"14 Airport Hacks" - Seems Wrong/Unethical
Sep 29, 2016, 7:26 am
#46
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Maybe I am thick but why on earth would one pack a gun in their carry-on bag? That's what we check-in bags.
On another note, I was in international arrivals in BOM a few years ago. Wi-Fi is free but the access code will be texted by them to an India phone number only. This is when you are in the 'international' arrivals hall. SMH.
On another note, I was in international arrivals in BOM a few years ago. Wi-Fi is free but the access code will be texted by them to an India phone number only. This is when you are in the 'international' arrivals hall. SMH.
For BOM, maybe worth seeing a local there (airport employee?) and asking them to help out
Sep 29, 2016, 9:13 am
#48
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: 1 thousand
Posts: 2,112
Maybe I am thick but why on earth would one pack a gun in their carry-on bag? That's what we check-in bags.
On another note, I was in international arrivals in BOM a few years ago. Wi-Fi is free but the access code will be texted by them to an India phone number only. This is when you are in the 'international' arrivals hall. SMH.
On another note, I was in international arrivals in BOM a few years ago. Wi-Fi is free but the access code will be texted by them to an India phone number only. This is when you are in the 'international' arrivals hall. SMH.
Oct 2, 2016, 9:40 pm
#51
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Given the TSA's awful track record of "security", packing a gun in your carry-on or on your person seems to be the most useful hack. This can be used to hack far more free stuff. You could buy a cheap ticket and then demand that they fly you to a more expensive destination non-stop. Free drinks, free laptops from other people, basically whatever you want. Really. 
Oct 3, 2016, 1:01 pm
#52
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: London
Programs: US Gold
Posts: 627
One that's missing: don't plug your headphones into the IFE (at least on AA) until *after* all the early flight announcements. Because if you do, your ears get blasted - the announcements are 2-3x as loud as the IFE audio.
I don't know why they do that. It's painful.
wg
I don't know why they do that. It's painful.
wg
Oct 3, 2016, 1:56 pm
#53
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Probably the worst article ever. Wrong and dangerous advice.
1 - Free movies, that sounds like an urban legend. Even without live connectivity, wouldn't the system be able to validate that it was given a credit card number? Maybe you could get away with swiping a canceled card, but not a Red Lobster card. Agree with those who say this is unethical anyway.
2 - System clock fooling the Wifi. This one doesn't bother me as much ethically, as airlines are known for gouging passengers for Wifi. But in practice, is the system really that simple and easy to fool? Somehow I doubt it.
3 - More complete advice would be (a) go to lounge if possible, (b) consider exiting security and handling at the main counter if your flight was MX and the act of reclearing security isn't time-critical, (c) try to change your flight via the app while you're doing this, (d) phone the airline's web support line and say "I'm trying to change my canceled flight via your website but can't: can you help?, (e) if you're forced to stand in a queue, at least get on the phone as well.
4 - Book illegal connections. I don't even understand the logic behind this one. The airline won't sell you an impossible connection on 1 PNR. If you book an end-on-end itin with impossible connections in it, the airline isn't going to look kindly on you. At best, you'll be stuck in the connection city at the bottom of the standby list to get on a much later flight. At worst (with a ULCC, for example), they could just declare you a no-show and not rebook you at all.
5 - Pack heat. Too dumb to even address.
6 - Shopping bags. First of all, I don't fly a lot of airlines where you're re-weighed at the gate. I know these exist, and I know there are some airlines that take it very seriously, but wouldn't these airlines also weigh the shopping bag? On most major-alliance carriers I've flown, they care about the number of pieces you have...and they might ask you to consolidate the shopping bag back into a different bag. I guess I don't buy enough stuff in airports to know how lenient airlines are if they think you acquired a bunch of items at an airport shop. It still seems like better advice would be "stop traveling with so much crap to begin with."
7 - BYOB. Seriously, if you need to sneak booze in your freedom baggie, you need to get some help. I mean, I like to party too, but this I am capable of functioning on an airplane without smuggled booze.
8 - Dense bags: remember the sorority girls who attended a conference and all traveled home with a large book they were given at the conference? Practically shut down the airport in Houston or wherever they were... It sounds like the presence of the book caused all of their bags to get searched manually, thus causing great stress for both them and other travelers. (Granted, not intentionally on their part - who knew that a big book would cause problems?) In any case, this is a dumb idea. It'll slow you down, get your booze confiscated, and irritate everybody behind you in line.
9 - Frozen booze. See #7.
10 - Chocolates...OK. Although in 2016, I'm not sure what favors you're expecting from an FA. A free drink at best.
11 - Bring snacks. OK.
12 - Easy passwords. Lounges usually change their passwords monthly at least. Somehow I doubt all DL clubs around the world are using "thankyou". Besides, there aren't *many* lounges where the Wifi is strong outside the lounge.
13 - Stray luggage carts? This sounds like something the teenager me would have done to try to get the coin out of the cart. Teenager me was a real cheapskate...
