Travelling To Or Via The States When Leaving Or Arriving In Thailand

[ajarnpot]

Sometimes work takes you to place where you have to deal with the us customs. So heading to Thailand or away from Thailand is bad enough being away from the family, but some things take the biscuit.

I for one will avoid it at all costs from now on. Bathed in radiation, with no option to avoid it - then told to have a nice day by some insincere <<Snip!>>.

Any others on Thai visa starting to avoid the place when work requires such?

the place will not get another dime of tourist money from me, and will attempt to avoid it at all costs even when the company is paying

Edited December 20, 2012 by metisdead

[StreetCowboy]

The radiation from their scanners is pretty trivial in comparison to the additional dose from cosmic radiation when you go up to high altitude in an aeroplane.

SC

[MrRealDeal]

Bathed in radation ? You realise that the radiation you get just from flying is 10 times more than any scan don't you ?

But no I'm not avoiding any places because of security or customs problems or radiation ! LOL

Edited December 20, 2012 by MrRealDeal

[farang000999]

you can opt out of the radiation.

[RabC]

I have refused to transit through the god forsaken place for the last 5 years. I seriously have not met so many rude public servants in one place at one time before, TSA, US Imigration, US Customs............. They can happily spend all day strip searching each other as far as I am concerned.

[kpmsprtd]

I agree with the OP. I have experienced no issues at airports in Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, or Vietnam. However, I have been treated as a criminal nearly every time I exit or re-enter the United States. Somehow, the American people are okay with treating all civilians as criminals. It's quite sad, really. Unfortunately, I pay a rather heavy price for protesting such treatment.

Note: The fingerprinting when departing Phnom Penh Airport is quite disturbing. I won't be doing that again.

[Jingthing]

I sometimes travel to the USA for obvious reasons because I'm American. However, if I wasn't, I wouldn't. They treat citizens poorly as well. I find the complaints about rudeness and being treated as a criminal completely legitimate.

Edited December 20, 2012 by Jingthing

[Nana Cowboy]

I traveled there as a US citizen in 2010 and doing so again next year. Only problem was the crowds and inconvenience of taking of shoes and such. Happy to hear people are avoiding it so maybe it wont be so crowded this time

[JusMe]

If I've got any choice for North American departure between Vancouver and Seattle, it's the former every time.

Then through Hong Kong, or Seoul, or Beijing or anywhere except the US!

[WilliaminBKK]

I wont fly into the US nonstop from Asia. I used to go to Cuba often for holiday and I was flippant once when questioned about the stamps in my passport so I said I have another passport would that one make you happy? opppps big mistake, I think I'm a marked man

Now I only fly to Canada and do the pre-clearance in Canada they seem nicer and the process isn't nearly as long.

[RabC]

I would be really interested to see if the attitude of the US Agents and peoples perceptions of it have actually affected arrivals or transit numbers. I am guessing that no one would dare publish these figures, however has Canada seen an increase in Trans Pacific arrivals/transits since the draconian rules were applied in the USA?

If only I knew someone in the business

Edited December 22, 2012 by RabC

[lovetotravel]

I'll take the US mess any day over most African and Middle East countries. Airport security personnel all over the world are tough to deal with. Seems it happens in countries other than the US also:

http://listentothepeople.co.uk/airline-complaints/london-heathrow-lhr-complaints.html

Traveling by air anywhere nowadays is just no fun.

[mania]

The last time I left the US while waiting 45+ minutes to clear TSA

I thought to myself...Take a good look at me because you will not see me again anytime soon.

I understand their reasoning but it has really gone beyond comprehension.

Add to that all the faults & weirdos they have uncovered at the TSA & one has to wonder.

I also wonder why when I use to go back to the USA ( as recent as a year ago )

I would breeze right in. Wife & I had the large metal looking suitcases because

we brought so many things for family back there. Customs would say, Anything to declare?

I would say nope & they would say welcome home & not even look in

these large suitcases

Yet try & leave the USA, Third Degree maximus!

Not just about bags but also $$$

we have been asked repeatedly if we are carrying over 10k USD cash

Now why is that? They seem to care not that we arrive from countries with little to no security

at the airports not even checking our bags. Yet leavening the USA aka:security capital of the world,

you get a fine tooth combing of various levels of security?

