Read other letters about this article

• Saturday, July 12, 2008 08:16 AM

  And it's not just those travelling *to* the US

  I vowed not to travel to the US until they got rid of the requirement to fingerprint all of our 10 fingers. Of course, since they bought that requirement in,things have just continued to get worse.

  Since I don't have to travel to the US on business, I'm not too worried about missing out on a fun holiday. Does anyone travel to the US for a fun holiday any more? What gyps me is that the US does not have a transit system for passengers whose final destination is not the US. No, we have to disembark from the airplane, collect our bags, go through immigration and get fingerprinted, go through customs and get searched, find our next gate, and go through the security rigmarole to get our bags checked onto the next flight and ourselves through the gauntlet of the TSA.

  So, not only am I not going on holidays to the US, it's difficult to go on holidays to places like Canada without passing through US security. From Australia/NZ, the only way to avoid the US is to take the one JAL flight a week from Tokyo to Vancouver. Naturally, if I'm going to Europe, I go via Asia. And I go through the airport transit so that my bags are checked all the way through, and I only have to do the security at my first departure point, and immigration at the final destination.

  If US citizens vote for the idiots who put in these measures, well, it's instant karma. For those of us who'd just like to pass through, without needing any access to our checked luggage for the duration of the journey, a little mercy (and sufficient numbers of transit lounges) would be nice.

  —trixtah Read trixtah's other letters
  Permalink
  Flag
  Click "Submit Flag" if you feel this post is inappropriate. Explain why below if you wish.

  Cancel