If Homeland Security gets their way, there will be no way to take luggage on a plane with you that somehow don’t pay extra for.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano went before Congress this week according to USA Today and told the Congressman that carry-on luggage is costing taxpayers $260 million annually.  Apparently the rise in carry-on luggage due to growing checked baggage fees is increasing the work load at security gates, and is in turn causing the expenses of running the nationally mandated security system to increase.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA – D) asked:

Checked-bag fees are increasing, it looks like, the cost to TSA because people don’t want to pay the fees so they are not checking bags and putting more on the planes.  My question is, do the taxpayers have to pick up this fee? Or should we be looking at the airlines for some of the profits that they make from these fees to offset the cost to the taxpayer?

Ms. Napolitano suggested that a $5 fee be assessed to each one-way ticket, which would in turn bring in about $600 million a year to the security agency.

Excuse me, I may not be a math expert, but if the carry-on luggage is costing the department $260 million a year, why do they need to bring in $600 million in fees?  Additionally, why shouldn’t the airlines, which are bringing in billions a year, team  up to pay what would be a measly bill when split up amongst them?

It is becoming increasingly less attractive to bring any luggage with you on a plane, and as much as I’m sure the airlines would love if we brought none on board, we, as humans, have this silly need for clothing at our destination.  I know, how pedestrian of me.

The good news is that Homeland Security has asked for some sort of fee every year since 2002 and have yet to have it approved.  The problem is, you know as well as I do, it will eventually get approved, and airline travel costs will once again rise.  I had to buy a ticket last week for a business trip next week, and I don’t even like to think about how much it ended up costing.  True, it was somewhat “last minute”, but considering how much it cost, I hope I’m getting a solid gold seat.

At what point are all of these fees going to end?  There has to be a “breaking point”, but one has to wonder where exactly that is.

I’m finally back home from Las Vegas where I was attending CES, and it just wouldn’t be a trip out of town for me if I didn’t discuss the city in general.

All told I ended up in the rooms of two casinos, and spent time in a total of six different ones.  The differences were stark to say the least.

The Bellagio – This place is just massive, but overall it had the nicest casino area of any of the ones I visited.  It seemed the least set up to confuse you, and you could easily make your way through it without having to hunt for a path not littered with slot machines.  What did surprise me, however, was the one room I visited, while generous in size, and with a bathroom larger than some hotel rooms, was the frayed carpet.  I know rooms get a lot of use, but you would think in a hotel with the reputation of this one they would pay more attention to the finer details.

Ceaser’s Palace – “Desolate.”  That was the word that came to mind when I was there.  I only walked through to go to dinner at Mesa Grill – which was much better than I expected – but it just seemed very … empty.  Considering the 140,000 or more people in town for CES, that can’t be a good sign.

Harrahs – Old school Vegas runs in the veins of this place, but it isn’t as bad as the Hilton …

The Las Vegas Hilton – As I walked through the Hilton one evening with Jonathan Rettinger of TechnoBuffalo, I turned and asked him if he also felt like Rodert DeNiro was going to walk through at any moment as his character from Casino.  This place is old school, and it feels it.  I also spent a brief amount of time in two rooms for meetings, and found the smell to be that stale.musty smell you associate with aging motels, and the furntirue very warn.

This also used to be the home of Star Trek: The Experience.  When you remove an attraction like that, I also find it helpful to remove the added architectural designs, otherwise you have Star Trek-style doors leading to a wine bar.

The Paris – Cute, and no where as large a casino floor as the others, but it felt a bit too much like Epcot Center had been dropped into the Las Vegas strip.  The small Parisian village theme is carried out everywhere, and it’s easy to forget you are in a casino and not a theme park.

The Venetian – Again, a bit too Disney-fied in some sections such as St. Mark’s Square, but the food was fabulous at the two locations I ate at: F1rst and Otto’s.  The casino is huge, and it’s easy to lose your sense of direction in, but overall it was probably my favorite of all the ones I visited.  Still doubt I would have stayed there, however.

I did very little gambling where there as I was there for work, but I know I made the right choice staying at a Residence Inn so I at least had a decent room, free breakfast and so on.  Oh yeah, and it felt normal.

I wish someone could explain to me how Marriott determines what qualifies as “full service”.

My family is deeply entrenched with the Marriott chain of hotels. We have enough points that we rank in the top two percent of their points club, and there are still things I don’t get about the chain as a whole: the actual Marriott locations, which is also known as their “full service” chain.

