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#591
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USA Continues to Abuse Innocent UK Tourists
"Davo" wrote in message
om... 1. Don't assume that you can go through airport security without getting frisked or harrassed. Take your shoes off before you go through. I say this because everywhere else in the world I have been, you get to go through the metal detector with shoes on. Fair enough to be more cautious (after the "shoe bomber") but why can't the US airports put signs up stating what people must do? It is an INTERNATIONAL airport after all - so it makes sense that many visitors won't be familiar with the US standards of security. I was bellowed at by a very large and very aggressive security guy for simply trying to go through the metal detector with shoes on, something that I'd done hundreds of times before in many other countries. A sign saying "Please take off your shoes and put them through the X-ray machine" would be enough! (although I'm not sure "please" is a word that the airport security people understand). A sign is a much more pleasant way to communicate this message than "SIR! DO NOT WALK THROUGH! TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, NOW!". Not a pleasant experience after a 14 hour flight from Melbourne. Actually, if you were heading from LA to SF you were in a domestic terminal, and 90% of those folks are not international travelers. However, the really weird thing is sometimes they ask you to take off shoes and sometimes they don't. It seems fairly random to me. By the way, this comment regarding shoes and metal detectors also applies when visiting the Capitol Building and Washington monument. Thankfully I'd already learned this lesson by then! 2. Do NOT attempt to engage the person processing your passport in conversation. If he says "hello" then just say "hello" back. Answer all questions with as few words as possible. I just asked how the weather was in LA that day - you'd think from this guy I'd asked where the nearest crack house was! I've had a similar experience with passport control at Heathrow. Maybe they feel small talk will put them farther behind? 3. Don't assume that you'll be able to make a connecting flight within 3 hours of your international flight arriving. I landed in LA at 7.10 am, and missed my 10.25 am flight to San Francisco due to the DREADFUL lack of staffing at passport control (about 60% of the desks were unattended). Memo to US immigration - if you know two 747s are arriving at the same time, how about employing a few more people to process them? There were ~600 people - it took HOURS... This is an LA airport thing. I don't understand it at all. I much prefer to fly into SF. 4. If your trip is less than say 400 km (250 miles) inside the US, take a train. Much less hassle - you can simply buy a ticket and get on board. And although it's slower than a plane, you actually arrive at your destination sooner because you save time on airport transfers, security checks, aircraft delays etc. Warning, amtrak is known to use schedules as a suggestion. I've been on trains from San Jose to Santa Barbara that ran within 30 minutes of being on time, and others that ran two hours late. It would take 5 hours to drive from San Jose to Santa Barbara, it took a scheduled 7 hours by train, 9 when it ran late. If you get on at SF and off at LA you add at least 4 hours to that train schedule, about 90 minutes to the driving times. (Oh, SF to LA by plane is about an hour.) Just my two cents. LOVED visting the States (fave places were New Orleans and San Francisco). I will go back again once I save up some more money, but am not looking forward to the security experience. They could learn a lot from UK airport security, who have mastered the art of security with a smile. Dave. --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#592
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USA Continues to Abuse Innocent UK Tourists
"Davo" wrote in message
om... 1. Don't assume that you can go through airport security without getting frisked or harrassed. Take your shoes off before you go through. I say this because everywhere else in the world I have been, you get to go through the metal detector with shoes on. Fair enough to be more cautious (after the "shoe bomber") but why can't the US airports put signs up stating what people must do? It is an INTERNATIONAL airport after all - so it makes sense that many visitors won't be familiar with the US standards of security. I was bellowed at by a very large and very aggressive security guy for simply trying to go through the metal detector with shoes on, something that I'd done hundreds of times before in many other countries. A sign saying "Please take off your shoes and put them through the X-ray machine" would be enough! (although I'm not sure "please" is a word that the airport security people understand). A sign is a much more pleasant way to communicate this message than "SIR! DO NOT WALK THROUGH! TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, NOW!". Not a pleasant experience after a 14 hour flight from Melbourne. Actually, if you were heading from LA to SF you were in a domestic terminal, and 90% of those folks are not international travelers. However, the really weird thing is sometimes they ask you to take off shoes and sometimes they don't. It seems fairly random to me. By the way, this comment regarding shoes and metal detectors also applies when visiting the Capitol Building and Washington monument. Thankfully I'd already learned this lesson by then! 2. Do NOT attempt to engage the person processing your passport in conversation. If he says "hello" then just say "hello" back. Answer all questions with as few words as possible. I just asked how the weather was in LA that day - you'd think from this guy I'd asked where the nearest crack house was! I've had a similar experience with passport control at Heathrow. Maybe they feel small talk will put them farther behind? 