The walk to the AA check-in area takes about 10 mins, wheeling my bags along the length of Terminal 1. When I get to the top of the escalator I head to the F/J check-in area where I am met by Susan who has the task of pre-screening the passengers before they are permitted to check-in. This is the only place I have ever had such a detailed inquisition about me and my plans for the USA. It really is intrusive and I really don't understand the reason behind the thoroughness, especially when you note the lack of questions for me to enter Germany.
I am asked if I am travelling for business or pleasure. When I answer business, I am asked all about what I do and who I work for. I am asked for a business card of some other form of company identification. I pull out my company photo ID and she holds on to it and says she will need that to show her supervisor (what??).
Next I am asked for proof of when I was staying in Germany. My hotel receipt is shown and again she holds onto this for the time being. Then I am asked about where I will be staying in the USA and can I prove it. Luckily I have a print-out from Priority Club reservation showing a summary of most of my accommodation details for the rest of the trip. That is also held by Susan. I am asked who paid for my ticket and details of the purpose of my business visit, if I am visiting customers, other staff, suppliers etc. This whole question and answer session takes about 10 mins. No wonder the economy check-in queue is so long!
Eventually Susan believes she has collected enough information and takes my tickets, passport, company ID and other collected paperwork over to the supervisor and they discuss for another few minutes. She eventually returns and put a stamp on my flight coupon and scrawls some marks onto the coupon (of course with the 4 layers of carbon this goes straight through to the following coupons making it impossible to read the departure time details for this flights!). Then I have all my papers etc returned and am invited to use the next available check-in agent. Wow, what a process just to get to the check-in desk!
At the check-in desk there is a problem. Susan had only stamped and scrawled on my FRA-DFW coupon. She had not done the same on the DFW-ORD coupon. So she is called over by the check-in agent and asked to verify that coupon as well. Then I am able to be checked in for my flights and boarding passes printed.
The AAdmirals Club is land-side and I am invited to head up the escalator and visit the lounge before heading through security to the gate. The lounge is pretty basic with some comfortable seating and a stocked bar. The only food is some small bread rolls with jam and cream cheese. I have a few Mineral Waters and use the WiFi internet to use call home using my IP Softphone.
Eventually the flight is called so I head down to the security checkpoint and passport control. This time I am requested to remove shoes, belt, watch and glasses before going through the metal detector.
Outbound passport control is manned by only two agents and is the bottleneck for outgoing passengers. They have to hold up the security screening because the queue waiting for passport control has backed up to the x-ray machines. When I finally get to the front of the queue, the stamping process is very fast with no discussion. Then its a very short walk to gate C4 for another boarding pass and passport check to enter the gate area. I then head straight onto the aircraft and find I am one of the last business class passengers to board, even though there are still a large number of people milling around the gate (well over 150 people I estimate).