I've had some heavy questioning entering AKL before, but nothing like reported here. One time when I said I was going back the same day, the immigration officer raised his eyebrows, but then when I told him it was a MR, he mentioned someone else came through very recently doing the same thing, so he understood that some people are doing MRs, though he couldn't fathom how it could make economic sense.

At customs, I've gotten the full nine yards, 90 minute search before, though in my infrequent trips it seems more likely they do it at CHC than at AKL.

As mentioned, it looks as though it's drug runners they're after and MRers likely fit that profile to a 'T'.

many years ago when i was an airline employee on the non-rev standby routine i did a trip to hkg-syd-akl and back. i travelled light, and decided to wash my socks in the hotel rooms every few nights. i had some powdered laundry detergent in a ziploc bag. when i arrived in akl, traveling light, and they saw my powered detergent, they assumed it was drugs and i got the interrogation routine. was there for a long time before they agreed it was laundry detergent; and akl immigration was not very polite.

I was questioned on a US domestic MR. IIRC, itinerary was SFO (or some other West Coast Apt)-PHX-LAS-PHL-TPA-PHL-PHX-LAS-SFO on US in 1st with a 3 hr or so turnaround at TPA. All went smoothly until disembarking the TPA-PHL flight, when a FAM which had been sitting next to me on the flight started to question me about my trip. A colleague of his also on board also questioned me as well as another colleague of theirs on the ground at PHL. The FAM could not believe that anyone would be doing a MR in first just for miles and/or status as he thought the cost would be too high to justify it. To be frank, if he had strong intellectual abilities, he certainly was particularly gifted at hiding them. His colleague on the ground, though, seemed rather smarter. Eventually, they let me go on just in time to catch my flight to PHX.

I traveled LAX - SYD a few months after 9/11 and brought nothing but a backpack. I needed to enter Australia to have my Permanent Residency validated. And since I just returned from a long vacation before this trip, I did not stay long in Sydney (8 hours to be exact).

The Australian custom officer was confused as to why I did not have anything with me and I explained to him why I was there. He didn't give my any problems whatsoever. Left the airport and went to downtown, had lunch, and back at the airport. Didn't encounter any problems either at Australian immigration as it was obvious to them why I was there.

Came back through US Immigration in LAX. No problem either. Same thing with the Custom although they did check my bag to make sure I did not carry anything illegal. I guess I just gotten lucky.

But it's good to know what I should expect if I do MR through AKL.

Sadly NZ immigration is about as bad as Canadian immigration when it comes to treating mileage runners. With these two nations, you are more than welcomed if you are vacationing, visiting friends/relatives, and/or traveling in bunches as vacationers. But if you are coming alone, doing short stays, not meeting anyone you are likely going to receive the 3rd degree treatment when you arrive.

The horrors of interrogations I've received at AKL is equivelant to the ones I've received at YVR.

NZ immigration is a pain in the backside.
If the officer gets a red felt tip pen to your arrivals card, and you have a pick up waiting, call your pickup and tell them to come back in a couple of hours.

I am an Australian resident and often get a going over when doing "silly" thing's like MEL-CHC-BNE-CHC-MEL in a day. Or an EK trip on cheap J fares MEL-BNE via AKL.

EK J is cheaper than QF J MEL-BNE direct plus it's better service and you get to buy duty free.:cool:

I had a 18 hour stay in AKL and i got quizzed about it before...

It was not a MR but a RTW trip and i had a choice to either have 8 hours in the airport before my flight to NAD or go out in AKL for the night..... I told this to them and they thought it was a bit strange but let me through within minutes.

I had quite a few secondaries during MRs or because of MRs.

Our friends of the Canada Border Services Agency will always give me a secondary when I am doing immediate turnarounds or appear without apparent luggage as an Australian resident.

In the US this is usually fine but they take great interest in stamps in my passports from short turnarounds at places like MCT....

You got unlucky with a energetic customs agent...
You just consider yourself lucky you didnt have to fly the national airline, thats when you understand hopeless.:mad: Even lost luggage is above NZ ability. So visit the country again just dont use NZ.

A few times.

Once at LHR for about five minutes. Twice at SFO. The first time at SFO was laughable. The officer had a poor command of English and after I said I was flying for miles he said "next trip free?" and was satisfied when it was.

The second time at SFO the officer kept trying to trip me up by asking questions like "I forgot, what did you say you were going to college for again?"

I did two short turnarounds at AKL (one overnight and one without leaving the airport) when UA had kindly discounted their business class fares to AKL a few years back.

Everyone was baffled, from the lady at customs to the lady from whom I got the departure tax exemption. But I got no real hassle about it from anyone.

Perhaps I am more charming than most?

Had a similar situation at DFW once, coming in from SIN (via NRT). Took about 30-45 mins to explain and have bags searched, but was not a pleasant experience. I can only imagine what it must be like for 2 or 3 hours and that far from home.

Wow, quite a story! I can understand Immigration anywhere sometimes being overly zealous even if I don't always agree with it. But the rudeness described in some of the posts in this thread sounds inexcusable.

In any event, I agree that pointing Immigration to the FT MR forum might be the best way of explaining our collectively crazy (to the "outside world") conduct.

Wow, looks like my incident @ AKL was not a rarity. Nonetheless, my encounter was quite a bit surprising since I thought the only way I would be sent to secondary is if I brought animal or plant products rather than short stays for accumulating mileages.

The staff who cross examined me seemed to be stubborn. We kept going in circles about me being here to accrue miles while the lady kept insisting I was lying to her and even threatened by saying "I have all day here to keep you here until you come to your senses and admit the truth". Quite surprising since I've always had a good impression towards the Kiwis.

Did you hear about the one who...
 

Sounds like "next flight free!" is the most understandable explanation for some of these intellectually challenged but incredibly zealous agents. Another option would be to carry the New York Times article about Flyer Talk that appeared a couple of years ago. If they are able to read English it might help them to understand. Not too many drug runners probably bother to carry copies of the New York Times with them.

A middle aged female physician friend of mine who is as straight as an arrow and has been trying singlehandedly to rescue the medical and political system in former Soviet Georgia for a couple of decades once brought home a suitcase with a parcel of large bricks of Georgian chai...she didn't understand why they jerked her aside and started interrogating and strip searching her until they brought out the knives and started puncturing each of her bricks of tea.