3. Don't assume that you'll be able to make a connecting flight within 3 hours of your international flight arriving. I landed in LA at 7.10 am, and missed my 10.25 am flight to San Francisco due to the DREADFUL lack of staffing at passport control (about 60% of the desks were unattended). Memo to US immigration - if you know two 747s are arriving at the same time, how about employing a few more people to process them? There were ~600 people - it took HOURS... This is an LA airport thing. I don't understand it at all. I much prefer to fly into SF. 4. If your trip is less than say 400 km (250 miles) inside the US, take a train. Much less hassle - you can simply buy a ticket and get on board. And although it's slower than a plane, you actually arrive at your destination sooner because you save time on airport transfers, security checks, aircraft delays etc. Warning, amtrak is known to use schedules as a suggestion. I've been on trains from San Jose to Santa Barbara that ran within 30 minutes of being on time, and others that ran two hours late. It would take 5 hours to drive from San Jose to Santa Barbara, it took a scheduled 7 hours by train, 9 when it ran late. If you get on at SF and off at LA you add at least 4 hours to that train schedule, about 90 minutes to the driving times. (Oh, SF to LA by plane is about an hour.) Just my two cents. LOVED visting the States (fave places were New Orleans and San Francisco). I will go back again once I save up some more money, but am not looking forward to the security experience. They could learn a lot from UK airport security, who have mastered the art of security with a smile. Dave. --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#593
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USA Continues to Abuse Innocent UK Tourists
"Davo" wrote in message
om... 1. Don't assume that you can go through airport security without getting frisked or harrassed. Take your shoes off before you go through. I say this because everywhere else in the world I have been, you get to go through the metal detector with shoes on. Fair enough to be more cautious (after the "shoe bomber") but why can't the US airports put signs up stating what people must do? It is an INTERNATIONAL airport after all - so it makes sense that many visitors won't be familiar with the US standards of security. I was bellowed at by a very large and very aggressive security guy for simply trying to go through the metal detector with shoes on, something that I'd done hundreds of times before in many other countries. A sign saying "Please take off your shoes and put them through the X-ray machine" would be enough! (although I'm not sure "please" is a word that the airport security people understand). A sign is a much more pleasant way to communicate this message than "SIR! DO NOT WALK THROUGH! TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, NOW!". Not a pleasant experience after a 14 hour flight from Melbourne. Actually, if you were heading from LA to SF you were in a domestic terminal, and 90% of those folks are not international travelers. However, the really weird thing is sometimes they ask you to take off shoes and sometimes they don't. It seems fairly random to me. By the way, this comment regarding shoes and metal detectors also applies when visiting the Capitol Building and Washington monument. Thankfully I'd already learned this lesson by then! 2. Do NOT attempt to engage the person processing your passport in conversation. If he says "hello" then just say "hello" back. Answer all questions with as few words as possible. I just asked how the weather was in LA that day - you'd think from this guy I'd asked where the nearest crack house was! I've had a similar experience with passport control at Heathrow. Maybe they feel small talk will put them farther behind? 3. Don't assume that you'll be able to make a connecting flight within 3 hours of your international flight arriving. I landed in LA at 7.10 am, and missed my 10.25 am flight to San Francisco due to the DREADFUL lack of staffing at passport control (about 60% of the desks were unattended). Memo to US immigration - if you know two 747s are arriving at the same time, how about employing a few more people to process them? There were ~600 people - it took HOURS... This is an LA airport thing. I don't understand it at all. I much prefer to fly into SF. 4. If your trip is less than say 400 km (250 miles) inside the US, take a train. Much less hassle - you can simply buy a ticket and get on board. And although it's slower than a plane, you actually arrive at your destination sooner because you save time on airport transfers, security checks, aircraft delays etc. Warning, amtrak is known to use schedules as a suggestion. I've been on trains from San Jose to Santa Barbara that ran within 30 minutes of being on time, and others that ran two hours late. It would take 5 hours to drive from San Jose to Santa Barbara, it took a scheduled 7 hours by train, 9 when it ran late. If you get on at SF and off at LA you add at least 4 hours to that train schedule, about 90 minutes to the driving times. (Oh, SF to LA by plane is about an hour.) Just my two cents. LOVED visting the States (fave places were New Orleans and San Francisco). I will go back again once I save up some more money, but am not looking forward to the security experience. They could learn a lot from UK airport security, who have mastered the art of security with a smile. Dave. --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#594
