USA Airport Security

[419]

Late last year I was selected for an SSSS inspection (Secondary Security Screening Selection) when flying from Orlando to London.
This only involved a brief chat with a TSA man, and a good look in my carry on baggage.

I found out afterwards that this was due to me purchasing a one way ticket from the USA, a few hours before the flight was due to depart.

It probably didn't help matters that I have lots of passport stamps from an African country which is on the American "watch list"

[PaperTiger]

Originally Posted by 419

It probably didn't help matters that I have lots of passport stamps from an African country which is on the American "watch list"

Would not have factored into the SSSS equation. Their 'system' is not that sophisticated shhhh....

[Olympus593]

I have been a professional flight attendant for 19 years. I hold a UK passport (Government issued), a UK Airside air permit (Government approved) and a US Visa (US government approved).

Why the hell do I get more hassle, in or out of uniform when I try to enter the US than someone on a US visa waiver programme?
Its not like I have a name on any "Most wanted list", I'm Scots/Irish!

I have found the TSA to be gradually getting worse in terms of "service" over the years. Yes it is tedious dealing with people who can't fill in a form, but is there any justification for treating anyone like ****?
On entering St John, UVI, on vacation, I was bullied beyond belief.

I was almost reduced to tears by the total C*NT on Border control.

I'm a 40 year old man FFS!

[intortola]

You are correct about St John, though it was only those of us that live in the British Virgin Islands they give a hard time too, St Thomas is not much better but San Juan now is hassle free although can be slow.

[Loxley]

However their job is to guard the border, and as such they must be intimidating, unfriendly, and suspicious of everybody.

Nonsense. Plenty of them do a great job without being unpleasant. The others, however, just seem to be like that "just because"

Exactly. There's no need whatsoever to be intimidating, unfriendly and suspicious of everybody.

[skydriller]

Couple of comments :

1) The SSSS thing is definately NOT RANDOM.....And it does indeed mean a bit of a third degree interrogation/search, I know this because it seems I am always flagged with this when flying out of the USA.

2) The ammount of hassle you get from US immigration does indeed depend on the port of entry. Agree that DFW/Houston have the most friendly staff.

3) Before the US ramped up security/immigration/Visa hassle to foriegners my company did virtually all its training courses in the USA. Now it does almost half of this training in other countries such as the UK and Dubai.

[172driver]

I'm fairly well travelled and in my experience it only seems to be the Americans who hire the most obnoxious, rude, unsmiling and impolite people they can find for their immigration and customs staff.

You haven't been through one of the hellholes masquerading as airports in the UK recently then, have you ? Frankly, the UK is BY FAR the worst. Worldwide. Rude and primitive security staff ("shoes off, guv"), inefficient immigration, largely incompetent staff, lousy airports.

In contrast, my recent experiences in the US were largely positive. Even flew out of BOS on Sep 11 (). Arrived at the airport with plenty of time, expecting thorough searches. Thorough they were, but carried out in a polite and professional matter - in under a minute.

Perhaps I'm lucky, but I - so far - never had any serious hassle entering or leaving the US, and I do this on a pretty regular basis.

[John Hill]

My most recent transit through LAX (SLF) had me just a little anxious about the several 'axis of evil' stamps in my passport but I went through without a hitch. My poor wife who had not been out of New Zealand for a decade or so was given a quite uncomfortable grilling.

[Ron & Edna Johns]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

I'll never go to the USA on holiday ever again. The hit or miss reception - potentially very unpleasant. The frightening queues both on arrival and (shudder) on departure. Tom Bradley - my God... The SSSS upon departure (guaranteed if you have the audacity to be staff-traveling) is nothing short of humiliation. I'm a 737 Captain, FFS, what threat do they think I pose?

The Americans are welcome to the USA. They can have it. Sad in so many ways as I know that once you're there the Americans are decent, friendly people. And I would have loved to see Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.

But frankly, there are other places in the world I want to see ahead of the USA now.

