Travelling to the USA

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Originally posted by John L:
David,

That’s the best idea I have ever read for air travel! Have you ever thought of working for the government?

My personal experience was that O’Hare moved better than Heathrow. I forgot to take my watch off at Heathrow and it set off the detector; the guard became very familiar with me. It was the best squeeze I had the entire trip! I didn’t think that the wait in any of the lines was excessively long. IIRC Heathrow will also search your bag without your permission.

John Litwin

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Ah, but if you refuse to have your bag searched in the US.... but at least they behave with some pretence of politeness, unlike the immigration officers (or most of them).

Matthew

Yes, The US immigration officers all have to go on the advanced surliness course, not just the beginners or intermediate ones.

One memorable moment, after the first hour's queuing, 6am in the morning

Me: "Hello" (smiling)

Him: Total Blank. No eye contact. Looks at documents. Not a word uttered.

Him: Leaves booth, goes to ever expanding queue and SCREAMS at them "Why can't you people fill in the forms properly? Put in your destimation in the US!'

Him: Returns to booth, glowers at me and The Wife, forehead throbbing.

Me: "Err, the air crew advised us not to fill that in as we are not stopping, but going to a connecting flight?"

Him: [Emits low groan...]

Me: [Fill in 'Destination = Travelling to NZ]

Him: Lots of heavy stamping of papers, no discussion, shoves papers at us.

Needless to say ' Have a nice day' or 'Welcome to America' were not part of the exchange.




DS

OTD - PLex - Future Influence

David
If I had to guess, was this at JFK?

I only travel with hand luggage to the US and touch wood have been lucky with immigration queues, but the sheer volume of disgruntled anecdotal evidence does point to the current mechanism being a problem. With the increased threat it's a given that we need security to be as tight as drum, but surely randomly checking open bags is intrusive, yet not remotely effective and thus not very reassuring.

Assuming that there are scanners that can easily identify any dangerous substances in baggage, why can't they be scanned, cleared for loading and securely shrouded or shrinkwrapped in one process. With all the flight details on the wrap, once airside, any bags with no wrap or a tampered wrap could be removed and examined. If belt and braces were required for transit, the process could be repeated before the onward flight. I don't feel that random bag checks is an especially clever or effective deterrent to terrorists and would be much happier in the knowledge that each bag in the hold had been scanned and sealed in a secure area and that a device could not be easily be placed in an open bag by somebody airside.

I've no doubt that there's a very good reason why this can't work, and I'm missing something obvious, but what the hell is it? What am I missing here?

Maybe planes should be redesigned with cargo areas effectively outside the main sealed body with a blast proof barrier between it and the passengers, so any blast just blows off the luggage.
Probably not possible.
Forget it..

Mick

Things just became even more unpleasant for visitors from the UK- you'll be photographed and fingerprinted as though you're a criminal.

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Maybe planes should be redesigned with cargo areas effectively outside the main sealed body with a blast proof barrier between it and the passengers, so any blast just blows off the luggage.

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I'm sure several years ago I saw a program whcih had containers designed to put baggage inside that went inside planes. If there was an explosion inside this continaer it was strong enough to contain it, or most of it. Guess what it would cost loads more than the regular containers hence it was never pursued.

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Things just became even more unpleasant for visitors from the UK- you'll be photographed and fingerprinted as though you're a criminal.

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This is finally the last straw for me. I was hoping to visit the states a bit this summer since I'm working in Canada at the moment, but quite frankly I can't be bothered anymore, I'll go somewhere else that is more happy to have me. I'm not too bothered with the security checks, but it is the more and more hassle of immigration/customs of the US that I just can't be bothered with anymore. If I want to be treated like a criminal I'll hit a copper over the head with a brick

And finally I wish the UK (and other) government would show some backbone and start the same sort of checks for any US visitors.

And still the US government won't tackle the cause, just the symptoms.

Tony

I can accept the need for checks etc, what I still do not like is having my suitcase left unlocked and knowing it can be opened without me being in attendance and also the long lengthy queues that this finger printing will involve.

This will be my last visit and I suspect their tourist trade will suffer.

Regards

Mick

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Maybe planes should be redesigned with cargo areas effectively outside the main sealed body with a blast proof barrier between it and the passengers, so any blast just blows off the luggage.
Probably not possible.

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Actually, there is a design of luggage container (one of those big aluminium things), that can contain the blast of explosives in checked baggage. Such containers would have saved the PAN AM Lockerbie 747. I can't remember why they don't all use them, probably weight (=cost) or someother important thing.
Much easier to have us all 'wait in line' to be treated like criminals really ...

THe UK should adopt similar border protection schemes that the US is introducing for all incoming aliens - the EU is incapable of protecting its borders due to the vast land border with the east.

Could well be that we need such schemes for internal travel as well.

Derek

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Things just became even more unpleasant for visitors from the UK- you'll be photographed and fingerprinted as though you're a criminal.

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The 27 countries affected are Andorra,


Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

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No Mexico?
Gentlemen, if you want to enter the US with the least amount of fuss, just take a flight to Mexico and have a cab take you to the border (Im sure they know where) and just walk across. No passport, no visas, no baggage checks.So while Mick is getting a cavity search at JFK, hundreds or thousands are just walking across daily.
More PC crap. No one is willing (Dems or Repub) to address the ILLEGAL immigrants, or should I say, the influx of undocumented workers into the US. Sure, many are coming looking for work but if they can get through easliy, so can terrorists.Unbelievable.
The US needs to control its borders first before hasseling the citizens of the above 27 rogue nations

[This message was edited by Emil on Sat 03 April 2004 at 16:42.]