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USA Continues to Abuse Innocent UK Tourists
"Davo" wrote in message
om... 1. Don't assume that you can go through airport security without getting frisked or harrassed. Take your shoes off before you go through. I say this because everywhere else in the world I have been, you get to go through the metal detector with shoes on. Fair enough to be more cautious (after the "shoe bomber") but why can't the US airports put signs up stating what people must do? It is an INTERNATIONAL airport after all - so it makes sense that many visitors won't be familiar with the US standards of security. I was bellowed at by a very large and very aggressive security guy for simply trying to go through the metal detector with shoes on, something that I'd done hundreds of times before in many other countries. A sign saying "Please take off your shoes and put them through the X-ray machine" would be enough! (although I'm not sure "please" is a word that the airport security people understand). A sign is a much more pleasant way to communicate this message than "SIR! DO NOT WALK THROUGH! TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, NOW!". Not a pleasant experience after a 14 hour flight from Melbourne. Actually, if you were heading from LA to SF you were in a domestic terminal, and 90% of those folks are not international travelers. However, the really weird thing is sometimes they ask you to take off shoes and sometimes they don't. It seems fairly random to me. By the way, this comment regarding shoes and metal detectors also applies when visiting the Capitol Building and Washington monument. Thankfully I'd already learned this lesson by then! 2. Do NOT attempt to engage the person processing your passport in conversation. If he says "hello" then just say "hello" back. Answer all questions with as few words as possible. I just asked how the weather was in LA that day - you'd think from this guy I'd asked where the nearest crack house was! I've had a similar experience with passport control at Heathrow. Maybe they feel small talk will put them farther behind? 3. Don't assume that you'll be able to make a connecting flight within 3 hours of your international flight arriving. I landed in LA at 7.10 am, and missed my 10.25 am flight to San Francisco due to the DREADFUL lack of staffing at passport control (about 60% of the desks were unattended). Memo to US immigration - if you know two 747s are arriving at the same time, how about employing a few more people to process them? There were ~600 people - it took HOURS... This is an LA airport thing. I don't understand it at all. I much prefer to fly into SF. 4. If your trip is less than say 400 km (250 miles) inside the US, take a train. Much less hassle - you can simply buy a ticket and get on board. And although it's slower than a plane, you actually arrive at your destination sooner because you save time on airport transfers, security checks, aircraft delays etc. Warning, amtrak is known to use schedules as a suggestion. I've been on trains from San Jose to Santa Barbara that ran within 30 minutes of being on time, and others that ran two hours late. It would take 5 hours to drive from San Jose to Santa Barbara, it took a scheduled 7 hours by train, 9 when it ran late. If you get on at SF and off at LA you add at least 4 hours to that train schedule, about 90 minutes to the driving times. (Oh, SF to LA by plane is about an hour.) Just my two cents. LOVED visting the States (fave places were New Orleans and San Francisco). I will go back again once I save up some more money, but am not looking forward to the security experience. They could learn a lot from UK airport security, who have mastered the art of security with a smile. Dave. --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#595
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USA Continues to Abuse Innocent UK Tourists
"Davo" wrote in message
om... 1. Don't assume that you can go through airport security without getting frisked or harrassed. Take your shoes off before you go through. I say this because everywhere else in the world I have been, you get to go through the metal detector with shoes on. Fair enough to be more cautious (after the "shoe bomber") but why can't the US airports put signs up stating what people must do? It is an INTERNATIONAL airport after all - so it makes sense that many visitors won't be familiar with the US standards of security. I was bellowed at by a very large and very aggressive security guy for simply trying to go through the metal detector with shoes on, something that I'd done hundreds of times before in many other countries. A sign saying "Please take off your shoes and put them through the X-ray machine" would be enough! (although I'm not sure "please" is a word that the airport security people understand). A sign is a much more pleasant way to communicate this message than "SIR! DO NOT WALK THROUGH! TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, NOW!". Not a pleasant experience after a 14 hour flight from Melbourne. Actually, if you were heading from LA to SF you were in a domestic terminal, and 90% of those folks are not international travelers. However, the really weird thing is sometimes they ask you to take off shoes and sometimes they don't. It seems fairly random to me. By the way, this comment regarding shoes and metal detectors also applies when visiting the Capitol Building and Washington monument. Thankfully I'd already learned this lesson by then! 2. Do NOT attempt to engage the person processing your passport in conversation. If he says "hello" then just say "hello" back. Answer all questions with as few words as possible. I just asked how the weather was in LA that day - you'd think from this guy I'd asked where the nearest crack house was! I've had a similar experience with passport control at Heathrow. Maybe they feel small talk will put them farther behind? 