Airports

--- On Tue, 5/15/12, Malachi Kenney <kfringe@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> > So far my worst airport experience prize goes to
> Heathrow. So I guess we'll see if your ones can wrest it
> away .
>
> From what I can remember, JFK after a blizzard is about as
> close as we get to a normal day at Heathrow.

Heathrow's actually not that bad.* And after September 2001, I found the workers there far more polite than those at JFK, particularly the passport control worker at JFK who told me pointblank that I shouldn't be living abroad, I should be living in the US as I'm a US citizen. The only time I've not entered the US, told them that, no, I'd not been abroad on holiday but I live abroad, that I've not been given some abuse for choosing to live elsewhere, was when I returned for my mother's funeral in 2006. As soon as I told the woman that, yes, I lived abroad, but I was back in the US for my mom's funeral, her face softened and she was ever so nice and polite.

It was Newark airport where, when departing (arriving was fine), Ian was pulled aside three times. First, at check in, his luggage, but not mine, was inspected by hand. And then, at security, he automatically was singled out for the wand of shame and a hand inspection. (This was in 2003.) Then, at the gate, he was singled out again for further security.

It was because he had an expired Iranian visa in his passport. "How often does your husband go to Iran, Ma'am?" I was asked.

Snarl.

*Of course, I'm going by memory, as I've not had to use the 'rest of the world' queue at Heathrow for years. They have three queues for people entering the country: UK and EU citizens, UK visa holders (visas to live there) and the rest of the world. As soon as I moved here, I could enter the UK visa holder queue and often got through it before Ian worked his way through the UK and EU citizen line. The UK visa holder line was much shorter. And then I got a UK passport and could just queue with Ian.