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Why Heathrow Is Considered Poster Child For Hassled Fliers

If you are flying to and from Europe this summer, try to avoid London's Heathrow airport.  Not because of fears of terrorism but because of strict carry-on luggage rules and long security lines.

Even if you're just changing planes at Heathrow, you'll have to go through a security line.  And in addition to long lines (check out this amusing video made in June for dramatic proof), but alone in the world, British security officials limit passengers to one carry-on bag.  And I mean ONE.  That means if you have a purse or computer case as well as a carry-on bag, you better be able to consolodate everything into a single bag. 

Maybe when the new Terminal Five opens next spring, things will improve at Heathrow.  And much as I love the shopping in the terminals and perks such as Virgin Atlantic's very cool business class ("Upper Class," in Virgin-speak) lounge in Terminal 3 (as above), the lines and hassles make it worth going an extra mile or 200 to avoid the airport right now. 

Super-sized Advertising to Airline Passengers: Strippers & Farmers

OK, I can accept advertisements on my cocktail napkins when I fly on some airlines, but one United Kingdom ad agency has gone too far, carving out giant ads for an adult-oriented website in fields adjacent to the landing paths at Gatwick, Manchester, and Stansted airports.  Well, maybe using crops as a palette for advertising is pretty clever, but surely an ad agency as creative as Flight Path Media can find a more tasteful client than a company that provides videos of strippers for downloading onto cell phones.  I consider myself a liberal guy, but, please--there are kids on those planes.