3. Don't assume that you'll be able to make a connecting flight within 3 hours of your international flight arriving. I landed in LA at 7.10 am, and missed my 10.25 am flight to San Francisco due to the DREADFUL lack of staffing at passport control (about 60% of the desks were unattended). Memo to US immigration - if you know two 747s are arriving at the same time, how about employing a few more people to process them? There were ~600 people - it took HOURS... This is an LA airport thing. I don't understand it at all. I much prefer to fly into SF. 4. If your trip is less than say 400 km (250 miles) inside the US, take a train. Much less hassle - you can simply buy a ticket and get on board. And although it's slower than a plane, you actually arrive at your destination sooner because you save time on airport transfers, security checks, aircraft delays etc. Warning, amtrak is known to use schedules as a suggestion. I've been on trains from San Jose to Santa Barbara that ran within 30 minutes of being on time, and others that ran two hours late. It would take 5 hours to drive from San Jose to Santa Barbara, it took a scheduled 7 hours by train, 9 when it ran late. If you get on at SF and off at LA you add at least 4 hours to that train schedule, about 90 minutes to the driving times. (Oh, SF to LA by plane is about an hour.) Just my two cents. LOVED visting the States (fave places were New Orleans and San Francisco). I will go back again once I save up some more money, but am not looking forward to the security experience. They could learn a lot from UK airport security, who have mastered the art of security with a smile. Dave. --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#596
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USA Continues to Abuse Innocent UK Tourists
"Davo" wrote in message
om... 1. Don't assume that you can go through airport security without getting frisked or harrassed. Take your shoes off before you go through. I say this because everywhere else in the world I have been, you get to go through the metal detector with shoes on. Fair enough to be more cautious (after the "shoe bomber") but why can't the US airports put signs up stating what people must do? It is an INTERNATIONAL airport after all - so it makes sense that many visitors won't be familiar with the US standards of security. I was bellowed at by a very large and very aggressive security guy for simply trying to go through the metal detector with shoes on, something that I'd done hundreds of times before in many other countries. A sign saying "Please take off your shoes and put them through the X-ray machine" would be enough! (although I'm not sure "please" is a word that the airport security people understand). A sign is a much more pleasant way to communicate this message than "SIR! DO NOT WALK THROUGH! TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF, NOW!". Not a pleasant experience after a 14 hour flight from Melbourne. Actually, if you were heading from LA to SF you were in a domestic terminal, and 90% of those folks are not international travelers. However, the really weird thing is sometimes they ask you to take off shoes and sometimes they don't. It seems fairly random to me. By the way, this comment regarding shoes and metal detectors also applies when visiting the Capitol Building and Washington monument. Thankfully I'd already learned this lesson by then! 2. Do NOT attempt to engage the person processing your passport in conversation. If he says "hello" then just say "hello" back. Answer all questions with as few words as possible. I just asked how the weather was in LA that day - you'd think from this guy I'd asked where the nearest crack house was! I've had a similar experience with passport control at Heathrow. Maybe they feel small talk will put them farther behind? 3. Don't assume that you'll be able to make a connecting flight within 3 hours of your international flight arriving. I landed in LA at 7.10 am, and missed my 10.25 am flight to San Francisco due to the DREADFUL lack of staffing at passport control (about 60% of the desks were unattended). Memo to US immigration - if you know two 747s are arriving at the same time, how about employing a few more people to process them? There were ~600 people - it took HOURS... This is an LA airport thing. I don't understand it at all. I much prefer to fly into SF. 4. If your trip is less than say 400 km (250 miles) inside the US, take a train. Much less hassle - you can simply buy a ticket and get on board. And although it's slower than a plane, you actually arrive at your destination sooner because you save time on airport transfers, security checks, aircraft delays etc. Warning, amtrak is known to use schedules as a suggestion. I've been on trains from San Jose to Santa Barbara that ran within 30 minutes of being on time, and others that ran two hours late. It would take 5 hours to drive from San Jose to Santa Barbara, it took a scheduled 7 hours by train, 9 when it ran late. If you get on at SF and off at LA you add at least 4 hours to that train schedule, about 90 minutes to the driving times. (Oh, SF to LA by plane is about an hour.) Just my two cents. LOVED visting the States (fave places were New Orleans and San Francisco). I will go back again once I save up some more money, but am not looking forward to the security experience. They could learn a lot from UK airport security, who have mastered the art of security with a smile. Dave. --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#597
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Count On....
