Wonkette

Air travel’s been fucked up for a while and the government is part of the problem. From refusing to let us in with contact lens solution (did anybody else try finding a bottle of 3 oz or less right after the ban and have to try more than 3 stores?) to making us remove our shoes on rainy days to dicking around with the air traffic controllers to having a variety of stupid regs that contribute to full airplanes sitting on runways for hours without food, the government is not helping us. But, now they’re going to try! They promise!

Because about 38 million of us are about to head elsewhere, President Bush is holding a press conference to announce that the government is drafting rules that might eventually make air travel suck slightly less, once they get done with comment periods and revisions and implementing the rules, of course. They’re going to raise the bump fee to try and discourage the airlines from screwing with you by overbooking and look “at ways to reduce air traffic congestion.” Those ways, as announced at the end of September, could mean the government forcible reducing flights at some airports (like JFK). Um, great. Good plan.

In related news, the GAO sent investigators out to find simple bomb-making plans and sneak the ingredients past airport security. I think anyone who has gotten off a plane and found that TSA agents missed a lip gloss or small perfume that you’d forgotten about does, but to state the obvious: it ain’t hard to do. I think I might be glad I’m driving home.

Passengers trapped on runway for 8 hours [CNN]
AAA: 38.7 million Thanksgiving travelers [Yahoo News]
Bush tries to cut airline delays [Yahoo News]
Despite Progress, Weaknesses in Traveler Inspections Exist at Our Nation’s Ports of Entry [GAO]