Was this unusual?
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Was this unusual?
Arrived LAX Air New Zealand 744. Nice landing--2 minute slow taxi. Stop. Message from Pilot--Sorry folks, there will be a delay we have to get a tug to tow us to the gate. My wife said how insulting to the pilot. Waited 5 minutes then moved. Stopped at an angle across the rear end of a big Virgin. Watched as vans came and went. Ditto small tractors. Large vans. Saloon cars. Gloves were delivered. Men with clip boards. After 20 minutes Pilot came on and said sorry about this but if you could see what we can see out the front you would think it was Monty Pythons Circus.
After 35 minutes we moved and connected to air bridge.
I was interested be the mass of officials lining the air bridge. About 6 with collapsed wheel chairs then about 30 more all with ID hanging round their necks or clip boards.
Then into Immigration. Ten finger prints and an Iris photo then locked in a room with food and drink and access to a not very clean toilet.
I must say I damn well object to being finger printed etc by a snappy individual when I was only in transit. Why the hell do they need to harvest data in this way when we were not even entering the damn police state.
Other thoughts. Do Jumbos have CCTV under their bellies so Pilots can see the ground forwards? Is Los Angeles the most untidy disorganized looking airport in the world? Vans, baggage carts, food trucks parked seemingly anywhere. Why was the Pilot not allowed to park the thing himself? I bet he's done it before.
Ain't curiosity a wonderful thing?
After 35 minutes we moved and connected to air bridge.
I was interested be the mass of officials lining the air bridge. About 6 with collapsed wheel chairs then about 30 more all with ID hanging round their necks or clip boards.
Then into Immigration. Ten finger prints and an Iris photo then locked in a room with food and drink and access to a not very clean toilet.
I must say I damn well object to being finger printed etc by a snappy individual when I was only in transit. Why the hell do they need to harvest data in this way when we were not even entering the damn police state.
Other thoughts. Do Jumbos have CCTV under their bellies so Pilots can see the ground forwards? Is Los Angeles the most untidy disorganized looking airport in the world? Vans, baggage carts, food trucks parked seemingly anywhere. Why was the Pilot not allowed to park the thing himself? I bet he's done it before.
Ain't curiosity a wonderful thing?
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Oh yes another thing. The plane was at the gate for over two hours. Great fun watching the cleaners hurling bags of waste and stuff about and guys climbing into the rubbish bins to collect all empty water bottles for recycling . It struck me as very odd that for the whole servicing time the power plant in the tail of the plane was belting out a plume of hot gas--at least there was no soot or smoke--just heat shimmering . How's that for Global warming. Good job oil has dropped in price faster than fuel surcharges. I thought planes usually hook up to mains power by cable these days. Wrong again !!
What you experienced at immigration is the norm in the USA. It's their way and tough sh*t.
There are a few airports in the USA, JFK & LAX being two of them, where it is mandatory for widebodied a/c to be towed into certain gates - because of the restricted space and little tolerance factor. In your case the a/c may have turned up a little earlier than the ground crew expected, hence the delay followed by a frenzy of activity.
I avoid transiting through the USA unless I intend to make a stopover.
There are a few airports in the USA, JFK & LAX being two of them, where it is mandatory for widebodied a/c to be towed into certain gates - because of the restricted space and little tolerance factor. In your case the a/c may have turned up a little earlier than the ground crew expected, hence the delay followed by a frenzy of activity.
I avoid transiting through the USA unless I intend to make a stopover.
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Welcome to LAX, well, not really
Sorry for your bad experience. Pity you had to go through that. 
It shouldn't be like this, but I'm beginning to become unfazed by this crap anymore. I'm not sure what that says.
Glad you're (presumably) home safe.
It shouldn't be like this, but I'm beginning to become unfazed by this crap anymore. I'm not sure what that says.
Glad you're (presumably) home safe.
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No it was not unusual.
Just another normal day at LAX.
We do not have a camera.
Some gates at LAX are very tight for a 744. So we are towed onto those gates. But... my dim memory reminds me that a BA Jumbo, as in 747-200 I think, and it is a very dim memory, hit the jetty at LAX because they were blinded, and or confused by reflections of the sun reflecting off the guidance system. After that incident we have always been towed onto those certain gates affected.
Just another normal day at LAX.