New York and San Francisco both have congestion-pricing charges for
motorists now. "David Nebenzahl" wrote in message ... On 7/8/2004 1:31 AM "Mike Donovan" spake thus: My predictions coming to pass as a program on Discovery-Times called "Going Nowhere, Fast", the websites www.#######.com. www.#######.org. www.########.org, www.carbusters.org, ############# websites, and ################# predicting the demise of the automobile, the tearing up of roads, the downsizing of cities and metropolitan areas, cities converting to ######## status, and ############### such as Acrosanti, Correction: Arcosanti is not, nor will it probably ever be, a city. It is a work-in-progress and minor tourist attraction on I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff. So long as you keep posting these outrageous claims, I'll keep correcting them. -- Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it. - Noam Chomsky --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#598
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Count On....
New York and San Francisco both have congestion-pricing charges for
motorists now. "David Nebenzahl" wrote in message ... On 7/8/2004 1:31 AM "Mike Donovan" spake thus: My predictions coming to pass as a program on Discovery-Times called "Going Nowhere, Fast", the websites www.#######.com. www.#######.org. www.########.org, www.carbusters.org, ############# websites, and ################# predicting the demise of the automobile, the tearing up of roads, the downsizing of cities and metropolitan areas, cities converting to ######## status, and ############### such as Acrosanti, Correction: Arcosanti is not, nor will it probably ever be, a city. It is a work-in-progress and minor tourist attraction on I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff. So long as you keep posting these outrageous claims, I'll keep correcting them. -- Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it. - Noam Chomsky --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#599
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Count On....
New York and San Francisco both have congestion-pricing charges for
motorists now. "David Nebenzahl" wrote in message ... On 7/8/2004 1:31 AM "Mike Donovan" spake thus: My predictions coming to pass as a program on Discovery-Times called "Going Nowhere, Fast", the websites www.#######.com. www.#######.org. www.########.org, www.carbusters.org, ############# websites, and ################# predicting the demise of the automobile, the tearing up of roads, the downsizing of cities and metropolitan areas, cities converting to ######## status, and ############### such as Acrosanti, Correction: Arcosanti is not, nor will it probably ever be, a city. It is a work-in-progress and minor tourist attraction on I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff. So long as you keep posting these outrageous claims, I'll keep correcting them. -- Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it. - Noam Chomsky --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
#600
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Count On....
New York and San Francisco both have congestion-pricing charges for
motorists now. "David Nebenzahl" wrote in message ... On 7/8/2004 1:31 AM "Mike Donovan" spake thus: My predictions coming to pass as a program on Discovery-Times called "Going Nowhere, Fast", the websites www.#######.com. www.#######.org. www.########.org, www.carbusters.org, ############# websites, and ################# predicting the demise of the automobile, the tearing up of roads, the downsizing of cities and metropolitan areas, cities converting to ######## status, and ############### such as Acrosanti, Correction: Arcosanti is not, nor will it probably ever be, a city. It is a work-in-progress and minor tourist attraction on I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff. So long as you keep posting these outrageous claims, I'll keep correcting them. -- Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it. - Noam Chomsky --multiplaza.nl.nu-- |
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