The Mother Load

Just when you thought it was safe to fly again, someone tries to board a plane wearing vibrating shoes.

According to today's Outrageous News story, a Pakistani man named Faiz Mohammed was charged with "keeping an electrical circuit in his shoes" for trying to board a Thai Airways flight while wearing "Good Vibrations" massage therapy shoes.  The man thought he was doing something good for his feet.  Security officials, on the other hand, saw nothing but a bomb in the making.

Officials think they've probably made a mistake, especially considering the man had nothing else on him that would be considered dangerous, but Mohammed is being held anyway, pending an investigation into the shoes.  I'm assuming by "investigation" they mean a chance for everyone in the office to try the shoes out.

It seems from the story that the authorities aren't sure the shoes are an actual product.  An amazingly fast Google search of them found me this review of Good Vibrations Shoes, along with many others.  I guess the people at that airport don't have access to the internet.

I feel bad for Mr. Mohammed in all of this.  Poor guy's feet hurt, and now he's in jail while the shoes that used to help him are cut open and rendered useless.  And will he be reimbursed for the cost (or for his lost flight, time, or the pain and suffering of his false imprisonment)?  Likely not.  I know this because my brother-in-law was recently detained in an airport for nothing more than being the guy they decided to detain that day, and he was sent on his way with a "better luck next time" attitude from his captors...I mean, the airport security officials.

I guess this story can serve as a word to the wise.  If you have massaging shoes, don't try to wear them onto a plane.  Airlines have strict policies in place about the comfort of their passengers (as in, they're not allowed any unless they pay extra for it).  If you try to be more comfortable than your counterparts, you'll be branded as a terrorist for sure.

And then the airlines will have won.