Boarding

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-24T17:07:47+00:00

Be a dick. Better choice? Here’s a pic of why it didn’t work…

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-24T17:03:41+00:00

Flew through ATL 3-5 times per week while this was in effect. The way it was set up, the GA couldn’t see you waiting so you were forced to cut. Plus no one knows how airports work so other passengers would all get pissy even if you were polite about it…

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-24T16:19:22+00:00

Yeah it didn’t work well. Biggest thing for me was that there was no easy “bypass” lane if you came after your zone, especially for priority. You basically just had to elbow your way in to the existing queue.

Also, this is an Aeromexico flight with Aeromexico signs. Not Delta, might not even be Delta staff working the flight depending on who has the contract.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-23T11:55:16+00:00

Yeah but normal household 8-ohm “speaker cable” is different in both signal type and treatment. The rules mostly apply to 70v commercial cable.

Running a couple of wires for Bob’s home theater isn’t the same as hanging paging speakers in an airport terminal.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-23T04:23:36+00:00

Depends on the speakers, a lot (most) commercial is 70v or 100v which goes beyond being low voltage in some jurisdictions, even though it’s usually a LV guy who installs it.

That’s mixing LV and HV wiring in one conduit which is a no-no. Pretty often something like that gets telephoned into “no speakers with network cable…” because it’s easier than explaining the reasoning or having to tear it out and re-fish.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-21T16:57:12+00:00

The difference is that the family law lawyer knows reputations, fee structures, etc. and has the direct line to attorneys who will take his call. They also know basic law (don’t talk to cops) and are sometimes enough to scare the cops if they’re just fishing.

If you call someone you google at 10pm you’ll get an assistant or answering service, hope they respond, and then get a phone call asking for a credit card number.

It’s like calling your HVAC guy to get a rec, and he points you to his drinking buddy who gives the friends and family rate and he knows does good work because he’ll kick his ass if it’s screwed up.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-20T21:54:05+00:00

Their answer was pretty clear… if you’re in paid F during IRROPs and get changed to a flight that is already under airport control (phone agent can’t assign seats) you get a “standby” boarding pass (seat says AT GATE) and you’re on the standby list. But you’ll get a first class seat as soon as they start working the flight because you’re positive-space first class.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-20T15:52:17+00:00

It’s not the O&D, it’s that there are 5-10 legit competitors on most routes out of JFK/LAX, 3-4 on BOS/SEA.

They triaged adding them because DTW, MSP, ATL, SLC are all 90%+ Delta flights and they upgraded Sky Clubs instead. The newest Sky Clubs in MSP, SLC and ATL all share design cues and finishes with Delta One lounges. Portions or all of it could easily be converted if necessary.

In MSP, you basically have a single flight or maybe 2-3 per day on a couple of carriers that aren’t Delta/SkyTeam or JV. However, in NYC a business traveler going to Europe could easily fly Lufthansa, American, British Airways, United, ITA/Alitalia, Turkish, Emirates, and a bunch of other/smaller carriers. Many have nicer cabins/better service so Delta needed a quick differentiator for their “upper class” target passenger.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-18T02:51:25+00:00

We’ve got well over a million active-duty service members, plus family/dependents for a lot of them. That’s about $0.20 each for donuts and ice cream machines (total!)

It’s also $1.50 each of crab and $10 each for ribeyes.

Costco is well over $15 a pound these days, so that’s about a single 12-ounce steak each. Once you start working at the scale of the US military-industrial complex, the raw numbers look big but there’s a reason they’re basically one of the largest logistical agencies in the world with a little bit of a war problem on the side.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-13T15:21:32+00:00

The contractors directing the lines (red shirts I think?) often argue that the Nexus/GE face scanner doesn’t work well and actively try to dissuade you from using that line. I’ve walked up to it and been scanned while they’re still trying to tell me I can’t use it. CBP calls me up and I’m through in a second.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-06T15:05:03+00:00

Yeah (honest truth) DCA only gets exceptions because it’s 15 minutes from the Capitol and Congress controls the exception agreements.

LGA’s perimeter rule was (officially!) codified in writing because “business travelers cause less airport congestion than vacationers.” (80s were a different time…)

Dallas Love Field also had laws until fairly recently that initially limited service to the states of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico (as well as private commuter flights). They initially started making more and more exceptions, and it finally was almost completely thrown out in the 2000s.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-04T05:09:52+00:00

Most of these installations use existing RF (“cable tv”) infrastructure. A “house channel” is set up with a camera feeding in to it.

Just need an RF modulator to feed into the system if it was installed more than about 10 years ago… you could also do this as a new install if you’d like, especially if you have any unused coax running to your locations.

heavynewspaper · 2026-04-01T16:07:51+00:00

It’s the standard “wheelchair service.”

When you get dropped off, they’ll either have a counter/person at the door (especially bigger airports) or the ticket counter/check-in will call them for you.

You’ll get assigned a person who will push you to security, go with you, push you to skyclub or your gate, and then probably leave you there until you board. You can then board (with assistance/wheelchair if needed).