I just spent a week at a Residence Inn in Las Vegas, with a nearly full kitchen, good-sized coffee pot, free Internet access and so on. Tonight I’m in a “full service” Marriott in Kansas City and I don’t have a kitchen, I have this measly one cup coffee maker and Internet costs $12.95 a day unless you are at my level of points or the step below us. The prices for the two chains are nearly identical, and I just don’t get it.

I don’t get nearly the “service” at the Marriott locations as I do at the Residence Inn locations I usually stay in.  The staff is usually more uptight here while Residence Inn folks couldn’t be friendlier if they tried.  Residence Inn gives me a full hot breakfast, Marriott’s only do that if you are in the upper levels of the point club.

How is he Marriott considered ”full service”?  I just don’t get it.

Yay us having lots of points, but for everyone else?  I guess the Marriott chain figures they might as well hose you.

Yesterday it was a tale of allergies, and today it is a story of airport delays.

Can I just take a moment to say that traveling sucks?

I am a rather meticulous planner when it comes to planning my flights.  My first choice is always to take a direct flight as I loathe connections.  Back in 1996 I was on assignment to Huntsville, AL to cover the 30th anniversary convention for Star Trek with only a week’s notice.  Playmates Toys was footing the bill and had booked my flights for me.  I arrived in Cincinnati for a connection after it was scheduled to depart, but the plane had been held for me.  Nothing is quite as much fun as literally running through an airport with your carry-ons, knowing full well your checked bag isn’t going to make it.  (and it didn’t until the next day.)

Beyond always trying to fly direct, I am a strict adherent to the “arrive two hours before your flight” policy.  Yes, it means a lot of sitting around, but as I don’t plan to break my record of never missing a flight, I live with it.

However, when you do arrive two hours early, get through security 15 minutes before boarding is to begin, and get trapped in a tiny secured area and then learn your flight is delayed more than an hour … life just sucks.

So, even though this will be published on Tuesday, I’m writing this on Monday, trapped inside the secured area at Terminal C, Gate 85 of the Kansas City airport in this very situation.  And the fun bit?  My flight in Denver to get to Las Vegas is also delayed.  So, I’m going to get to spend some quality time in Denver.

I will say that I did this to myself just a tiny bit on principal.  There was a direct flight out of KCI to Vegas, but it was on Southwest.  As a “large” man, I was disgusted by that airline’s treatment of film director Kevin Smith in Feb. of last year when he was removed from a flight due to his size.  Not wanting to support that airline, nor face a possible similar situation myself, I opted to take a connecting flight on another airline.

So, here I sit.  A victim of my own principals.  And in Denver I will again sit, a victim of some bizarre statement of moral outrage against an airline that I have flown on exactly once, and have not had done anything against me personally.

Am I insane?  Apparently so, but at least I didn’t give Southwest any money … I guess.  Were there delays, waiting and frustration worth the “moral” victory to be able to say that?  I guess so, at least I will go to sleep tonight knowing a snooty airline didn’t get a couple of my pieces of silver.

Now … if I could just get to Vegas.

Something I have had to live with my entire life is my sensitivity to my environment. Whether it be pressure systems from fronts passing through, or certain foods, the oddest things can set off allergy attacks for me. One of my worst problems is worth cleaning products, and yesterday I was nearly knocked on my ass by this one.

I made my way to Kansas City yesterday for my early morning flight to Las Vegas today.  I had a reservation at the Courtyard Kansas City Airport, a part of the Marriott chain, the hotels favored by family.  While I had read that this particular location had recently been renovated, but I didn’t see any reason why that should be a problem.

A land speed record may have been set by how fast I checked out.

When I got into the lobby I could smell a bit of an odor, but nothing overpowering.  I got my key and went around to park my car and get into my room.  As soon as I entered the hallway the ammonia smell was pretty powerful, but once in my room it was overpowering.  The picture with this post?  That’s pretty much how I looked as hives immediately broke out on the backs of both my hands.

I called the front desk, told them I was leaving and I needed to find another Marriott property immediately.  They told me which one would suit me, and I was out of there.

While I realize that not many people have my allergy problem, the general unpleasantness of the smell couldn’t have been pleasing to any one.  Certainly something could have been done to air out the building before guests stayed there?  When I say the smell was overpowering, I mean … it was overpowering, knock you on your ass strength.

Again, I don’t expect places to cater to my allergies, there’s no way anyone could predict this, but really?  Absolutely no one thought to air it out?  Seriously?  Oh well, I’m in a location not messing with me now … but man this chair is uncomfortable.