14 - Using the airline's phones. 1995 just called (on the white courtesy phone, of course). It thinks this is awesome advice. ^
1 - Free movies, that sounds like an urban legend. Even without live connectivity, wouldn't the system be able to validate that it was given a credit card number? Maybe you could get away with swiping a canceled card, but not a Red Lobster card. Agree with those who say this is unethical anyway.
2 - System clock fooling the Wifi. This one doesn't bother me as much ethically, as airlines are known for gouging passengers for Wifi. But in practice, is the system really that simple and easy to fool? Somehow I doubt it.
3 - More complete advice would be (a) go to lounge if possible, (b) consider exiting security and handling at the main counter if your flight was MX and the act of reclearing security isn't time-critical, (c) try to change your flight via the app while you're doing this, (d) phone the airline's web support line and say "I'm trying to change my canceled flight via your website but can't: can you help?, (e) if you're forced to stand in a queue, at least get on the phone as well.
4 - Book illegal connections. I don't even understand the logic behind this one. The airline won't sell you an impossible connection on 1 PNR. If you book an end-on-end itin with impossible connections in it, the airline isn't going to look kindly on you. At best, you'll be stuck in the connection city at the bottom of the standby list to get on a much later flight. At worst (with a ULCC, for example), they could just declare you a no-show and not rebook you at all.
5 - Pack heat. Too dumb to even address.
6 - Shopping bags. First of all, I don't fly a lot of airlines where you're re-weighed at the gate. I know these exist, and I know there are some airlines that take it very seriously, but wouldn't these airlines also weigh the shopping bag? On most major-alliance carriers I've flown, they care about the number of pieces you have...and they might ask you to consolidate the shopping bag back into a different bag. I guess I don't buy enough stuff in airports to know how lenient airlines are if they think you acquired a bunch of items at an airport shop. It still seems like better advice would be "stop traveling with so much crap to begin with."
7 - BYOB. Seriously, if you need to sneak booze in your freedom baggie, you need to get some help. I mean, I like to party too, but this I am capable of functioning on an airplane without smuggled booze.
8 - Dense bags: remember the sorority girls who attended a conference and all traveled home with a large book they were given at the conference? Practically shut down the airport in Houston or wherever they were... It sounds like the presence of the book caused all of their bags to get searched manually, thus causing great stress for both them and other travelers. (Granted, not intentionally on their part - who knew that a big book would cause problems?) In any case, this is a dumb idea. It'll slow you down, get your booze confiscated, and irritate everybody behind you in line.
9 - Frozen booze. See #7.
10 - Chocolates...OK. Although in 2016, I'm not sure what favors you're expecting from an FA. A free drink at best.
11 - Bring snacks. OK.
12 - Easy passwords. Lounges usually change their passwords monthly at least. Somehow I doubt all DL clubs around the world are using "thankyou". Besides, there aren't *many* lounges where the Wifi is strong outside the lounge.
13 - Stray luggage carts? This sounds like something the teenager me would have done to try to get the coin out of the cart. Teenager me was a real cheapskate...
14 - Using the airline's phones. 1995 just called (on the white courtesy phone, of course). It thinks this is awesome advice. ^
Oct 4, 2016, 2:52 am
#54
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 602
If it works, it'd be a really bad implementation. Generally you'd have to change the MAC address and clear the cookies (or use incognito mode) in the browser used for captive portal login.
Oct 4, 2016, 10:58 am
#55
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 24
Regarding #1 if you wanted to be unethical, you could take a pre-paid credit card with a certain balance on it (say $2.31) and use it to pay for booze on a flight. The card terminal will see that its a valid credit card and accept but those terminals don't do real time processing in flight so it can't get an approved/denial response (in this case due to NSF) and will process the charge on the ground. But by then you are gone..
Oct 4, 2016, 11:06 am
#56
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,456
Regarding #1 if you wanted to be unethical, you could take a pre-paid credit card with a certain balance on it (say $2.31) and use it to pay for booze on a flight. The card terminal will see that its a valid credit card and accept but those terminals don't do real time processing in flight so it can't get an approved/denial response (in this case due to NSF) and will process the charge on the ground. But by then you are gone..
There is no such thing as free lunch.
Oct 4, 2016, 2:19 pm
#57
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,090
Like the Yuropflyer/Toggl poster. Agree that expecting seat poaching to work is a bad idea. I would also dispute that boarding last is a good idea if you have a carryon. On short domestic flights in particular, everyone will have a carryon, and if you are last to board, it had better fit under your seat.
Oct 4, 2016, 2:37 pm
#58
Join Date: May 2009
Location: AMS
Posts: 2,064
Annoyingly quite a few European airports do the SMS thing. They do at least support international numbers, but it's a PITA when I forgot to switch from my US sim card before arrival (and some major US carriers are too stupid/cheap to even be able to _receive_ SMS's / connect to a network abroad - somehow that's not been an issue with any other countries sim card).
Oct 19, 2016, 12:09 am
#59
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Posts: 314
Oct 19, 2016, 5:59 pm
#60
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,413
Guns actually aren't marked anymore in checked luggage in the US by law, so bags get special handling based on whether it looks like there could be a gun packed in the luggage. In practice, this means that if you check a pelican case that's locked, it gets the special handling. It's really convenient for checking a full size bottle of scotch that you can't find where you live