We do not have a camera.
Some gates at LAX are very tight for a 744. So we are towed onto those gates. But... my dim memory reminds me that a BA Jumbo, as in 747-200 I think, and it is a very dim memory, hit the jetty at LAX because they were blinded, and or confused by reflections of the sun reflecting off the guidance system. After that incident we have always been towed onto those certain gates affected.
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It strikes me that Flapping Madly needs a dose of Valium or he will surely have a heart attack very soon.
At many airports that aircraft have to be towed on to their stand for many reasons. It has nothing to do with pilot proficiency; it's a common, every day occurrence. LAX is a busy place which makes Heathrow look like a club airfield.
<<I must say I damn well object to being finger printed etc by a snappy individual when I was only in transit.>>
Bet you'd be the first to moan if you were the subject of a terrorist attack at the airport..... I don't object at all and I feel very safe over there - much better than the UK system where just about anyone can get in.
US Immigration Officers are busy people but, treated as YOU would expect to be treated, like the normal human beings they are, they respond graciously, helpfully and with good humour. If you mouth off at them, expect the worst. My wife and I have travelled through LAX many times with ANZ and thoroughly enjoyed it every time.
At many airports that aircraft have to be towed on to their stand for many reasons. It has nothing to do with pilot proficiency; it's a common, every day occurrence. LAX is a busy place which makes Heathrow look like a club airfield.
<<I must say I damn well object to being finger printed etc by a snappy individual when I was only in transit.>>
Bet you'd be the first to moan if you were the subject of a terrorist attack at the airport..... I don't object at all and I feel very safe over there - much better than the UK system where just about anyone can get in.
US Immigration Officers are busy people but, treated as YOU would expect to be treated, like the normal human beings they are, they respond graciously, helpfully and with good humour. If you mouth off at them, expect the worst. My wife and I have travelled through LAX many times with ANZ and thoroughly enjoyed it every time.
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LAX is a busy place which makes Heathrow look like a club airfield.
Busiest Airports - The Busiest Airports in the World
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HD.....I am a very regular traveller to the US.I still do not understand how taking a fingerprint will PREVENT a terrorist attack.Moreover I cannot understand WHY you need to be fingerprinted when you will be effectively locked in a lounge for two hours with NO possibility of leaving the secure area.
I find the whole thing sinister and ultimately Orwellian.
I find the whole thing sinister and ultimately Orwellian.
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ProM. I worked at Heathrow most of my life and I have visited LAX many times so I am fairly familiar with both airports. There are various ways that the "busy" factor is determined - by passengers, freight, aircraft movements, etc. I always think in terms of aircraft movements which I believe is the true indication of how "busy" a place is and LAX shifts considerably more aircraft in 24 hours than Heathrow. Last year LAX was running at about 1700 movements per day, a bit down on the previous year. By comparison, the Heathrow figure was around 1300 per day.
BAA always claims that Heathrow is the "World's Busiest", but that's only good for international passengers. In that respect I believe it even betters O'Hare... but O'hare has well over twice as many aircraft movements per day than Heathrow.
BAA always claims that Heathrow is the "World's Busiest", but that's only good for international passengers. In that respect I believe it even betters O'Hare... but O'hare has well over twice as many aircraft movements per day than Heathrow.
US Immigration varies enormously, depending which airport you using to enter. MIA and LAX have poor reputations: I fond ORD and DFW not at all bad, and PHX the best.
TSA at PHX I have found extremely fast, efficient, pleasant and courteous.
But unless you need to go to the USA, it seems generally easier to avoid the place. I read somewhere a year or two ago that a lot of people were transiting via Canada to South and Central America just to avoid the hassle.
TSA at PHX I have found extremely fast, efficient, pleasant and courteous.
But unless you need to go to the USA, it seems generally easier to avoid the place. I read somewhere a year or two ago that a lot of people were transiting via Canada to South and Central America just to avoid the hassle.
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HD I kind of gathered you might be familiar with LHR! As I said I could only find pax numbers so it was interesting what you said about flights
More generally
Personally i have found US immigration has improved over the last 12 months, but that may be just luck. In general though I think a lot of Brits are harsh on LHR and LGW because a lot of US airports are really badly organised.
