Here is some of the best travel news and notes from around the Internet:
- A father took a video of his 10 year old daughter getting an “aggressive patdown” from the TSA. Watching the video I see a lot of the “standard” TSA moves but I’m not real comfortable with a lot of it.
(it does remind me of the hilarious parody of the “official” TSA kids video)
- Marriott has announced that they are running a new MegaBonus promotion, starting next week. The past few MegaBonuses have been pretty underwhelming in terms of the bonuses that you could get (for the effort / stays you had to put in), but in the note I got about the promotion, Marriott promised that it would be more along the lines of the IHG Accelerate promotions with personalized promotions and tasks that you have to complete. Don’t forget you can still get 100,000 hotel points for ~$90 and a few hours work.
- Uber has announced that they are lowering ride costs in 100 cities. It’s supposed to be to help spur more riders as this time of winter is historically their slowest time.
- Don’t forget we’re still giving away a $50 American Airlines gift card – you can enter up to 4 times.
Up for more travel news? Here’s the previous installment: Cash and guns on an airplane? Plus a banker answering MS-related questions and more
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Its disgusting what we allow to happen to our kids in the name of “safety”. TSA is a show, bordering on the absurd. I don’t care if they want to grope me, but I just cringe when I see this stuff done on kids, invalids or the elderly.
You said that correct word, Stephan, allow. If you allow your child to be subject to activity that you feel is degrading, groping, invasive, etc., etc. that is your fault as a parent, as flying is not mandatory. If you response to that is that you should be able to fly without such invasive search, I agree, but the fact is still it was a choice made by you as a parent. Once they are pulled out of line for a search, if you object, get your child and leave.
And to Sunny, really? You allowed your child to voluntarily experience something that traumatized her so badly and just sat by as a parent watching and letting it happen? So, like the man recording the video above, you thought it best to let your child go through this experience that you find offensive so you can catch your plane. Wonderful parenting skills people you have. “Here honey, this woman is going to grope you know so Mommy and Daddy can make their plane in time, Ok?”
This type of complaining is called being a keyboard hardman. Father took no action when he thought it was needed most and could have actually stopped his daughter from experience something he felt was a woman molesting his child, but is so tough and hard behind his keyboard posting about his ‘outrage’. Who give a toss if they have relatives that were in the service or were pilots, what does that have to do with anything? Ask anyone in their later years and I bet their father was in the war. Doesn’t mean anything in this situation.
Just another guy looking for a dollar and the expense of his kid. Though as a side note, I thought the search was excessive, but I don’t think the agent was groping the girl.
Please don’t question our parenting. That is not what this is about. I have beaten myself up enough already about this wondering if I should or could have handled it differently. I dont need you beating me up as well.
I was shocked when they pulled my 9 year old daughter out for a pat down. She was visibly upset so they let me stand next to her but even though it wasn’t nearly as thorough as the video my daughter was very uncomfortable and scared and left in tears. As a mom I am not sure if I was supposed to educated her more on this so she would have been more prepared for the possibility and that might have made it easier for her, but I just never would have ever thought they would pat down a 9 year old. The next time we were in an airport she was so scared it would happen again. It traumatized her and it was definitely unnecessary.
if this happens to my daughter, can I demand a female TSA agent to frisk my child?
They don’t even ask you. They automatically assign a female to females.