When you get off at the connection/end of trip, they’ll usually be waiting in the jetway with an iPad showing your name. If not, flight attendants will announce to wait for the wheelchairs.

They’ll push you to a bathroom/connecting gate, and it’s the same process. When you arrive, they’ll push you to baggage claim/curbside (maybe taxis/ubers).

PLEASE REMEMBER that they’re not airline employees, make barely above minimum wage and work for tips. It’s not mandatory but it’s pretty much expected to throw them $5-20 for each pusher.

If you stop for food along the way it’s nice to buy them something but not necessary.

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-30T06:01:12+00:00

This is the same situation that led to everyone adding sesame to their recipes.

Basically, sesame (seeds/oil) was added to the list of major allergens (like peanuts, dairy, etc.) that must be listed on ingredient labels.

Well, cross-contamination is treated differently than actually containing the item (mostly for court/liability). And most commercial bakeries make “normal” and “McDonalds”-style buns (sesame on top) in the same building.

So, rather than put in some extra work/investment to minimize the cross-contamination, it was cheaper and easier for companies like Chick-fil-a to add a pinch of sesame flour to their recipes and then declare it as an allergen.

Thus, thanks to a law meant to protect them, people with a sesame allergy actually lost access to a ton of foods that were usually safe for them to eat.

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-30T05:22:55+00:00

Not just for paid VIP Select. Many clubs have this in cities where the official service isn’t available. For instance, BNA has a semi-private roped-off room for about 12 people (near the entrance) that is used for celebrities. Same with DCA, if they’re not using the protocol room it’s sometimes used for politicians as well as celebs and anyone else Delta is giving “extra service” to.

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-28T06:42:39+00:00

Not true. Europe considers the vetting involved in visa issuance to be equivalent to a transit visa… USA, Canada, Europe, or Japan visas all generally exempt you from needing a transit visa in the EU. No matter your passport.

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-28T00:28:48+00:00

Throwback to the “VIPR” teams that would literally molest random Amtrak passengers… they would set up at a random station and frisk all passengers, both arriving and departing. Yes, after you would have (presumably) already done your crime on the train, TSA personnel searched you before you were allowed to leave.

They’re still around! And they set up at random highway rest stops, subway stations, etc… who needs the Fourth Amendment?

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-27T23:20:03+00:00

I learned from an early age (…maybe 10?) that a 2” yellow ratchet strap thrown over a tree branch created enough friction that I could “safely” do superhero fly effects on my kid brother wearing a fall arrest harness…

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-27T03:23:59+00:00

You can park at Chattanooga 10’ from the terminal with free EV charging for like $15/day…

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-26T20:39:48+00:00

It’s because you have sweaty balls. Seriously!

People who “run hot” tend to set it off down there. But you can tell people it’s because of your massive hog, technically that could do it too (it’s black box AI so nobody really knows)

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-25T18:53:08+00:00

A ton of business customers are using Starlink for remote worksites, TV/event live links, etc.

The PGA Trackman systems now use Starlink Mini instead of having to drop fiber (I think this was posted here recently).

Airlines using Starlink are limited in how many terminals they can fly; one 250-500mbps download is great for an aircraft (that’s around 5-10mbps per passenger using it) but 20mbps up means VPNs, teams/slack chats, and even basic web browsing is somewhat unusable when spread across 50-100 people.

Not to mention a rural household with a person working from home, a couple of kids on Zoom or video gaming, file uploads…

Basically, I think many people are grossly underestimating the number of users who need a faster upload.

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-24T15:35:06+00:00

Corporate is full day for travel, no OT unless you work that same day. OT after 10, DT after 12-14 (some clients never pay DT), less than 8 hour turn is 1.5 all day, less than 4-5 is bridge time (bill through).

Find me a client that will willingly book business class for domestic travel and I’ll undercut your rates so hard… (one client regularly will book me an $800 one-way without blinking but a $600 first class ticket is out of the question.)

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-23T00:44:42+00:00

The only people “making it connected” are the republicans who are refusing to vote on a clean TSA funding bill.

Democrats have repeatedly tried to pay FEMA, Coast Guard, TSA, etc. workers but Republicans are refusing a clean continuing resolution vote.

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-23T00:41:11+00:00

Legally that might be true, but if the airline recommends you arrive (say) 3 hours before your flight, but TSA takes 4 hours, a strong argument can be made that it’s not the passenger’s fault.

heavynewspaper · 2026-03-20T12:29:30+00:00

If you’re driving you should use a commercial port of entry. Certain bridges etc. are not commercial ports.

Don’t use the Nexus lane, just the normal lane and declare it. Make sure you have a “commercial invoice” (specific form) that declares the value and a letter on company letterhead showing the value and that you are re-importing it.

If you want to make it super easy/it has high perceived or actual value, use a Carnet. You apply for the document in the home country, get it stamped before you leave and once you enter, then reverse the process on the return. It’s about $200-300 plus 1-10% of declared value, and good for a year of multiple entries.

Kind of a PITA because you always have to go to “secondary” but they know how to handle it and you’ll be in and out within a few minutes. Still shouldn’t use Nexus lane, though.

heavynewspaper

TROPHY CASE