Correct me if I’m wrong, but Minolta has been acquired by the Japanese electronic giant Sony.

Thanks for the comment.

There’s one derivative thought that I have as well. If these two people with common ordinary first names and a totally common last name are having problems, how many other travelers with the last name Smith (and the same first names) are having similar problems.

Not only is this a huge inconvenience to hundreds, thousands – maybe even tens of thousands of innocent Americans, but think some more about the insanity. The TSA is in effect saying ‘We don’t know which one of these many thousands of ordinary Americans might be a terrorist, and so until we work out which one it is, they are all guilty until/if/unless they prove their innocence’.

That’s not really the way things should be in our allegedly free and just society.

You wrote “I guess we should all be thankful there are no terrorists with names similar to Smith, Jones, or Robinson.”

Evidently there are! A former employee of ours with the seeminly innocuous name of (an ordinary first name that I’ll withhold) Smith found out last year that she (and her husband, with about as common a first name as is possible) were on the no-fly list.

They had to go through a lengthy process to obtain DHS Redress numbers so they could travel.

What insanity!

The reason for cutting the budget to arm pilots is due to the Obama regime’s total abhorrence of anyone having the right to arm/ protect themselves. How can the leftists take over the country if there is a contingent of us who believe that we are guaranteed our right to bear arms in order to protect the Union from emperor wannabes? I do not think that there is any other reason and the excuse of cutting back on expenditures rings quite hollow……

I wonder if the couple who came up with this astounding way of justifying their wish for a cruise have been well trained in one of today’s large corporate companies. I’m trying to keep a straight face while I think of all the ridiculous “politically correct” justifications for trips away to nice places that I’ve seen corporate executives somehow justify. But to blag a free RTW cruise from Princess….. wow this guy is a master of the art. Kudos.

Did the globetrotting couple explain just how they were going to impart this global knowledge?

And for another example of special treatment, since when does TSA give you your belongings, specifically a cell pohone, while you are in the secured area waiting for additional security checks?

[...] without penalty. The Travel Insider took Spirit to the woodshed in its insightful piece, ‘Spirit Raises its Middle Finger at All of Us – Says DoT Made It Do So,’” Mitchell [...]

I enjoyed these well thought through comments from David and also from Jerry.

I always carry my own internet USB stick for use in hotels. As Jerry says, the only thing worse than slow wi-fi is slow wi-fi that we have to pay for.

Don’t you also think the situation with internet in hotels is becoming similar to the situation with Inflight Entertainment? I’m not sure if it is worth it anymore for any airline to upgrade their Inflight Entertainment Systems. The reason is that so many of us now carry IPADs, smartphones, Kindles and pc’s that have more than enough capacity to carry all the films, books and other entertainment that we want.

What do others think?

Hi David

thanks for the link to what 43% of us British girls carry in our handbags. When I looked at it, this one also came up….http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2097694/Kelly-Brook-models-New-Look-Valentines-day-lingerie-collection.html. sorry I’ve tried and tried, but just could not find a travel connection to this

Happy Valentines Day to all
from a British Girl in London