Sunday, December 27, 2009

Holiday Season Travel and Airport Updates: Broken Pipe at Reagan International Airport Adds to Passengers' Woes

2009 holiday season travel did not start with great news. First, passengers and airlines had to contend with record snowfall that got many flights canceled and record number of passengers stranded. As a nation, we also had to deal with t he Nigerian attempt at setting an airplane ablaze. Thanks to the efforts of passengers and stewards, the Nigerian who left a life of comfort to dab into terrorism was handled until arrival at Detroit airport. It has been reported that this Britsh-educated Nigerian was motivated by AlQae'da and their cohorts.

Increased level of security was the immediate result of this act of terrorism on U.S. soil.

A broken pipe sent water spewing into part of a terminal at Reagan National Airport Saturday afternoon, creating a major disruption, authorities said.

"The break was the latest disruption to affect airport operations during the holidays. Last weekend's record snowfall shut the airport for a time, and many passengers scrambled through the jammed terminal later, trying to make new reservations and telling of long delays."