Security screening on arrival?
 

Hi Everyone,

I just got off Jetstar Asia flight 562 from Manila to Singapore and was surprised to notice that we disembarked into a deserted concourse and were herded (with barriers and security staff) through a security clearance procedure. With WTMD, x-ray machines, pat downs and hand held metal detectors it was exactly the same as a pre-flight security clearance ... except that we had just got off the flight. After we were checked we were able to proceed to immigration and customs.

As no documents were checked, customs inspections are done after immigration, and any connecting pax would be rescreened before boarding their next flight, i couldn't see any purpose in screening us then. Could anyone shed any more light on this?

Cheers,
afterDawn

Possible drug tipoff, perhaps?

Please follow as the thread moves to the Travel Safety/Security forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

I'd say drugs. TSA seems more concerned with finding "illegal substances" than providing real air security.

Didn't know that TSA had arms that long!

Singapore occasionally disembarks flights from places with "substandard" security procedures into additional screening. It's been that way for years. As pointed out, since connecting to any other flight requires screening, it's always seemed a bit unnecessary to me, but that's the way they do it.
Flights from Indonesia and the Philippines are the usual suspects to trigger this, as the OP found out. I believe there's a thread either in the Singapore or the SQ forum on this, though it's a few years old by now.

With metal detectors, drugs doesn't seem likely. Especially since everyone's going to have to pass through customs, anyhow.

There are some airports where arriving international passengers are screened because the airport is configured so that even passengers who are leaving the airport pass though the secure area (or otherwise can come into contact with someone in the secure area). There are a couple of US airports that are like this: I think ATL and DTW(?) are examples.

I didn't think Singapore was one of them, though. Odd.

Required reading! Here's a story of a determined TSA resister who won, and passed a TSA checkpoint without being searched, just through patience and stubbornness.

http://noblasters.com/post/1650102322/my-tsa-encounter

They can not force you to undergo a search after you get off the plane if all you want to do is exit the airport. Though it's a little strange that your checkpoint was before customs; I think in the story above the guy had already passed through customs when the TSA tried to violate him.

While it does seem odd, but if the person was doing/planning/carrying something illicit that they wanted to keep them away from the general populace before they had a chance to clear them. I.e. the plane may have had only a 100 people on it while the immigration/customs area had a 1000 people. Further, not all people may be been connecting so perhaps for those staying they wanted a quick check. And because it was unknown who that would be everyone gets checked.

Bingo.

Welcome to Flyertalk, mybodyismyown. ^

The link you posted looks familiar and was probably posted here during the run up to National Opt Out Day, but it is indeed a good read. :)

They do it in International arrival in Atlanta, in all airports in India, and in many other airports.

Never been to ATL, but I've never faced security screening on arrival at Airports in India. Certainly not on arrival at BOM/DEL/HYD where I've been often over the past 5 years.

I've only been into Singapore once (every other occasion has been an airside transit!) and I don't recall seeing the classic "customs" checkpoints that one sees in most other countries. From what I remember (and this was three years ago), I got my passport stamped and walked straight out past the baggage conveyor belts and onto the concourse.

My parents are from Singapore and basically the country is one of the strictest in the world in terms of smuggling.

Wrong country to mess with. You don't want to be caught with drugs.. trust me.

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.

Is Indonesia still on the FAA (I guess it would be TSA list now) advising that airport security is "substandard" ?

They used to post signs at the checkpoint "security in xxxx is substandard" or something to that effect because it didn't meet basic minimums.

I want to say they were FAA signs, but with TSA running checkpoints now I don't recall seeing any such signs lately.

At any rate, I could understand the reverse screening. Even if terminating in SIN, it could also be used to locate drugs/weapons/other contraband being brought in.

I understand some European airports also do reverse screening on Intl flights with questionable security at origin.

What time did you arrive into ATL? Fast is typically not part of the vocabulary at ATL Immigration.

Past several trips through, I've encountered 1 hour queues just to reach the initial "immigration" both. Lines sometimes snake beyond established queues back towards inbound gate areas & moving sidewalks.

By the time you get downstairs, luggage is already waiting.

On my last trip through, it took 2 hrs from landing to TSA checkpoint in concourse E.

You either hit ATL off-peak or you just got lucky.

Good thing is ATL CBP agents are normally friendly and professional.

It's not stupid at all. Has to do with airport design. Rock bottom rule is that you can't be in sterile area of airport unless you are cleared through TSA. Thus, if exiting the airport from arrival formalities means walking through a sterile area, then you clear TSA.

In some airports this is simply a minor construction issue. In others, it's major and isn't going to happen in our lifetime.

That doesn't make it legal-- seems like false imprisonment to me.

May seem like it, but it's not. By seeking entry, citizen or not, to the USA you agree to full inspection. Doesn't matter whether that's by CBP, TSA or Postal Inspectors.

The tricky legal detail in the US would be that the forced TSA inspection comes AFTER you are legally admitted to the USA.

Absolutely false. The only requirement for a US citizen to enter the US is proof of citizenship. Customs inspections are permitted as administrative searches. "Security inspections" absolutely are not as a precondition of re-admission.

That's the law. Period.

Can a US citizen refuse Custom inspections if the only requirement for entry to the US is proof of citizenship? Not that I'm disagreeing with you. Just curious. :)

If so, the next time I travel south of the border... hello tequila, rum, cuban cigars!!! :D (just kidding, but I am curious to the answer of my question)

Probably not. The security searches this discussion relates to are standard TSA checks for entering the sterile area of the airport, but you knew that, right?

Are you a lawyer, and is that you professional opinion concerning a US citizen entering the US?

Yes, I am very aware of the topic of this thread. Just curious abou what I asked. Sorry if that bothers you. ;)