Prescription Suitcase

I was back in Chicagoland this week, and as I made my way through the airport last night on my way home, I noticed a flu shot kiosk in Terminal 2.  The University of Illinois Medical Center has a clinic at O’Hare airport, and in the fall they set up kiosks in the terminal to encourage travelers to stop and get a flu shot.  Since getting a flu shot is on my to-do list every year (I have asthma and prefer to reduce my risk of catching any illness that messes with my respiratory system) I decided to stop and get a shot last night.  The cost was $35, which was probably a bit more than I would have paid at my doctor’s office, but the convenience factor was worth the added expense.  It took less than five minutes to complete the little release form, pay the fee, and get the shot — all in all, an easy way for harried travelers like myself to take care of this essential task.

If you travel as much as I do, or even if you don’t, consider getting a flu shot.  There’s no vaccine shortage this year, so pretty much anyone who wants a flu shot can get one.  The vaccine is made from a killed virus, so there is no chance of getting the flu from the shot itself.  It’s worth it… if you haven’t experienced the bone-crushing aches, bouncing fever, and lung-shattering cough of a full-blown attack of the flu lately, you may not recall how wretched it can be.  Get the shot — especially if you travel.  It will help you stay healthy this winter and, by extension, help you avoid spreading the flu to others.

Here’s an article that appeared in USA Today last year about airport flu shot clinics. 

(Tip of the hat to the amazing Amy Winehouse.)

By now, you’ve probably heard about Carol Gotbaum, the woman who was found dead after being arrested for disorderly conduct at the Phoenix airport — the result of not being allowed to board a flight from Phoenix to Tucson.  It turns out she was on her way to Tucson to check herself into an acohol rehabilitation facility.  She was late for her flight (I would imagine because her flight to Phoenix was delayed, but I could be wrong about that) and when she got to the gate in Phoenix, the gate crew wouldn’t let her board.  She got angry, and the authorities detained her.  A short while later, they found her dead.

Her family smells a rat, and I have to admit that after reading more of the details, I do too.

I’m not defending Ms. Gotbaum’s behavior in the airport — reportedly running around, flailing her arms, and screaming — but I think there must have been extenuating circumstances in this case.  The woman was on her way to an alcohol treatment facility in Tucson; is it possible she could have already been experiencing some withdrawal symptoms that contributed to her erratic behavior?  I am personally acquainted with more than one recovering alcoholic, and I know that the process of getting sober can be difficult in the extreme.  I can only imagine what Ms. Gotbaum must have been feeling, both physically and emotionally, as she made her way from New York to Arizona this past Friday.  I have come close to doing what Ms. Gotbaum allegedly did in the airport myself when faced with uncaring, unhelpful airline employees and a delay that, nine times out of ten, was the airline’s fault to begin with, so while I don’t defend her reaction, I don’t condemn it, either.

My heart goes out to her family, and I hope this tragedy forces airlines and airport police to re-examine their procedures when dealing with passengers, even irate ones.  Ms. Gotbaum was sick and trying to get help, and the undoubtedly crappy attitude of the airline employees coupled with her treatment at the hands of the arresting officers likely exacerbated an already precarious situation.

Just came across this article on CNN about remote-controlled toys in carry-on luggage.  The TSA is inspecting such items more closely nowadays because they could potentially be used by a terrorist to detonate explosive devices:

The TSA stopped short of banning the toys in carry-on bags but suggested travelers place them in checked luggage.

“Travelers may encounter additional screening when bringing remote control devices in carry-on baggage,” the TSA said. In addition, anyone carrying such toys, including children, may have to go through secondary screening.

The change was not prompted by any specific intelligence, the TSA said. Instead, it was made in response to July’s National Intelligence Estimate, which concluded the United States will face “a persistent and evolving terrorist threat” in the coming years, and also by generalized threats that noted the use of remote-control toys as detonators.

Authorities allege one of two students arrested in South Carolina in August posted a video on YouTube demonstrating how to use a remote-controlled toy to trigger a bomb.

I don’t want to sound too snarky, since this does seem like something that a creative terrorist could potentially exploit, but it does raise another question: why would any parent allow their kid to bring a remote-controlled toy in their carry-on anyway?  It would drive other people at the airport crazy if the kid was playing with it in the terminal, and I can only imagine the kind of havoc it could generate in flight.  In fact, I’m not even sure a remote-controlled toy would qualify as one of the “approved portable electronic devices” a person could use in flight.

All I know is that I would probably go out of my mind if I was rushing through the terminal trying to make a flight and I had to dodge some kid’s out-of-control toy car or duck to avoid getting beaned by one of those awful RC helicopters.  Let’s face it: getting through a crowded airport terminal is sort of a horizontal giant slalom to begin with, what with all the wheely suitcases, golf cart-like passenger assistance vehicles, strollers, moving sidewalks, escalators, slow walkers, and dead stoppers. (That latter term is what I call those annoying people who stop walking just outside the jetway or in the middle of a crowded terminal to turn on their cell phones, check their tickets, or get their bearings.  You wouldn’t stop your car in the middle of the road, so why not sit down somewhere or at least have the decency to step off to the side and let the other people who actually know where they’re going keep moving?)  The last thing we need is another obstacle on the way to a gate.

Parents, have pity on your fellow travelers: leave the Radio Shack gadgets at home or pack them in your checked luggage as the TSA advises.  Stick to cuddly toys, books, puzzles, iPods, and handheld video games for your child’s in-flight entertainment.  If you can’t do that, at least keep your children from creating a tripping hazard for the rest of us!

More details about the TSA’s new initiative here.