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Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

schneier.com

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Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#91

Post by ctrl_freak »

Larrikin wrote: post #80
smnrchrds wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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".…

I've never flown domestically in China, but I remember security being worse than in America. I remember having to take my shoes off before it became standard in America and having to go through security a second time right before getting on the plane where all the drinks I bought after security had to be thrown out.

My anecdotal experience at Guangzhou (2 months ago), flying internationally, was the opposite. Didn't have to remove shoes, didn't have to take my laptop out of my bag. I was going to remove my belt before going through the metal detector but they told me not to, which set off the alarm. All they did was wave a handheld metal detector over my body and then I was through. Didn't get patted down and didn't have to go through a body scanner.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#92

Post by ersii »

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…

My recent flights within Europe and to Asia (from Europe) - they've scanned the barcode as well as visually inspected the ticket.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#93

Post by supercanuck »

Falling3 wrote: post #82
avn2109 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Barring extraordinary circumstances, checking bags while flying is a textbook case of doing it wrong.

Why is that?

If there is incliment weather, it prevents you from jumping on available flights and flying standby at will, or changing your travel plans.

Sometimes you can pass people in the standby priority lines if they have bags.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#94

Post by ersii »

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.

Uh, excuse me - what? If the overhead compartments for carry-on baggage is full - you got plenty of space under the seat in front of you.

The only exception is really if you're by the emergency exits - then you're not allowed to have anything that could obstruct or confuse people when they make their way to the emergency exit.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#96

Post by revelation »

ValentineC wrote: post #48

From the guidelines: > Please submit the original source. If a blog post reports on something they found on another site, submit the latter. Should this submission be amended to the URL and headline of the original article? http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/01/24/Man-uses-fi...

No, because the comments on Schneiers blog add value that isn't on the original source. Which is why there are now (two even) comments here that link to comments on the linked blog post. Schneier also found the comments on HN helpful, which is why he now links to this HN thread, even though the HN thread just linked his blog.

(Quite the circle by now)

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#97

Post by DrStalker »

CWuestefeld wrote: post #86
smnrchrds wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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".…

They follow the American protocols, and then some. Last time I was there, after handing my bags over I got called to the inspector's room. They'd x-rayed my bags and seen a cigarette lighter [1]. I have no idea how they recognized it as such, but they pointed to the area in my bag where it had been seen, and asked me to open the bag and remove it. On another flight, we were all waiting in line to check-in, but the ag…

What about domestic flights? Some domestic airports like Melbourne have the lounge outside the checkpoints, and even if they are through them domestic security in Australia is very quick and easy.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#98

Post by spacehome »

avn2109 wrote: post #78
scott_karana wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't it get you in trouble? You'd have to check your bags under the standard ticket, but enter security under the premium one, and airport security might realize they have the same person on the flight twice. I thought that was a classic red flag?

Barring extraordinary circumstances, checking bags while flying is a textbook case of doing it wrong.

While I mostly agree with you, the restrictions on carry-on liquids makes this very difficult for a lot of people.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#99

Post by rosser »

avn2109 wrote: post #78
scott_karana wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't it get you in trouble? You'd have to check your bags under the standard ticket, but enter security under the premium one, and airport security might realize they have the same person on the flight twice. I thought that was a classic red flag?

Barring extraordinary circumstances, checking bags while flying is a textbook case of doing it wrong.

Does it count as "extraordinary circumstances" that I carry a Leatherman pretty much everywhere I go? Since we became scared of everything sharper than a thumb, I've had to check a bag if I want to travel with my multitool, which I don't think is terribly unreasonable.

I used to routinely fly with it on my person. I'd take it out of its sheath, put it in the basket for keys and change and such at the metal detector, and hand that to the uniformed agent standing there. I was never once challenged for this, or even looked askance at.

Re: Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals

#100

Post by AndyJPartridge »

ableal wrote: post #95

In comments: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/02/hacking_airli... Good story about buying a suit at 6 am: "Upon exiting customs, I was greeted (by name) by a number of large men holding submachine guns (rare in UK)."

They take it all very seriously!

In January 2004 I took my mum to Disneyland Paris.

Someone had accidentally left their luggage next to the belts below the customs booths.

The airport was shut down and cleared on that level, whilst a brave man with a machete hacked carefully at the bag to discover sausages.

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