PET AIRPORT
On our last trip to Hawaii my animal loving 3-year-old was delighted to find that she was sharing an airplane with a friendly Terrier. She had a blast playing with the pup in the security line, but couldn’t figure out why the doggy wasn’t going to be sitting next to her during the flight. Well, I just learned that if one company has its way there will be fewer furry distractions in the security line at the Denver International Airport.
According to city officials, a boarding facility for dogs, cats and other pets is in the planning stages at the popular airport. Lawmakers are currently soliciting proposals for the center, which would be financed and operated by a private company on a four-acre site near a cargo area off the airport property.
Officials tell news reporter they are looking to create a 24-hour center capable of caring for at least 100 dogs, 100 cats and other exotic pets. If all goes well construction on the project would begin in August 2008 and open by February 2009. Airport officials say they are hoping to have plans solidified in the coming weeks and look at the venture as a service that would help travelers and provide the airport with another source of revenue.
PET PEEVES
If you watch even a few minutes of news on a daily basis you would have heard about the incident that occurred at the Miami International Airport a couple of days ago. A terminal there was briefly evacuated early Monday morning after authorities found what appeared to be an explosive device.
The video on the news showed irritated passengers being forced to drag themselves and their belongings to the sidewalk. One station interviewed a clearly frustrated passenger who went on and on about how “crazy” the situation was. And this was BEFORE officials announced the box in question was actually a container filled with cremated human remains and a watch.
Transportation Security Administration agents thought the items were part of an explosive device so they cleared the terminal as a precaution.
“It was a collection of items that, in total, raised our officers’ suspicions to a level of contacting the Miami-Dade (County police) bomb squad,” a TSA agent told reporters.
As a result, hundreds of passengers were made to pass time outside Terminal F with their luggage from about 5:45 a.m. until police gave the all clear around 7:30 a.m. Granted, the evacuation delayed six flights, affecting about 2,000 passengers, but think of what could have happened if it turned out that some freak truly had been trying to get a bomb past authorities.
I agree that the increased security procedures can be somewhat of a pet peeve (especially when you are traveling with a baby), but when you consider what could transpire if they weren’t in place, perhaps standing outside for a couple hours is not as bad as it seems.
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