2009 December

In reversal, DHS withdraws subpoena of journalist Chris Elliott

December 31, 2009 By Dennis Schaal 20 Comments

Journalist Chris Elliott says this evening that — a few hours after the Dept. of Homeland Security extended a deadline for him to comply with a subpoena — he received word from his attorney that DHS withdrew the subpoena.

The stunning reversal occurred as media outlets throughout the country picked up the story that the DHS and TSA were playing hardball and going after Elliott and blogger Steven Frischling with subpoenas and tough tactics after they published the post-Northwest flight 253 security directive on new passenger screening rules.

Perhaps dropping the subpoena on New Year’s Eve made more sense than letting the issue and the bad publicity for the TSA linger through upcoming news cycles.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chris Elliott, DHS, subpoena, TSA, withdrawal

Chris Elliott submits objection to DHS subpoena over security directive disclosure

December 31, 2009 By Dennis Schaal 9 Comments

UPDATE: The DHS this afternoon gave journalist Chris Elliott an extension until Jan. 20 to comply with a subpoena, his attorney told Tnooz. The initial deadline was Dec. 31.

Facing a Dept. of Homeland Security subpoena and its Dec. 31 deadline, travel journalist Chris Elliott has not turned over any documents related to the source who provided him with the TSA’s secret Christmas Day security directive, his attorney says.

Attorney Anthony Elia, who’s representing Elliott, says he e-mailed a request Dec. 31 to TSA special agent Robert Flaherty, who served the civil subpoena at Elliott’s home on the evening of Dec. 29, asking for “additional time to allow the process to unfold in a reasonable way.”

Giving Elliott roughly two days to respond to the subpoena was an “inordinately short” period of time and “unreasonable,” Elia says, given the serious nature of the issues.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chris Elliott, DHS, security direcctive, subpoena, TSA

UK and other EU countries in urgent review of naked scanners at airports

December 31, 2009 By Kevin May 3 Comments

The introduction of new security technology at airports across Europe, including so-called naked body scanners, could be sped up in the aftermath of the failed bomb plot on-board a US-bound passenger jet on Christmas Day.

UK government officials say an urgent review is underway following the arrest of a suspect who allegedly tried to blow up Northwest Airlines flight 253 on its final approach to Detroit airport from Amsterdam Schipol.

The review in the UK is being carried out ahead of an hastily convened meeting next week of European Union member states to discuss wider airport security measures.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: rapiscan, scanners, security, TSA

Travel Executive Crystal Balls Part 4: Ignacio Martos, Tim Russell and Bob Atkinson

December 31, 2009 By Kevin May 2 Comments

To coincide with the mammoth Tnooz Predictions 2010 article, Tnooz asked people around the industry to gaze into their own crystal balls to forecast some of the key developments for the next 12 months.

The fourth in this five-part series features Ignacio Martos (chief executive of Opodo), Tim Russell (managing director of Amadeus UK & Ireland) and Bob Atkinson (travel expert at TravelSupermarket).

Filed Under: News Tagged With: amadeus, opodo, predictions 2010, travelsupermarket

TSA plays hardball with airline blogger over security directive

December 30, 2009 By Dennis Schaal 26 Comments

UPDATE: A few minutes after posting the story below about how the TSA was using pressure tactics to get KLM blogger Steven Frischling to comply with a subpoena, two TSA agents visited his home again and took his hard drive, with his consent, Frischling says.

Travel blogger Steven Frischling, a self-employed photographer who also writes the Flying With Fish and KLM blogs, says two TSA agents delivered a Dept. of Homeland Security subpoena to him Dec. 29, two days after he published the Christmas Day TSA security directive and warned him they would contact KLM over the issue if he didn’t comply with the subpoena and that this would end his ability to work with the airline industry.

Frischling, speaking a day after the visit by two TSA agents to his Connecticut home, says their implied threat was that he would be considered a security risk if he didn’t turn over his e-mails and computer hard drive and failing to do so “would sever my ability to work with the airline industry.”

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chris Elliott, DHS, security directive, Steven Frischling, subpoenas, TSA

Travel Executive Crystal Balls Part 3: Rock Blanco and Cornerstone

December 30, 2009 By Kevin May 3 Comments

To coincide with the mammoth Tnooz Predictions 2010 article, Tnooz asked people around the industry to gaze into their own crystal balls to forecast some of the key developments for the next 12 months.

The third of this five-part series features Rock Blanco (president of Prime Numbers), Mat Orrego (chief executive of Cornerstone Information Systems) and Alan Minton (vice president of marketing and customer solutions of Cornerstone Information Systems).

Filed Under: News Tagged With: cornerstone, predictions 2010, prime numbers

Expedia says site not affected by festive DDoS attack

December 30, 2009 By Kevin May 2 Comments

A major Distributed Denial of Service in North America last week is being played down by Expedia, one of the sites reported to be affected in the aftermath of the attack.

The problem occurred on Wednesday 23 December when a DDoS hit DNS provider UltraDNS, part of the Neustar brand, causing problems for Amazon, Wal-Mart, Linden Labs and Expedia.

Users across a number of states in the USA were said to be without web services for a number of hours during what was one of the busiest final web shopping days before the Christmas holidays.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: expedia

UK Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End December 26 2009

December 30, 2009 By Kevin May 3 Comments

Most popular travel websites in the UK for the week ending December 26 2009.

Data includes Top Ten travel search terms and the Top Ten Agency, Airline and Destination/Accommodation sites.

Filed Under: Data Tagged With: hitwise, UK site data

US Travel Site Crunch: Data Week End December 26 2009

December 29, 2009 By Kevin May 2 Comments

Most popular travel websites in the US for the week ending December 26 2009.

Data includes Top Ten travel search terms and the Top Ten Agency, Airline and Destination/Accommodation sites.

Filed Under: Data Tagged With: hitwise, US site data

US Travel, BTC, NBTA call for action on security issues

December 29, 2009 By Dennis Schaal 3 Comments

Perhaps the Obama administration needs to come up with a travel-security stimulus plan.

In the aftermath of the Christmas Day terrorism incident onboard Northwest flight 253, the U.S. Travel Association called on Congress to take leftover monies from the country’s economic stimulus plan and to use it for the immediate implementation “of screening techniques that strengthen security, balance privacy and improve traveler facilitation.”

The development came as several other travel industry organizations, including the Business Travel Coalition, the National Business Travel Association and the American Society of Travel Agents, chimed in about the security issue.

Specifically, U.S. Travel says whole-body imaging (WBI) and increased use of bomb-sniffing dogs seem promising, but the association adds that while privacy issues related to WBI have been aired, detailed analysis is needed regarding its “security benefits, effect on wait times and any potential of reducing travelers’ hassles at security checkpoints.”

Filed Under: News Tagged With: airline security, aviation, BTC, NBTA, Northwest Airlines flight 253, US Travel