If it is about terrorism wouldn't they be more concerned about what is coming in

from unsecured areas than what is leaving from secured areas?

As for the scatter radiation, Yes most say it is not much yet many doctors refuse to go thru.

If you refuse, many times you are treated to a badly done pat-down or told no female officer is available

for your wife at the moment so it could be some time waiting.

Americans have given up much in their trading of personal liberties for temporary security.

At times I really think the Terrorist have in fact already won.

[lomatopo]

It's not clear to me what issue(s) the OP has specifically as the post is somewhat cryptic.

If it is a concern over the WBI then one can opt out of that quite easily, but this might involve a pat-down. Or just check which lines go to a WTMD and join that line.

I agree that the OP certainly absorbed more radiation on her trip, or even sitting in front of a monitor composing her post, than she might have gotten with a WBI.

I have a couple hundred arrivals and a similar number of departures and I cannot ever remember a single instance where I was not treated with respect and courtesy. Maybe 90% of the time I get a "Welcome home" parting statement.

That said I did enroll in the GoES program (Global Entry) so now just use a kiosk on arrival - also prints a Customs declaration which allows you to jump any Customs queue. I did the GoES thing primarily because it saves a lot of time, and my airline reimbursed me the $150 (5-year) fee.

[mania]

That said I did enroll in the GoES program (Global Entry) so now just use a kiosk on arrival - also prints a Customs declaration which allows you to jump any Customs queue. I did the GoES thing primarily because it saves a lot of time, and my airline reimbursed me the $150 (5-year) fee.

Now that right there, the GOES program,

All this security because of possible Terrorism Threats

Yet for what? $150 good for 5 year fee & application maybe an interview your suddenly a good person

low risk traveler who requires less security checks?

Are Terrorist that broke or short of people with an identity that could not easily slip into that program?

Really this makes no sense from a supposed security driven standpoint.

Does make me wonder.

Edited December 22, 2012 by mania

[HeijoshinCool]

That said I did enroll in the GoES program (Global Entry) so now just use a kiosk on arrival - also prints a Customs declaration which allows you to jump any Customs queue. I did the GoES thing primarily because it saves a lot of time, and my airline reimbursed me the $150 (5-year) fee.

Now that right there, the GOES program,

All this security because of possible Terrorism Threats

Yet for what? $150 good for 5 year fee & application maybe an interview your suddenly a good person

low risk traveler who requires less security checks?

Are Terrorist that broke or short of people with an identity that could not easily slip into that program?

Really this makes no sense from a supposed security driven standpoint.

Does make me wonder.

Yeah, like back when they told us no more liquids.

"We are deeply concerned that certain liquids and gels may be mixed on board a commercial aircraft, with devestating consequences!"

*gasp*

Then, as people came up to security, the TSA buffoons, all highly trained, confiscate those liquids and gels, and throw them into a single container, in the midst of hundreds of passengers.

Guess it's the plane they are worried about.

Just GOES to show you, there's a sucker born every ...

[lomatopo]

That said I did enroll in the GoES program (Global Entry) so now just use a kiosk on arrival - also prints a Customs declaration which allows you to jump any Customs queue. I did the GoES thing primarily because it saves a lot of time, and my airline reimbursed me the $150 (5-year) fee.

Now that right there, the GOES program,

All this security because of possible Terrorism Threats

Yet for what? $150 good for 5 year fee & application maybe an interview your suddenly a good person

low risk traveler who requires less security checks?

Are Terrorist that broke or short of people with an identity that could not easily slip into that program?

Really this makes no sense from a supposed security driven standpoint.

Does make me wonder.

Perhaps I didn't do a good job explaining the Global Entry system as you seem to have completely misunderstood what it enables, and then went on to make some incredibly ludicrous pronouncements.

The Global Entry system merely allows one to bypass arriving CPB (Immigration) Officers. It does not allow one to bypass TSA security checkpoints, nor does it have anything to do with security per se.

That said, there is a separate program, called TSA Pre, which does enable pre-screening for TSA security check-points, potentially and randomly allowing one into a much shorter security line potentially less hassle (no need to remove shoes, belts, PCs etc.), but you still have to go through a WTMD. If you hold a Global Entry ID you are eligible for the TSA Pre program, which is available at some airports. Unfortunately, for me anyway, if your itinerary has any international segments you are never chosen for the TSA Pre lane.

