toryvict

Hi,

To all you international MRers, just what do you tell the immigration officers (both foreign and your home country) the purpose of your same day turnaround trip? Meet a long lost friend for lunch? Do they understand the concept of MR? Or will telling them that just cause confusion and suspicision?

Cheers,

toryvict

JPoor007

I would tell them the truth and explain to the the MR concept. No sense in digging yourself a hole. May seem awkward, but they'll get over it.

SFO_Chad

I have never had a problem with Immigration at LHR, AMS, IAD or SFO. They all pretty much laugh when you give them the short version. IAD did do a secondary screening of my backpack - took 1 minute to examine my book, toothbrush and change of clothes.

The NWA kid

Well the big mean officer in honolulu thought I must be a drug runner. He kept telling I was a liar after everything I said, and checked every possible place in all my bags. He made me take everything out of my pockets and show off my upper body for him. I guess he was sure he would find something.

This all took 45 mins at their "checkmeout counters", and took away from my afternoon stopover in Waikiki! Whatever I told him, it did not matter to him. Miles? He wasn't having anything of it.

My suggestion? Say as little as possible, and just let them search away. They're going to do it anyway. Open all the bags for them with all zippers right away. That's what I do. Things go much much quicker that way.

ScottC

Honesty is the best policy.

jdn

Have not had much trouble with previous trips, including same day turn arounds like SFO-DFW-ZRH and back in 2 hours or so... BUT, I just came back from an overnight stay in Paris and the "final" customs officer looked at me with a crazed look and said "NO ONE goes on a vacation for just 1 day". Sent off into secondary screening zone, and they wanted details details details... wanted to know where I worked, what I did, wanted my employee ID card, and did a search of my carryon (though a poor one at that, missing half the exterior pockets on my fairly simple hartmann bag). Anyhow, these immigration offices must have been newbies or something, because they were utterly confused. My "buddy" doing the "in depth" screening was a little interested, asking like "how many miles did you get" and wanting to know more about the "perks"... curious, but not friendly. Oh well. It didn't take more than an extra 8 minutes, though. And no, no extensive search of my person to see if I were hiding anything in a less-than-obvious spot.

ben1979

Just tell the truth. You can never go wrong with the truth. You are not breaking any laws, and whatever potential embarassment you might feel from getting the crazy look will be 100 times more pleasant than the treatment you'll get when they catch you in a lie.

If you tell them you are meeting a friend for lunch, you better be prepared to have a friend they can call that actually had lunch with you and can tell them what you ordered for lunch. I remember the story of an FTer that got harassed by Canadian immigration, when he said he is in town to meet a friend, the officials called the friend up, who had no idea he was coming. Oops.

If the agent is going to give you a hard time, they will no matter what you tell them. They are trained to spot suspecious behaviour and unless you are a damn good liar, the chances of getting busted is high. Your eyes and your body language will give you away. The worst that could happen when you tell them the truth is that they give you a thorough secondary and make fun of you publicly, but if you are caught lying, there is no end to the hell they can give you in today's post 9/11 world.


Don't risk it, no matter how tight you think you've got your story rehearsed.

Yaatri

A NW scriy person questioned me about my MR to Frankfurt. I told him, the fare wa s good, I needed the miles, and I only had weekend to do it in. "All this for miles?". I said "yes". He smiled at me, shook my hand and said "Thank you for flying Northwest".

For the return trip, I was unable to check in becuase I had no baggage. I had left the carry on in the lounge air side. The Check in agent asked me to go straight to the gate and get my boarding card. He assured me the Airport security would no hassle me, but they did. I told them I had an E-ticket and that I was asked by NW to proceed to the gate. But they wanted to see my ticket. The E-ticket receipt was not good enough for them. So I hiked back t the NW counters. The gentleman escorted me to the security entrance and said to the lady who I had talked to, "Madam, do you know what an E-ticket is? He is one of our best passengers. Why are you punishing our best passenger because of your stupidity". Her jaw dropped, as she regained her posture and led me to the front of the line.

Moral of he story is be honest. It won't help you with stupid people. But those who are not stupid will respect you for the honesty and stand up for you against stupid people with power to say "NO".

onlysuites

Last year I had to change my ticket from MCO to NCL as I wanted to stay for another week. The change fee was close to $250 and the return from NCL to MCO was around $330.

Me being a lover of collecting miles took the harder, time consuming and slightly more expensive option

Flew to NCL via DTW and AMS, stayed there for one night and flew back the next day.

Got asked a lot o questions in both the pre-boarding customs check in AMS and once I landed in DTW. Both times i was completely honest and told them excatly what I was doing.

The customs officer in DTW thought I was mad but he understood.

Did earn me close to 20,000 extra miles though for $80 (true value for money)

Blank Sheet

In doing two FRA runs last year, the first line custom agents at DTW sent me to the red line for a secondary search on both occasions. Both times the agents wrote "3HRS in Frankfort" on my customs card and circled it like it was my scarlet letter. The first time only cost about 15 minutes in line and the secondary agent didn't even search my duffel bag. He just ran a computer check as I explained my MR to him. Handed my passport back and sent me on my merry way.

The second time cost me 50 minutes as an asian flight that landed before us made for a very long line that didn't move quickly. I don't mind the secondary searches except when you have a tight connection as in this case. Again the secondary agent ran a computer check and she understood what a MR run was. Asked me if she needed to search my bag and I replied please do as I don't have anything to hide. She spot checked my computer bag and was very interested in air fares and mileage accumulations. Told her about dream maps on travelocity, how to set up fare alerts and what a good price was for certain routes she asked about. She was very nice but I had a flight to catch.

Next time I do a Frankfort run via DTW, I'll book a later connecting flight just in case.

greggwiggins

I'm not sure if it was Twain or Mencken who once wrote, "the best thing about telling the truth is that it leaves you with much less to remember."

And as others here have pointed out, taking a mileage run is legal. Telling a lie to the authorities at a border crossing is a crime.

So just tell the truth.

tubeman

As a Canadian who crosses the border for work and as Martin Luther King said, "The truth shall set you free". It's simple and it works. Besides as a foreign national entering the US, Customs and Imigration has the absolute authority to bar you from entering the US for 5 years if they don't like you. There is no chance of appeal on this exclusion.

Gary

Markie

Certainly I would not suggest doing runs as a non-US that involve Detroit, Minneapolis or Boston. They all hassle non-US and cannot ever understand short stays in the US,

ckidder331

You can always print out your mileage summary that shows those wacky trips you take and they'll just smile, laugh and stamp you on your way.

CMK10

I've done a few international MRs and I've been accosted a few times. Usually it is the lack of luggage that sets them off and twice I've been searched. Often they'll ask you the same questions over and over again hoping to catch you in a lie as they rummage through your belongings. Good luck.