[VAFFPAX]

The only places where I have had rude TSA staff have been ATL (southern hospitality???), IAD (politics, enough said) and EWR (NY anyone?).

ORD, SEA, PDX, MCI, SFO, LAX (granted, not the Tom Bradley terminal)... never a problem. ONT had one problem because the TSA eejit screening me didn't mark my boarding pass as having screened me, which caused a massive row between TSA and the boarding agents (and me in the middle), delaying the flight. I've never been so embarrassed.

SSSS is NOT random. Ever. Not for foreign pax anyway. ALL foreign passport holders are s/screened on domestic flights in the US. I've grown used to it.

S.

[gdiphil]

Perhaps I have a nice face, Mrs gdi and junior gdi most certainly do, but I have not encountered the kind of hassle I keep hearing about. OK once in July 1994 at Nashville when it was for a year an international gateway for Brits travelling from LGW on AA non-stop to BNA, but not at any time before that or since have I or when traveling with the family found anything other than a professional attitude on the part of US immigration, customs or TSA. Three weeks ago we went thru ORD and the lady immigration officer asked a lot of questions but they were all pertinent and the answers satisfied her. Maybe it really is down to my nice face. The Nashville incident all those years ago was just plain funny. Our daughter was a babe in arms and the 3 of us presented ourselves to the immigration officer who immediately took umbrage over the fact we were not married. I said we are a family. I was told in no uncertain terms that we were not. I was asked to step back to the line. I asked the lady who she would like our daughter to be separated from, her mother or her father. I was told to step back to the yellow line, and of course I did. The officer then proceeded to ask the soon to become Mrs gdi how much money she was carrying. The not yet Mrs gdi turned to me and asked me how much money we were carrying. "No, not him, how much have you got?" None was her reply. "Where are you staying in the US?" Turning to me the soon to be Mrs gdi asked where are we staying. "Don't talk to him" shouted the officer. A lot of banging on forms then took place and the soon to be Mrs gdi and junior were admitted. I then presented my passport. Not one question asked of me. Passport stamped and I'm admitted. It's that nice face I tell you.

[skydriller]

Our daughter was a babe in arms and the 3 of us presented ourselves to the immigration officer who immediately took umbrage over the fact we were not married. I said we are a family. I was told in no uncertain terms that we were not. I was asked to step back to the line. I asked the lady who she would like our daughter to be separated from, her mother or her father. I was told to step back to the yellow line, and of course I did. The officer then proceeded to ask the soon to become Mrs gdi how much money she was carrying. The not yet Mrs gdi turned to me and asked me how much money we were carrying. "No, not him, how much have you got?" None was her reply. "Where are you staying in the US?" Turning to me the soon to be Mrs gdi asked where are we staying. "Don't talk to him" shouted the officer.

Yes, looking back its funny.....but what did you/your wife think at the time? Why are they shouting at you?

My visits to the US on business are such that I rarely know where I am staying before I arrive. Immigration dont like this. I have actually been told by a couple of immigration guys to always write down a hotel, even if I know I wont stay there, so as not to get hassled on future visits.

The UK is also not a pleasant place to fly from, but luckily I can pretty much avoid the UK airports.... I think that the UK security is more petty than the USA with a rules is rules pompousness that definitely comes across as rude, as opposed to the more agressive nature of the TSA.

What gets me is that most of the "security" we see at airports is window dressing, what with granny parker being relieved of her knitting needles, evian and nail file.....its all so pointless... Id much rather everyone on the flight was given a foot long machete.....

[419]

Skydriller,
I've been told exactly the same thing.
I go to the USA a few times each year, and my normal system is to arrive, pick up a rental car, and then head off towards my final destination, which may well be a couple of hundred miles away.
Where I spend the first night depends on the weather, traffic, how tired I feel etc.

Now I just put down the name of a large airport hotel, even if I have no intention of staying there.

I wonder what the U.S government would make of their immigration officers advising visitors to lie on official documents.

[radeng]

My experience has been that if you travel first class, the SSSS doesn't seem to happen. Dunno why.

