Loss of Privacy

In what they say is an effort to reduce costs, Ryan air has said they will remove all but one toilet on their planes. After initially saying that they would look into charging to use the facilities on their planes, Ryan Air decided that removing all but one toilet would add additional seats and eliminate the need, for the moment, to increase prices.

Ryan Air already has the maximum allowed seating on a plane, but they plan to push regulators to expand that so they can install additional seating. While there is no legal requirement for toilets on planes, it is simply common decency to have them available, particularly on long flights.

“We’re trying to push Boeing to re-certify the aircraft for six more seats, particularly for short-haul flights”, said Mr O’Leary. “We very rarely use all three toilets on board our aircraft anyway.”

The prospect of only one toilet being shared by 195 passengers and six crew caused alarmed in the travel industry. A spokesman for Abta, the travel association, said “We all know how inconvenient it can be if a toilet on a plane is out of order or the annoyance of queuing if someone has air sickness in one of the cubicles. This move could be a step too far in Ryanair’s on-going mission to provide a totally no-frills service.”

The airline is constantly looking for more ways to save money and raise revenue. If it cannot add in six additional seats, look for more fees to appear when booking a ticket.

The controversial Ryanair boss also insisted that the airline will continue as before, whatever the outcome of an investigation into fees for debit and credit cards. At present the airline charges an “administration fee” of £6 per person per flight, avoidable only by paying with Ryanair’s “Cash Passport”.

When all the fees are added in, just how much cheaper is the flight and how willing are people to go without the basic necessities of life?

Alaska State Representative, Sharon Cissna, has refused to submit to any TSA searches. She’s taken steps to avoid the TSA altogether to bring her message to the people.

“To be considered a terrorist is really an insult and it’s really humiliating..it’s a humiliation..it was a horrifying thing,” said Alaska State Rep. Sharon Cissna.

“This is a silent problem and the only way I’m going to find out what’s really going on is really to be able to talk one on one with people throughout the country,” said Cissna.

The TSA has given their standard response, meaning they aren’t going to take Cissna seriously at this point in time.

“We have too many people who travel every day and we know that the bad guys are out there to do us harm..our job is to find them and the latest and most innovative techniques to do that are through hiding explosives to get onto aircraft,” said TSA spokesman Nico Melendez.

Alaska State Rep. Refuses to Subject Herself to Intrusive TSA Searches: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Representative Cissna appears committed on this issue and it’s important for others to inform themselves and fight back against the TSA’s intrusive policies.

QR codes have been popping up everywhere over the past year. They are small, two-dimensional codes that you can read with your smartphone. If you don’t have a smartphone, you’re out of luck and won’t be able to read them.

The TSA is now going to use QR codes in its signage, claiming that it will be able to provide more information to passengers.

The problem is, not everyone has a smartphone, nor do they want one and the signage is, largely, a waste of money. The TSA claims that it is a great way to give people more information about checkpoints before you reach them. If you don’t have a smartphone, you’re out of luck and will have to guess what has changed to the TSA policies and regulations.

The TSA will also be using the QR Codes for lost and found info, customer service, procedural information, and travel tips. Again, if you do not have a smartphone, how are you supposed to find out lost and found information? How are you going to get customer service? It’s simply marketing to a niche audience while leaving thousands in the dark as to what is actually going on.

A better use of TSA money would be large, clear signs explaining what is expected of people at a checkpoint. The money could also be spent on better training for TSA officers. This would go a long way in stopping the TSA officer from yelling at you and telling you that the website is outdated and they make the rules on the spot, leaving you without your legally allowed valuables.

The TSA needs to stop wasting money on the latest technology schemes and start thinking in practical terms of what will actually work. The QR Codes put too many passengers at a disadvantage and will result is a bigger mess than the TSA is currently in. Is this really the solution to making your time at the airport a little bit more pleasant?

If the TSA agents don’t think the procedures are necessary and they are too invasive, then maybe they should be standing up and rebelling against those policies.

If your supervisors don’t defend you, maybe more TSA agents should be stepping forward and letting people know. Yeah, we all know it’s just a job and it supposedly has great benefits, but you can’t just let people walk all over your because they are your supervisors.

This report says the TSA is unionized. If your self-respect were so important, you’d get your union to make things better for everyone. You could start by refusing to work near the full body scanners until independent tests have been run. Stop blaming the passengers, who have had enough abuse and are fighting back, and start looking at how you can make the situation better.