlando.
November 23, 2006
US airlines are pulling out of their financial tailspin but most are not paying close enough attention to customer service, especially when it comes to providing useful information on delays and cancellations, a government watchdog reported on Wednesday.
Additionally, the Transportation Department is doing a better job of overseeing consumer protection issues, including civil rights complaints. But the agency almost always forgives fines or other penalties if the airline agrees to correct the problem, and there is little or no follow-up, the agency's inspector general, Calvin Scovel III, said in his report.
The Transportation Department in response acknowledged room for improvement and said it will use a new electronic system to monitor its enforcement cases. It also said it was "developing rules to ensure consumers are properly compensated if they are unfairly denied boarding."
The update on consumer protection and the industry's 2001 pledge -- at the insistence of Congress -- to improve customer service comes as an estimated 22 million people board flights this week and next for the US Thanksgiving holiday.
Scovel's findings showed a sharp drop since the 2001 hijack attacks in the number of airlines that adequately maintain quality assurance programs for customer service.
Most complaints involve flight delays or cancellations, the report said. There were 2.2 million flights that were delayed or canceled in 2005, the latest figures show.
Airlines are supposed to provide helpful flight information but the report found that gate agents for 13 of 15 airlines at 17 airports did not make timely announcements more than 40 percent of the time.
One instance involved a Dallas-to-Philadelphia flight that was running 2-1/2 hours late. "No announcements were made regarding the delay and no reason was provided," Scovel said.
Scovel also said access to airline on-time performance data for all flights remains difficult to get via the Internet. Only five of 16 carriers that were reviewed made that information available on their web sites, prompting Scovel to recommend a tougher government response.
"The (DOT) should revisit its current position on chronic delays and cancellations and take enforcement action against air carriers that consistently advertise flight schedules that are unrealistic, regardless of the reason," Scovel said.
The report also found that airline information on frequent-flier benefits is of marginal value. Redemption information can be hard to find and is not broadly comparable. "As a result, it is difficult if not impossible for consumers to compare frequent-flier programs in a meaningful way," Scovel said.
The Air Transport Association, the trade group for the biggest airlines and most of those evaluated over the past year, said carriers are committed to good service.
"While the report notes a few areas for improvement, the airlines have worked diligently to reduce the rate of annual complaints 70 percent since 2000," James May, the group's president, said.
But Scovel noted complaints going up again as overall traffic rebounds after hitting a low in 2003. After delays, the biggest complaint involves mishandled baggage, the rate of which shot up in August and September when homeland security officials imposed new restrictions on carry-on luggage.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Imams, ministers and a rabbi staged a "pray-in" demonstration Monday at Reagan Washington National Airport and asked an apology from US Airways for barring six Muslims from a Minneapolis to Phoenix flight last week.
The religious leaders called for an end to racial profiling, saying it was unacceptable in America.
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