james - i fully agree with you that the situation at US airports is pretty awful -

have you ever been stuck in the jetway waiting to get OFF of a plane b/c someone decided to have a family reunion at the top of the ramp?? Definitely not fun I think the meeting point found in Europe are pretty useful for such occasions.

And I do agree that the x-ray at the gate can be inconvenient at times but still better than the crowds everywhere.

BTW INS knows you've left the states as it is in the declaration the airline has to make when the a/c leaves the US (which is why they check the card and should take it). They should collect your I94 form but it wont cause you problems if they dont. ( I know this b/c my cousin left and they didnt take it and when she came back a week later they didnt even ask) such is the state of the INS