Again, I enrolled in the Global Entry program primarily to save time, and because it was free for me. I did have to complete an application, presumably a background check was done, then go for an in-person interview, get finger-printed and have photos taken.

[Shot]

Never had a problem. Quick, easy, and courteous.

[mania]

Perhaps I didn't do a good job explaining the Global Entry system as you seem to have completely misunderstood what it enables, and then went on to make some incredibly ludicrous pronouncements.

The Global Entry system merely allows one to bypass arriving CPB (Immigration) Officers. It does not allow one to bypass TSA security checkpoints, nor does it have anything to do with security per se.

That said, there is a separate program, called TSA Pre, which does enable pre-screening for TSA security check-points, potentially and randomly allowing one into a much shorter security line potentially less hassle (no need to remove shoes, belts, PCs etc.), but you still have to go through a WTMD. If you hold a Global Entry ID you are eligible for the TSA Pre program, which is available at some airports. Unfortunately, for me anyway, if your itinerary has any international segments you are never chosen for the TSA Pre lane.

Again, I enrolled in the Global Entry program primarily to save time, and because it was free for me. I did have to complete an application, presumably a background check was done, then go for an in-person interview, get finger-printed and have photos taken.

Yes perhaps your initial post was lacking but then why blame a reply to it?

As I said I think the whole TSA program is fairly ludicrous given the attention mainly focused on exiting the US & basically non existent on entry.

If *you* find that ludicrous that is your prerogative.

In any case if others would like to read & decide for themselves here are some links.

TSA Pre, which can expedite your exit

http://www.tsa.gov/t...TM-how-it-works

If TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information is embedded in the barcode of the passenger’s boarding pass. TSA reads the barcode at designated checkpoints and the passenger may be referred to a lane where they will undergo expedited screening, which could include no longer removing the following items:

• Shoes
  
• 3-1-1 compliant bag from carry-on
  
• Laptop from bag
  
• Light outerwear/jacket
  
• Belt
  

Again from a security driven reason for TSA's existence this seems odd to me.

GOES which can expedite your entry

As if entry to most States could be any easier

https://help.cbp.gov...l-entry-program

Edited December 23, 2012 by mania

[GrahamF]

I fly a lot of segments domestically in the USA and a fair bit of international in and out of the USA and I have to say that I rarely have any problems with the TSA and or Customs and Immigration. Whenever I have been subject to a random check I have always been treated with extreme courtesy.

My best advice is to be polite and check your attitude at the door. I have seen some people get crappy about having to take their belts and/or shoes off or having to take their laptop out of their "TSA Certified Laptop Case" and then get treated like dung buy the TSA staff. What goes around, comes around.

Global Entry is great btw!

[StreetCowboy]

That said I did enroll in the GoES program (Global Entry) so now just use a kiosk on arrival - also prints a Customs declaration which allows you to jump any Customs queue. I did the GoES thing primarily because it saves a lot of time, and my airline reimbursed me the $150 (5-year) fee.

Now that right there, the GOES program,

All this security because of possible Terrorism Threats

Yet for what? $150 good for 5 year fee & application maybe an interview your suddenly a good person

low risk traveler who requires less security checks?

Are Terrorist that broke or short of people with an identity that could not easily slip into that program?

Really this makes no sense from a supposed security driven standpoint.

Does make me wonder.

Yeah, like back when they told us no more liquids.

"We are deeply concerned that certain liquids and gels may be mixed on board a commercial aircraft, with devestating consequences!"

*gasp*

Then, as people came up to security, the TSA buffoons, all highly trained, confiscate those liquids and gels, and throw them into a single container, in the midst of hundreds of passengers.

Guess it's the plane they are worried about.

Just GOES to show you, there's a sucker born every ...

I don't think they're particularly worried about bombs at airports. There's only so much damage that you can do there. They are probably more worried about aeroplanes becoming suddenly catastrophically unairworthy whilst at altitude. You may recall the tale of the gentleman who tried to bring terror to Glasgow Airport by ramming a flaming vehicle into the terminal building, which resulted in many people suffering split sides and severe creasing

SC

[NeverSure]

If only they'd promote peace in the middle east instead of hatred, maybe they wouldn't have to worry about terrorism so much. Well, that concept is probably over their heads..