Re Mexican border - you have the farmers on the US side catching the chaps slipping across plus you get quite a few that die due to exposure.

I have been stopped quite a few times near the Mexican border

Derek

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me and my family have passports that last until 2011 and 2006 for the kids
we are holidaying in florida this xmas 2004
if i wish to holiday there again in say 2 years time what checks will we all be subject too ?

thanx neil

Neil - My understanding is that you should be OK on the visa waver program - as long as each kid has their own passport.

YOu will (according to the latest reports) be photographed and fingerprinted on your first entry to the US after the 30th SEptember date.

When you renew your passports the UK should be issuring passports with biometric data built in to them.

See the info at the US Embassy site
Passport requirements

and also

More info

hope this helps

Derek

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Chaps,

Having your bag searched when you aren't present is nothing new. It has happened for years (especially in the UK). It just happens more often now. The advice given regarding not putting anything valuable in your suitcases that are checked into the hold is good advice.

The US BCIS (Immigration) officials are not programmed to respond to any form of humour. Don't bother. One of my colleagues had the pleasure of flying back to Washington (BA223) on New Years Eve, only to be singled out by the FBI as being part of a criminal organization based in New York (he didn't know whether to laugh or cry). His suitcase was checked on the runway! (and again when he walked through customs). His name isn't Mohammed either.

Visitors (tourists) to the USA will not have their photos or finger prints taken (UK, EU etc). Only working/student visa holders (resident non-immigrants).

Once your In the US, it's not so bad!

I always feel some sick satisfaction as I walk past the lines of tourists at Heathrow straight through passport control.

The bottom line is that the US is still a great place to visit, even if you have to put up with a bit of hassle.

I stand corrected. Visitors will also be printed and photographed and then entered into 'The Matrix'

Why on Earth do you European guys want to "holiday" in Mexico or the US??? FLORIDA??? That's the "white trash" capital of N. America!!! Unless you have kids who want to visit Disney, why would you go there? It's pale in comparison to locals sooo much closer to you! Spain? Thailand? Monaco?

Yes, the airlines and employees suck here! The strange thing is that I missed a flight because I wouldn't give up my DANGEROUS Rega torgue wrench, but a lighter is perfectly fine...go figure!

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Why on Earth do you European guys want to "holiday" in Mexico or the US??? FLORIDA??? That's the "white trash" capital of N. America!!! Unless you have kids who want to visit Disney, why would you go there? It's pale in comparison to locals sooo much closer to you! Spain? Thailand? Monaco?

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Who says you need to go to the destinations in the US you mentioned?
You have got to be kidding if you are suggesting that the National Parks of America pale in comparison to European destinations.

regards
GEOFF

I've just been on a two week break in San Francisco, and being a very nervous air passenger, I found the full on security very reassuring. I didn't mind the "Spinal Tap" metal detector being waved around my person, or having to take my shoes off and have them fed back through the x-ray machine. The world is fucked up. I need to know I'm not sat 2 rows from a person with bombs in their footwear. I'm not complaining about my bags being searched either, because nothing was taken, and I have nothing to hide. What I do find bizarre is that after the authorities have taken away ones tweezers, Rega torque wrench etc, is that they let anyone on board a plane with a lighter and as many cans of de-odourant as they wish. "Hey! Check out my flame-thrower"!

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YOu will (according to the latest reports) be photographed and fingerprinted on your first entry to the US after the 30th SEptember date.

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I'm currently working with someone (not american or canadian) here in canada who has work permit for the us and travels there quite often and he said since they introduced these new steps he is finger printed/photographed every time he goes. Not sure if there will be a difference and that tourists will only be done once if this new step comes in in september.

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Originally posted by NAIMGAIM:
FLORIDA??? That's the "white trash" capital of N. America!!!

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This, from a Texan! Ha!

OK, ya got me! Texas is close behind Florida

I agree that there are some amazing locals in the wonderful US of A. I'm not really trying to "Dis" my country. But Florida really is LAME! I just think it's funny you "blokes" would travel so far to hit a crappy beach. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side...I'd be happy spending two weeks in LONDON for the culture and rip it up in Spain or Greece for the sand!

COLORADO is worth a visit! MOAB UTAH is great! HAWAII doesn't count. Yes, the Natl. Parks are awesome here. Mexico has some lovely beaches and locals as well, but they're "secret" and your travel agent won't know about them.

Thanks to the economy, I'm spending a week at a REAL crappy beach called Port Aransas, near Corpus Christie. I'll be dodging jellyfish and oil slicks. see? I'm just bitter & jealous

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But Florida really is LAME!

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Florida has at least two things to recommend it; the Kennedy Space Center (at Cape Canaveral) and Everglades National Park.

In fact all the National Parks in the USA that I've been to have been fabulous, and everyone should see the Grand Canyon before they die.

You may not have much in the way of Culture, History, Taste or Tact in the US, but you do have a wonderful landscape and natural resources.

(Didn't much like Utah 'cos they had these really stupid rules about drinking - they would only serve my wife with beer or tap water at the bar, whilst we waited the estimated hour for a table to eat.)

Off the top of my head you could throw together a decent Florida eco-tour:

-Everglades
-Florida Keys
-Cedar Keys
-Canaveral national shore
-St. John's River
-Wekiva River

Not to mention Tampa, which is packed with stripper/porn princess wildlife.