For all my intl trips, I fly on AA out of JFK, I scan my passport in the self-check-in terminal and I get my bp. I put my passport away in my luggage and use my dl to go through security. NO ONE looks at my pp until I arrive at my foreign destination--AA does
not do pp checks at the gate. Now that I can print my bp at home, I am curious how this plays out: they have my pp number on file (I gave it to them
), but if the above scenario plays out NOW, I would still be allowed to fly even if I left my pp home.
On several trips out of LHR, no govt agent looked at my pp, only AA agents at the gate. [One or two times there was a "govt official" looking at pp's.]
The UK does not do outbound passport control - it's "subcontracted" to the airline in that if they have to repatriate you because you are refused entry it is at their cost. Thus, airlines do check.
I've never had any sort of Government official check my passport on the way out of the UK to anywhere by air. It's always the gate agent.
Neil
Originally Posted by
ESpen36
Wow! Really? Do you think it is possible that all major international airports eventually might be reconfigured to keep international departures areas sterile, like in the EU and South America and Asia?
That would require a huge investment on the part of the government, I suspect.
Not that huge. The UK does it in a few places by taking your photograph at check-in (or before security if you check-in online I think) if you are travelling on a domestic flight. This is then displayed to the gate agent who can verify that you haven't swapped boarding passes.
That said, most smaller UK airports segregate arrivals and departures, and you have to enter the UK and pass through security again to transit unless you enter on a domestic flight, in which case some airports let you into the departure lounge straight away.
Neil