Bullshit. Since the Twin Towers bombing in 2001 there hasn't been a successful Islamic terrorist attack in the US. Can't say the same for the UK. In 2005 52 Brits were killed and 700 injured in the London train bombings. There have been several deadly attacks in Thailand this year. 88 Australians were killed in Bali Indonesia, a Muslim country in 2002. In 2004 the Australian Embassy in Jakarta was bombed.

Here is a list of the Muslim terrorist attacks for 2012, and most were Muslim against Muslim in the ME. Several were in Thailand. None in the US.

Wishful thinking doesn't make it true.

Edited December 23, 2012 by NeverSure

[StreetCowboy]

If only they'd promote peace in the middle east instead of hatred, maybe they wouldn't have to worry about terrorism so much. Well, that concept is probably over their heads..

Bullshit. Since the Twin Towers bombing in 2001 there hasn't been a successful Islamic terrorist attack in the US. Can't say the same for the UK. In 2005 52 Brits were killed and 700 injured in the London train bombings. There have been several deadly attacks in Thailand this year. 88 Australians were killed in Bali Indonesia, a Muslim country in 2002. In 2004 the Australian Embassy in Jakarta was bombed.

Here is a list of the Muslim terrorist attacks for 2012, and most were Muslim against Muslim in the ME. Several were in Thailand. None in the US.

Wishful thinking doesn't make it true.

Fortunately, the US can maintain self-sufficiency when it comes to loonies and terrorists. Indeed, the constitution positively encourages Americans to take up arms against their government - it is their civic duty.

SC

[NeverSure]

Fortunately, the US can maintain self-sufficiency when it comes to loonies and terrorists. Indeed, the constitution positively encourages Americans to take up arms against their government - it is their civic duty.

SC

This has what to do with the price of bananas in LOS?

The point is that extremist terrorists are everywhere, against everyone including themselves, and no one is immune. It is incumbent upon every country to protect itself from them or it will get hit. When they hit the Twin Towers, the occupants were international and from all over including Muslims from Muslim countries and they didn't care.

Because they don't even care if they kill their own including women and children, then someone has to care.

If anyone doesn't like how the US protects itself, and can't handle it but rather must blame the US policies instead of the mass murderers, then they can keep the fk out of the US for all I care. I have to put up with the delays and crap at the airports too, but at I least I know why I'm doing it, and who the bad guys are.

[qdinthailand]

I fly a lot of segments domestically in the USA and a fair bit of international in and out of the USA and I have to say that I rarely have any problems with the TSA and or Customs and Immigration. Whenever I have been subject to a random check I have always been treated with extreme courtesy.

My best advice is to be polite and check your attitude at the door. I have seen some people get crappy about having to take their belts and/or shoes off or having to take their laptop out of their "TSA Certified Laptop Case" and then get treated like dung buy the TSA staff. What goes around, comes around.

Global Entry is great btw!

If their rules and procedures made sense, that would be one thing.

I figured you had to remove belts because they usually had metal buckles that would set off their metal detectors. So I had an all nylon belt - thin nylon webbing with a small nylon buckle, like backpackers use. (it was indeed a bought in a backpacking store).

Why would I have to remove this?

And the shoe thing. For christ sakes!

And they have never been consistent on their electronics policy. The iPad has to be removed! No, the iPad can stay! No, the iPad must come out!

I had a 'bottle' of Colgate toothpaste - like a 6 oz bottle when new - but it was then nearly empty. I figured the nearly empty bottle would be ok, take on the 24 hour flight to Thailand, hopefully there was a few more teeth brushings in it - good to get to Bangkok, an overnight, and the flight in the a.m. to Chiangmai. Nope! Even though any moron would say it was nearly empty, it had to be tossed in the trash because it still said '6 oz' on the label.

So I shouldn't get attitude? Nope, I'll think twice before flying to the U.S.

[NeverSure]

And the shoe thing. For christ sakes!

Apparently you have never heard of the shoe bomber. He was a Brit who hid his explosives in his shoe on a flight into the US. It was sufficient to bring down an airliner. Rack up one more win against terrorists. He is serving a life sentence in prison in the US.