[flyblue]

As far as I an tell by going there several times a month, in the past couple of years Airport Security in the US has made efforts to improve the way they deal with the public. It was something close to a nightmare for few years after 2001. (In my company we had a joke :¨How do you say Welcome to th USA? NEEEEEEXT!¨) Only exception I came across lately is MIA, but it might be a coincidence. Never had any problem whatsoever, even had a few of them wanting to chat and being nice like actually saying ¨welcome¨, or commenting on the weather etc.
I find the UK experience worse by far. Staff are often quite rude, the rules uselessly strict (wanna talk about the one baggage rule?). Not even the US are that strict with Crews, nowhere the lines are that long, nowhere it takes that long. Nowhere in the world, not even in the US they bother crews for carrying lethal toothpaste or mass destruction hand cream or a crew bag plus one handbag like in the UK. Result, nobody in my company wants to fly from LHR if they can avoid it because of the Security experience

[skydriller]

Flyblue, you appear to be talking about crew. Remember that the USA decided to a certain extent to include crew in the security loop (They armed pilots) and so you are "on their side" so to speak. Alot of the comment about the US is regarding the immigration service anyway....its the whole package of visiting the USA that is putting poeple off.

I agree 100% about UK airports "security" (and I use that word loosly) currently being the worst in the world, and as I have said I avoid UK airports like the plague because of it.

Though there was an interesting new twist on idiocy at CDG Terminal 2 last week.... Two security girls had formed a large queue demanding passengers boarding passes prior to the check-in area in front of the security post for the relavent gates....Naturally half the pax therefore had no boarding pass or ticket due to the electronic ticketing these days, causing arguements and delay for everyone. Knowing CDG pretty well now I sneeked around the back of the shop areas to one side and avoided it....

Regards, SD..

[flyblue]

Don´t get me started about CDG... The least you could do when putting people in contact with the paying public (because we do pay airport services) is impose a minimum of manners and respect. Something that really makes me cringe, is when i get to the metal detector, and I explain that (because of something I cannot remove) the machine is going to go beep. So they know it´s gonna happen, right? So why, why, why do they have to yell/screech ¨MADAAAAAAAAME!!!!!¨ in a tone and volume that would be suitable to deal with a running criminal, and talk to you as if you were the scum of the earth???
A friend of mine who is a ground Supervisor for a big airline once told me that his company tried to talk to Aéroport de Paris about the issue of staff (used for less complicated tasks, let´s say) manners and hygiene (lots of passengers complained after seeing how some facilities were being cleaned). Their reply was that there was nothing to do, most of them coming from countries where they didn´t do manners and hygiene The ¨communes¨ around the airport forced them to hire a percentage of their unemployed, so that they could not even choose people suitable for the job. Oh, ok then, so it means you can avoid to give them any basic training altogether, right? Just chuck them in their uniforms with a mop or a metal detector and let them loose on the paying public.

[chrisbl]

In my experience entering the US has become far less pleasant. In ranking terms (worst for Border Protection / immigration rudeness and slowness)

Miami - three times worse than the next
JFK - pig ignorant
ORD - ignorant
SEA - dull
Orlando
SFO
Las Vegas OK
Newark OK
ATL Efficient
Cleveland Very Efficient
Bangor pleasant
Dublin (capital of 51st State of USA ) Very pleasant


My experiemce

[Eboy]

I am really sorry for all the BS non-citizens have to go through at our airports (does "BS" translate to the UK?). We don't like it either. The government and the bureaucrats are not America. The people are. We are glad you are here from wherever, and being from the UK is particularly cool. I myself will approach anyone looking puzzled over guide book or map and offer to help, sometimes walking with them to their destinations and talking if it is on my way. If no one does that, you can ask nearly anyone if you are confused or need help. I hope things improve and you give it another go.

[TightSlot]

Eboy - BS translates perfectly - if it is any help to you, I agree absolutely about the people being different to the bureaucrats - many have been some of the friendliest and most helpful I have come across. Don't worry too much: I believe that most people would agree.