Airport code word aims to save marriage proposals from nosy X-ray machines

By Trevor Mogg Published January 29, 2018

airport codeword marriage proposals proposal — Pexels

X-ray machines and other security procedures at airports are a necessary nuisance for passengers who have to simply accept it as part of the modern-day travel experience.

But with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, airport security can present a whole new challenge for loved-up folks intending to pop the question when they reach their vacation spot, as a routine bag search could result in an awkward moment as the ring box is pulled out for all to see.

Recommended Videos

Every year, the machines and their operators blow the cover of at least a few of these people, culminating in a somewhat underwhelming marriage proposal (though definitely memorable!), with the couple surrounded by flustered passengers putting their belts back on instead of the planned idyllic setting of sun, sea, and sand.

In a bid to help keep the secret safe of anyone planning to propose to their partner, an airport in the United Kingdom has come up with an ingenious solution.

Here’s what you have to do

Officials at East Midlands Airport, about 100 miles north of London, are telling any would-be proposers to email them ahead of their arrival to let them know they’ll have a ring with them in their carry-on baggage. The airport will then send them a code phrase that they’ll need to say to security personnel in case they’re singled out for a bag check. Once they hear it, security will take the passenger to a different lane to their partner so they won’t see the ring if it’s pulled out of the bag.

Matthew Quinney, East Midlands Airport’s head of security, said it would be “a big damper on someone’s meticulously planned romantic trip if their big surprise was revealed even before they’ve boarded the plane.” And so, with an uptick in proposals expected ahead of February 14, they decided to implement a system to prevent any awkward situations for occurring.

It’s certainly very thoughtful of the airport to consider such matters, and could save some red faces by the X-ray machine.

“With Valentine’s Day coming up, we wanted to reduce the chances of the marriage proposal being ruined at the airport because, frankly, as much as we like the airport, we don’t think it’s the most romantic place to get engaged,” Ioan Reed-Aspley, a spokesman for East Midlands Airport, told BBC Radio.

Topics

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Cars

BYD’s cheap EVs might remain out of Canada too

BYD Han

With Chinese-made electric vehicles facing stiff tariffs in both Europe and America, a stirring question for EV drivers has started to arise: Can the race to make EVs more affordable continue if the world leader is kept out of the race?

China’s BYD, recognized as a global leader in terms of affordability, had to backtrack on plans to reach the U.S. market after the Biden administration in May imposed 100% tariffs on EVs made in China.

Cars

Tesla posts exaggerate self-driving capacity, safety regulators say

Beta of Tesla's FSD in a car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is concerned that Tesla’s use of social media and its website makes false promises about the automaker’s full-self driving (FSD) software.
The warning dates back from May, but was made public in an email to Tesla released on November 8.
The NHTSA opened an investigation in October into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the FSD software, following three reported collisions and a fatal crash. The investigation centers on FSD’s ability to perform in “relatively common” reduced visibility conditions, such as sun glare, fog, and airborne dust.
In these instances, it appears that “the driver may not be aware that he or she is responsible” to make appropriate operational selections, or “fully understand” the nuances of the system, NHTSA said.
Meanwhile, “Tesla’s X (Twitter) account has reposted or endorsed postings that exhibit disengaged driver behavior,” Gregory Magno, the NHTSA’s vehicle defects chief investigator, wrote to Tesla in an email.
The postings, which included reposted YouTube videos, may encourage viewers to see FSD-supervised as a “Robotaxi” instead of a partially automated, driver-assist system that requires “persistent attention and intermittent intervention by the driver,” Magno said.
In one of a number of Tesla posts on X, the social media platform owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a driver was seen using FSD to reach a hospital while undergoing a heart attack. In another post, a driver said he had used FSD for a 50-minute ride home. Meanwhile, third-party comments on the posts promoted the advantages of using FSD while under the influence of alcohol or when tired, NHTSA said.
Tesla’s official website also promotes conflicting messaging on the capabilities of the FSD software, the regulator said.
NHTSA has requested that Tesla revisit its communications to ensure its messaging remains consistent with FSD’s approved instructions, namely that the software provides only a driver assist/support system requiring drivers to remain vigilant and maintain constant readiness to intervene in driving.
Tesla last month unveiled the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle has been promoted as a robotaxi, a self-driving vehicle operated as part of a ride-paying service, such as the one already offered by Alphabet-owned Waymo.
But Tesla’s self-driving technology has remained under the scrutiny of regulators. FSD relies on multiple onboard cameras to feed machine-learning models that, in turn, help the car make decisions based on what it sees.
Meanwhile, Waymo’s technology relies on premapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), which might be very costly, but has met the approval of safety regulators.

Cars

Waymo, Nexar present AI-based study to protect ‘vulnerable’ road users

waymo data vulnerable road users ml still 1 ea18c3

Robotaxi operator Waymo says its partnership with Nexar, a machine-learning tech firm dedicated to improving road safety, has yielded the largest dataset of its kind in the U.S., which will help inform the driving of its own automated vehicles.

As part of its latest research with Nexar, Waymo has reconstructed hundreds of crashes involving what it calls ‘vulnerable road users’ (VRUs), such as pedestrians walking through crosswalks, biyclists in city streets, or high-speed motorcycle riders on highways.