Upvote/Downvote: Looking Back At A Hot Tamale Of A Week in Travel

Gabe Zaldivar
by Gabe Zaldivar
Last updated: 7:00 PM ET, Fri November 20, 2015

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

American thinks miles don't make sense, TSA has a hankering for tamales and we have another week to size up and measure.

Here are just a few stories on our radar as we look back at the week that was in travel. They include a little from column tasty and a little from column unsavory.

Feel free to chime in with anything that we missed or if you take umbrage with how we voted for some of these crazy stories.

Hot Tamales:

As we heard this weekend, the TSA did yeoman's work when it seized 450 tamales at Los Angeles International Airport.

This news hit me particularly hard as I read it around lunchtime.

Downvote: First, I have to say that the tamales should have been confiscated, because bringing unlicensed pork products onto a plane for distribution can lead to illness.

However, this is hardly going to be met with a round of applause when you consider the same crack squad let a knucklehead travel with a loaded gun in the same week.

American Airlines Switcheroo:

As we discussed earlier this week, American Airlines is falling in line with a sizable chunk of the industry by rewarding loyalty program customers utilizing the amount spent on fare and not the miles accrued.

Downvote: This is a smart move by American, which will still offer one of the more competitive loyalty programs.

However, this change means economy and occasional travelers lose out in the deal, and no amount of free peanuts will make us feel any better about it.

Son Of a Concorde:

The above video is but a teaser to a hypothetical plane that could become a reality by the next decade. A plane, by the way, that would significantly cut travel time from, say, New York to London.

Upvote: I feel like I've been traveling in roughly the same exact airplane for the entirety of my life. We board the plane with smartphones, tablets and other Wi-Fi capable tech. It's about time we get supersonic travel. Of course, I will ignore the fact that I will probably neither be cool enough or rich enough to enjoy it.

Buzz Not-So-Lightyear:

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If you couldn't tell by now, I like to single out TSA. And it's because they deserve it.

TravelPulse's Donald Wood reports TSA has confiscated a Buzz Lightyear toy because it looked like a weapon.

Downvote: If you are scoring at home this week, TSA has successfully stopped a delicious tamale epidemic and a Buzz Lightyear party. Unfortunately, it missed a loaded gun, but nothing's perfect.


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Gabe Zaldivar

Gabe Zaldivar

Born on the rough streets of suburban West Covina, I learned a great many things, some of which has proved useful: knowing the tell-tale sounds of an ice cream truck and crafting a world-class burrito come to mind. You have seen my work on Bleacher Report and possibly my mug on CNN. Perhaps, if you are into archaic modes of entertainment, you have also heard me on the radio. Pop culture is my beat. If it has to do with the intersection of travel, entertainment and pop culture, I'm your guy.

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