Whether it be the silly shark-finned buses at DCW (I know the history but they are silly), having to collect bags twice at orlando, or everything about JFK,
My worst though was on a stop-over at Miami watching the clown's performance outside - crates falling off trucks and being ignored, tarpaulins loose and blowing around the gate areas etc
More generally
Personally i have found US immigration has improved over the last 12 months, but that may be just luck. In general though I think a lot of Brits are harsh on LHR and LGW because a lot of US airports are really badly organised.
Whether it be the silly shark-finned buses at DCW (I know the history but they are silly), having to collect bags twice at orlando, or everything about JFK,
My worst though was on a stop-over at Miami watching the clown's performance outside - crates falling off trucks and being ignored, tarpaulins loose and blowing around the gate areas etc
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Arrival at Terminal 7 JFK is great. Very quickly through immigration, very friendly and onto the little train. The train on which you can take bag trolleys. Are you listening ORD? Last two times I've used JFK we've landed and been out of the building with 20minutes. 
(We're always last off too because we have a child in tow and we take our time .)
(We're always last off too because we have a child in tow and we take our time .)
Muppet,
You might have gone and cut somebody else's index finger off and use it instead of your own......
I wonder what they do if you have a cut on your finger that is nicely leaking fluid on to the glass?
You might have gone and cut somebody else's index finger off and use it instead of your own......
I wonder what they do if you have a cut on your finger that is nicely leaking fluid on to the glass?
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Now admittimgly I've only experienced USA Immigration from the Canadian side , but the nice man there was wiping down the pad after use with sanitiser and even offered me hand cream when my fingertips were too dry to print properly.
most civilised!
most civilised!
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Its left and right index fingers and a webcam photo.
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thats interesting to know, I'm surprised that the main Canada/USA borders weren't the first to have the new systems , although I guess that the fingerprinting etc doesn't apply to Canadian citizens.
Whats the thinking behind this change then ? I would have thought that the process could be toned down , not ramped up with the introduction of the ESTA system.
Apologies to OP for doubting them
<edit> Ok I've just been looking on the DHS website , soon you'll have to provide biometrics on LEAVING!!!
Jeez , reckon I've done my last trip to the land-of-the-repressed-and-completely-paranoid until I have my Canadian passport.
Whats the thinking behind this change then ? I would have thought that the process could be toned down , not ramped up with the introduction of the ESTA system.
Apologies to OP for doubting them
<edit> Ok I've just been looking on the DHS website , soon you'll have to provide biometrics on LEAVING!!!
Jeez , reckon I've done my last trip to the land-of-the-repressed-and-completely-paranoid until I have my Canadian passport.
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I assure you it was four fingers right hand on to a strange bluey green glowing screen then right thumb then four fingers left then left thumb. I recall thinking at the time Oh bugger thats it for me then because my left thumb end got mangled and it works better than a thumb print ever could
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I fully realize the problems of transit through LAX for NZ to Europe flights.
The problems are named TSA, Homeland Security, and US Immigration.
In most civilized countries, transit does not require passing through any of that.
Maybe standard "re-boarding" passenger security (metal detectors) is enough.
If I would be a AKL to UK passenger, I would always route through Asia.
xxx
Mexico should re-organize Tijuana as a transit facility for such flights.
And compete against LAX. Just a nice transit terminal and proper runway.
Duty free (NZ and UK passengers live for duty free)... Just the name...!
xxx
Talking about similar pains is transiting through MIA.
This for passengers from Central America going to Europe.
As suggested for Mexico, I would urge the Bahamas to consider doing same.
A nice runway and terminal transit facility in Freeport.
xxx
Happy contrails
The problems are named TSA, Homeland Security, and US Immigration.
In most civilized countries, transit does not require passing through any of that.
Maybe standard "re-boarding" passenger security (metal detectors) is enough.
If I would be a AKL to UK passenger, I would always route through Asia.
xxx
Mexico should re-organize Tijuana as a transit facility for such flights.
And compete against LAX. Just a nice transit terminal and proper runway.
Duty free (NZ and UK passengers live for duty free)... Just the name...!
xxx
Talking about similar pains is transiting through MIA.
This for passengers from Central America going to Europe.
As suggested for Mexico, I would urge the Bahamas to consider doing same.
A nice runway and terminal transit facility in Freeport.
xxx
Happy contrails