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I am in the unfortunate position of having to fly into London semi-regularly. Things on the continent are still sane - they even smile! - but London has become Stalingrad, particularly at Stansted airport. Maybe it's because that's where the low cost flights go and they feel it's easier to intimidate people?
If you are carrying two pieces of hand luggage (e.g. handbag and one piece of luggage) they throw you out of the queue until you have put your handbag into your luggage. Then, once you're on the other side of customs, you take out your handbag again! Parents with screaming children are automatically thrown out of the queue, because they are always carrying unopened infant formula, just like the terrorists do.
Once I was thrown out of a queue and grumpily stumped over the other side of the rope and said "I'll do the damn re-packing here". I said this to my fellow passenger, NOT to the staff.
The bitch of a customs person had followed me and barked into my face: "what did you say?" and pointed at the sign that said harrassment of staff would be taken seriously. Basically, she was salivating at the thought of arresting me.
The kid behind me said he had been in the airport chapel all night, including when young officers with submachine guns had entered. The chaplain had complained and they answered by spreadeagling him across the wall.
The situation is completely different in Europe. You still get screened, but the customs officers seems more professional and not out to deliberately harrass the way they do in the US and UK.
I now avoid flying wherever I can, in favour of the luxurious intra-European trains, where you can stretch out in comfort and staff still come and offer you coffee and drinks. It's not just me - there's a spike in train travelling. All these dumb regulations are going to kill the airline industry, as if it wasn't in enough trouble already.
