Thanks for the replies! I can appreciate the need to detect drugs, but my understanding was that Singapore Customs performed this function. In any case, my amazement was at the fact that the screening appeared to be looking for items that could threaten a flight - metal objects, sharp objects, callphone inspection - rather than threaten the populace of Singapore ;-) Every kitchen in Singapore would have knives, after all.

I have never been subjected to security screening like this in India in my 15year memory of travelling there. In fact, I've never seen it done before at all, hence the reason for this thread :-)

I've never had security screening on arrival in Indian airports either. :confused:

There are a few US airports in which you have to go through security upon international arival even if you are not connecting. Beyond stupid.

The excuse (after almost 10 years) is that it is the way the airport is setup (international pax terminating travel at the first US airport they land at must go through the 'sterile' area to exit the airport, hence the need for passing through TSA again on exiting. (Same situation recently with exiting train passengers in Savannah - they were directed to exit the train station through the sterile area, so they had to be screened- even though they did not have to be screened to get on the train originally and even though there was an exit that did not require going through the 'sterile' area of the train station).

It is not a specific 'screen on arrival' policy of TSA. Not yet anyway.

Of course, during that 10 years, there's been no construction at any of these airports. No one has ever seen plywood corridors and 'excuse our mess' signs. :rolleyes:

IIRC, ATL is doing some construction (new international terminal?). When it is done, supposedly you will not have to rescreen to exit the airport from an international flight. I think you will still have to go through TSA to make an international-domestic connection (sigh).

I have never been exit-screened at any airport outside the US (and yes, I have been to DEL recently; haven't been through SIN).

Never had a problem with security theatre at SIN before. Maybe Lee Kuan Yew is finally losing his marbles entirely. He was always a weirdo, but now maybe he is emulating the US hysteria at airports. What a shame. Singapore is a nice place to live if you can afford it, don't mind the heat, and don't mind "giving up" all of your human rights. Also, the girls are pretty.

[I would kill for some roti canai/roti prata right now.]

The same thing happened to me late last year, a jetstar flight Denpasar to Singapore - we arrived on a sort of 'wing' where there would have been about 4-5 gates. We were security screened before allowing to enter the 'main' terminal.

It felt at the time they were looking (a) drugs and (b) illegal immigrants who might have been trying to get through.

From Phils or Indonesia? It doesn't surprise me a bit that SIN would be doing incoming security on flights from these places, particularly if they get a tipoff. Not just drugs or illegals. Google "jemaah islamiyah" and "abu sayyaf."

That seems a bit strange, because as I recall SIN does security checks immediately before the gates.

Thanks-In Chennai, when you come out of the immigration, you have to put your carry-ons again for screening.

That's the customs screening, not security.

I just went thru an Atlanta international arrival. I was surprised at how fast and pleasant it was to go thru immigration and customs.

Then I learned I would have to go through TSA security again, turn my checked luggage over to airport personel, board a train for a 10 minute ride, wait another 10 minutes to reclaim my bags (which Delta posted to the wrong carousel) just to leave the airport. The TSA side search of my carry on took 5 minutes as the TSA agent looked for 'sharp object'.

It's almost 10 years since 9/11 and this is the best DL and Atlanta have come up with? I understand the issue with keeping the trains sterile but couldn't they just bus people leaving the airport to the terminal? You're running a huge international hub and in 10 years you can't plan, finance and build the needed infrastructure changes?

What do this lunacy cost? TSA agents, machines, baggage handlers, more lost luggage. Must be thousands a day. And that allows nothing for the waited time on the passeengers' part (I spent close to an additional hour going through this idiotic minature golf course. Of course that cost is not likely on anyone's books but mine).

another member here has posted their experience of refusing to pass through the TSA screening to exit the ATL airport - successfully.

I flew from Costa Rica to ATL abd got the search even though I was leaving the airport.

my solution? I have never been nor will I ever go to ATL again. would be nice if I had spent enough money there to make my decision a bankrupting affair at that airport.

Singapore has done this since the 1980's for certain flights coming from Indonesia, in my experience.

I don't know the criteria for selecting the flight incoming to SIN for this screen, but I can remember it happening on flights from the old Jakarta international airport and from Surabaya.

And like MKE-MR indicated above, I always figured it was because Singapore thought the screening at the originating airport was sub-standard.

That is a standard practice at SIN with arrivals from countries with substandard security. Very normal. It's not that they don't trust their security colleagues at MNL...... it's just that.............;)

Bet you they screened your whole flight in 10 minutes, with a smile.