Texas lawmakers are scrutinizing university professors’ influenceNEW YORK – Sneaking a little ahead of line to get on that plane faster? American Airlines might stop you . In an apparent effort to reduce the headaches caused by airport line cutting, American has rolled out boarding technology that alerts gate agents with an audible sound if a passenger tries to scan a ticket ahead of their assigned group. This new software won't accept a boarding pass before the group it's assigned to is called, so customers who get to the gate prematurely will be asked to go back and wait their turn. Recommended Videos As of Wednesday, the airline announced, the technology is now being used in more than 100 U.S. airports that American flies out of. The official expansion arrives after successful tests in three of these locations — Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Tucson International Airport. The initial response from customers and American employees "has exceeded our expectations," Julie Rath, American’s senior vice president of airport operations, reservations and service recovery, said in a statement. She added that the airline is “thrilled" to have the technology up and running ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday . American got lots of attention when it unveiled its gate-control testing last month. Analysts say that isn't surprising. It's no secret that line cutting in airports hits a nerve. Whether intentional or not, just about every air traveler has witnessed it, noted Henry Harteveldt, an airline industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group. It can add to frustrations in what can already be a tense environment, with particular anxiety around passengers wanting to sit together or rushing for some overhead bin space. Harteveldt doesn't see American's recent move as “shaming” customers who cut the line. “What it is intended to do is bring order out of chaos,” he said. "And I hope it will defuse any potential flare ups of anger (from) people who simply think they're entitled to board out of turn .... It’s just not fair." Harteveldt added that he thinks this change will enhance the experiences of both customers and gate agents. Others say more time will tell. Seth Miller, editor and founder of air travel experience analysis site PaxEx.aero, said he can see the benefits of more orderly and universal gate-control enforcement, particularly for airlines. But he said he isn't “100% convinced this is perfect for passengers" just yet. Families, for example, might be booked on several different reservations across more than one group, he said. Airlines typically have workarounds for that, and American noted Wednesday that customers traveling with a companion in an earlier group can simply have a gate agent “override the alert” to continue boarding. Still, Miller said, “you have to go through the extra hoops.” And a difficult customer still might choose to hold up the line and argue when they're not allowed to board, he added. Another question is whether customers who encounter a beep will walk away feeling embarrassed. But Harteveldt said he was happy to learn that American's alert is “not a bellowing sound that can be heard throughout the terminal,” or accompanied by your name read over a loudspeaker, noting that this is important to avoid feelings of shame. Expanding this technology just a week before peak Thanksgiving travel could be “both good and bad,” Harteveldt adds. On one hand, the tech could help significantly improve the boarding process during such a busy time, he said, but airport employees might also have appreciated more time to prepare. Both Miller and Harteveldt said they wouldn't be surprised if other carriers soon follow American's lead. Headaches over airport line cutting are far from new. While maybe not to the extent of American's new tech, Miller noted he's seen gate agents from other airlines ask people to leave a line and wait for their group. Harteveldt added that he's been to some airports in Asia and Europe with “sliding doors” that ensure passengers are in the right group before boarding a plane. The more than 100 airports that American is now using its gate-control technology in are all spoke, or non-hub, locations — including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airline says it expects to further expand to its hubs and other airports in the coming months.
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The cause of an explosion at an east Edmonton polymer plant that rattled homes and sent plumes of black smoke into the sky Friday is under investigation. Officials with the Celanese Corporation said the blast occurred around 10 a.m. at its plastic fabrication facility at 4405 101st Ave. in the Eastgate Business Park area of Edmonton. An investigation into the incident at the Celanese Edmonton site is underway, company officials told CBC News Friday. Videos of the incident posted to social media show black smoke billowing from the plant followed by an orange glow that briefly filled the sky. People living nearby reported a loud boom rattled their homes. Brian Bianco, a spokesperson for the company, described the blast as a "release" from the plant's reactor. He said a "manufacturing upset" resulted in the opening of a relief device on the plant's reactor. Despite the noise and smoke, he said there was no need for emergency services to respond to the scene. No injuries have been reported, he said. "It wasn't an explosion," Bianco said. "It's a safety device that basically releases pressure." He said there was some debris thrown onto the property but "nothing beyond the fence line." He said there is no risk to the community. The incident has been reported to appropriate regulatory authorities, including Alberta Environment, Bianco said. In a statement to CBC News around 12 p.m., Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said it was aware of a potential explosion on the east side of Edmonton and that crews were in the area but had not yet identified the source.
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Telcos investment recovery in limbo as tariff hike backfires, price war with satcom services likely in 2025Despite having experienced snow before, a dog's priceless reaction to a Montana winter became social media gold, bringing in over 3.5 million views within a week. The dog's owner and her mother took 2-year-old Lady outside to play in a November 27 TikTok video posted by user @slatermama. Lady is no stranger to snow after living in Kentucky. However, that doesn't mean she's a fan, and since Montana usually gets significantly more snow than the Bluegrass State, Lady was in for a rude awakening during her first winter there. "My daughter moved home to Montana and Lady does NOT like the weather," the mother told Newsweek via TikTok. "She refused to go outside even when it was nice." Lady had good weather when they moved in October. It was about 75 degrees, but even that was not Lady's ideal weather. And now, with the snow sticking, her frustration level has increased. In the clip, Lady sported a plaid jacket and doggy booties to protect her from the snow. She proceeded to the stairs but paused and intensely sniffed the snow. She couldn't believe this wintry mix had followed her to her new home. Someone then dared to ask if she was going to play. She whipped her head back and shot her family a death glare: Absolutely not. The text on the clip reads: "When a Kentucky dog moves to Montana." Lady knew there was no other option if she wanted to play outside. Swallowing her pride, she walked down the stairs and tested her snow boots. She eventually got the hang of it and took off running, with her booties flying off. If she was going to be in the snow, she at least wanted to be comfortable without the shoes. "I am excited to see how she reacts to the big snows we always get in Montana and some different booties that might stay on," the mother said. Viewers couldn't stop cracking up over the dog's reaction to snow. Within a week, the TikTok clip has amassed over 735,100 likes and 2,081 comments. "She, in fact, did NOT wanna go play," pointed out one user, while another joked: "She blamed you for the snow." A second person wrote: "She looked at you like 'Not funny mom.'" Another added: "She cussed at you when she looked back." Lady isn't the only dog to protest winter weather. Several other users shared similar stories of their dogs wanting absolutely nothing to do with the cold after moving from warm-weather states like Hawaii and Arizona. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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Donovan Dijak is known for his ability to ratio people on social media, and he noted that it’s more of an art than a science. The MLW star has gained a reputation for being able to draw negative engagement to people, and he was asked about the skill in an interview with SHAK Wrestling. “I can’t give you the straight answer on that,” Dijak said ( per Fightful ). “A lot of it is timing, a lot of it is patience. Then like you mentioned you know, there’s, there’s a level of creativity to it that does play a role.” He continued, “I don’t know. I don’t know how it happens. Sometimes the phrase just pops into my mind and I go, oh, that’ll do very nicely, and sometimes it’s a complete strikeout and I just pretend it never happened because nobody sees it anyway. So yeah, that’s kind of the best way to go about things.” Dijak competed at MLW: Eric Bischoff’s One-Shot on Thursday, where he lost to Matt Riddle via DQ.Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals
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