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Richard_Reid

And they have never been consistent on their electronics policy. The iPad has to be removed! No, the iPad can stay! No, the iPad must come out!

It is the randomness designed to worry would be terrorists. Because you can't check everything every time, the searches are random and there hasn't been another successful attack against the US including inbound or outbound flights or in the homeland since 9/11. There have been attempts, but all have been thwarted.

Please remember. 9/11 was horrific. Four civilian airliners carrying people from all over the world were hijacked. Two crashed into the Twin Towers, one crashed into the Pentagon, and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. In all about 3,000 people died. About 2700 were Americans, but hundreds more, impossible to count were foreigners from many countries. It was The World Trade Center. It wasn't just the US.

It must not happen again.

Edited December 24, 2012 by NeverSure

[RabC]

And the shoe thing. For christ sakes!

Apparently you have never heard of the shoe bomber. He was a Brit who hid his explosives in his shoe on a flight into the US. It was sufficient to bring down an airliner. Rack up one more win against terrorists. He is serving a life sentence in prison in the US.

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Richard_Reid

And they have never been consistent on their electronics policy. The iPad has to be removed! No, the iPad can stay! No, the iPad must come out!

It is the randomness designed to worry would be terrorists. Because you can't check everything every time, the searches are random and there hasn't been another successful attack against the US including inbound or outbound flights or in the homeland since 9/11. There have been attempts, but all have been thwarted.

Please remember. 9/11 was horrific. Four civilian airliners carrying people from all over the world were hijacked. Two crashed into the Twin Towers, one crashed into the Pentagon, and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. In all about 3,000 people died. About 2700 were Americans, but hundreds more, impossible to count were foreigners from many countries. It was The World Trade Center. It wasn't just the US.

It must not happen again.

No argument from me on the need for security but the US public servants at your airports are some of the most rude, anti-social people I have ever had the miss pleasure to deal with. Other nations manage to enforce security with out alienating the majority of travellers.

[NeverSure]

No argument from me on the need for security but the US public servants at your airports are some of the most rude, anti-social people I have ever had the miss pleasure to deal with. Other nations manage to enforce security with out alienating the majority of travellers.

This rudeness is a complaint that many US citizens have also. No argument there.

Denver (Colorado) (DEN) has a private contractor do it and the airport management and traveling public like it. Other airports are considering using private contractors, but are getting some resistance from the National Transportation Safety Administration (NTSA.)

If you want another rant from me about hating too much government, I'll be happy to give it to you. There are few places and few countries where I enjoy dealing with government employees. In fact, I can't think of one anywhere.

Yes, the employees are often rude, and more so at some airports depending on the NTSA manager there (not the airport manager.) The answer is to privatize all of it with only training and rules provided by the NTSA.

I believe this is a backlash from 9/11 because before that this didn't exist. Also there have been numerous other attempts against international flights since then, all thwarted. Sometimes the reaction is an overreaction, but it must not happen again. Thousands of new employees were hired, a whole new system was installed, and it is really still in the birthing stages.

Again, I hate government and most government employees everywhere so you really aren't going to get a big argument out of me. That is except for the need to check shoes, belts, luggage and so forth, and randomly since they can't all be checked.

This terrorism has been going on for a long time, worldwide. It just didn't become a household word until 9/11. You can go back decades and find it. There was another earlier attempt at the World Trade Center using explosives on support columns and it was devastating. A Pan Am flight was brought down over Lockerbie Scotland in 1988. It was full of international travelers and wasn't just an attack on the US. We can go back much, much earlier than that, world wide.

Those actors are savages. Don't blame the victims; blame the criminals.

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Never had a problem. Quick, easy, and courteous.

Never fly do you ?

[NeverSure]

Never had a problem. Quick, easy, and courteous.

Never fly do you ?

It really does depend on which airport you use and what the NTSA manager is like. I fly out of an international airport where they are actually quite nice and efficient. The airport manager is a nice guy too. I know him from a civic club we belong to.

Once I'm checked in, I'm good because at subsequent airports I stay in secure areas and don't really get checked much again.

I think we could name a couple of West Coast major airports that get the most complaints in this area. I won't accept any flights that originate in or go through LAX.

I've been treated very badly by Thai customs in that they don't seem to care how long I wait for some things. The difference is that they smile while they are being rude indifferent.