Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

schneier.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 119 posts

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#51

Post by christianmann »

corin_ wrote: post #32
leoedin wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand the apparent desire for early boarding. Almost every airport lounge I've been in has been more comfortable than the aircraft. The plane's not going to leave without you. I much prefer sitting in the lounge and wandering on last.

The only reason I don't like boarding last is that sometimes the overhead storage is so full it can be a pain in the ass to fit my suitcase anywhere near my seat, which not only is a minor annoyance when boarding, but can delay me when getting off (if I have to put it further behind where I sit). Generally I aim to be in the last 3rd of people boarding. There are also budget airlines that don't offer reserved seating…

Also Southwest in America.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#52

Post by the_watcher »

duairc wrote: post #36
corin_ wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can be taken too far though. If I go shoplifting am I "hacking the shop"? If my shower breaks and I pour bottled water over myself to clean am I "hacking bottled water"?

Shoplifting can be a bit of an art. I agree with you that the “hacking” thing is overused, but I think it makes sense to call something like booster bags a “hack”, for example. There are lots of “hacks” for shoplifting.

Aren't hackers notorious for being interested in things like lockpicking? And that interest is based on an interest in taking apart a system? Shoplifting has worse consequences than recreational lockpicking, but I could see it having some of the same system deconstruction appeal if approached in the right way (not advocating shoplifting, by the way)

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#53

Post by aestra »

dmethvin wrote: post #11

In any airport I frequent, this would not be worth the money. Some garages offer free parking for 30 minutes for pick-ups, but by the time you park, go through security, eat, and return you would owe at least $4. Then there's the time/gas cost of getting to/from the airport. Even if you used public transport it could be expensive, it's like $16 round-trip on BART from SFO to downtown San Francisco.

The city my sister used to live in had a free airport bus. Took you there for free. Might have been run by an airline. Saw many flight attendants utilizing it.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#54

Post by aestra »

shangxiao wrote: post #18
joezydeco wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? You don't need to carry anything and the guards probably know you pretty well by the 100th visit or so.

By the 100th visit they'd get suspicious that you're scoping out the joint for a terrorist act.

This did not take place in the US.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#56

Post by aestra »

kaybe wrote: post #25
brk wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm thinking he never changed the actual flight info, he just manually "photoshopped" the data on the ticket. Even with the barcodes, many airports and lounges do not actually check the barcodes, they just visually verify the info. There was a story a few years back when Delta and some others started doing boarding by zones. People were doing online checking, saving their printable ticket as a PDF or whatever, and ed…

That could explain why on my last few flights boarding was done according to random-seeming letters. At least you can't guess them that easily.

I think some airlines let you pay for priority boarding.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#57

Post by aestra »

brk wrote: post #20
Uberphallus wrote: post #2

I work in a pretty big GDS/IT company and that wouldn't happen in our systems. Virtually no airline asks for such a retarded business rule, flexible classes allow generally 1 to 5 changes in departure date/time(no questions asked), after that it requires manual intervention on a case by case basis.

I'm thinking he never changed the actual flight info, he just manually "photoshopped" the data on the ticket. Even with the barcodes, many airports and lounges do not actually check the barcodes, they just visually verify the info. There was a story a few years back when Delta and some others started doing boarding by zones. People were doing online checking, saving their printable ticket as a PDF or whatever, and ed…

Bruce Schneier has written before on forged boarding passes

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/11/forge_your_ow...

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/10/hacking_tsa_p...

Someone even created a boarding pass generator to demonstrate their weakness. They promptly got their door busted in by the feds.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#58

Post by pstuart »

the_watcher wrote: post #52
duairc wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shoplifting can be a bit of an art. I agree with you that the “hacking” thing is overused, but I think it makes sense to call something like booster bags a “hack”, for example. There are lots of “hacks” for shoplifting.

Aren't hackers notorious for being interested in things like lockpicking? And that interest is based on an interest in taking apart a system? Shoplifting has worse consequences than recreational lockpicking, but I could see it having some of the same system deconstruction appeal if approached in the right way (not advocating shoplifting, by the way)

It's a matter of intent, i.e., theft versus exploration.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#59

Post by aestra »

chime wrote: post #31
leoedin wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand the apparent desire for early boarding. Almost every airport lounge I've been in has been more comfortable than the aircraft. The plane's not going to leave without you. I much prefer sitting in the lounge and wandering on last.

Space for carry-on luggage is limited. If you board last, there is a high possibility that the airline will check-in your carry-on luggage instead. This will cause you a delay since now you need to wait in the baggage claim area after arrival. Had you boarded just 5mins prior, someone else might have to wait 30mins in baggage claim instead of you.

Ever have this happen? It doesn't happen this way.

They have special space for "checked carryon." they ticket it with a special ticket and put it in a SEPARATE part of the plane. When you unload the flight attendants get the "checked carryon" and put it next to the door, then you grab it on your way out.

I sat on the front of a small plane before and there was no space for carryon at all on that seat. There was no seat in front to put it under, and the overheads on that seat had a bunch of flight attendant stuff in them. Being the first on the plane wouldn't have enabled me to avoid the "checked carryon."

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#60

Post by smnrchrds »

stupandaus wrote: post #9

The idea of having to go through security everyday for free meals sounds unpalatable.

This story happened in China. I don't know about China, but maybe their airport security is not as bad as U.S.

Personal story: Bringing liquids to airplanes is not allowed in Iran. I remember on our flight back from Shiraz, we brought about 8 liters of rose water, orange blossom water, etc. with us. The security saw it in the screen and asked what the liquid was. "Herbal water", I said. He nodded and called, "Next". Didn't even open the bottles to make sure.

Also many people bring back several liters of water from the holy Well of Zamzam[1] in their flight back from Mecca. The record I've heard of was 40 liters.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamzam

Post reply on HN