I am sorry.

When I started this thread, in retrospect, I probably was a little paranoid. My first trip to the US, being 'selected' for G4S treatment, and the various horror stories I had heard about US airport security had not helped.

In reality, the G4S additional gate check was so routine it was a non-event. No questions asked, just a recheck of my hand luggage and I got patted down.

Immigration in the US was a breeze. No third degree at all. The phototaking and finger printing took longer than the questions themselves (of which there were only about three).

I don't wish to jinx it, but if this is what it is like, then what is all the fuss about in the media? :-)

One question though. Assuming the G4S additional check is a procedure requested by the US, what does it prevent exactly? If someone with questionable motivates found out that they had been selected for this, wouldn't they simply just not bother turning up for the flight?

And also, this occurred at LHR. The security screening for all passengers at Heathrow is probably at the levels that the US would be happy with. So, what is the purpose of the additional screening in this case?