Did you fly Biz of First? The last time I flew out of LHR several months ago (I try to avoid it in the first place), flying biz, I was exempt from the interviews.

I've never had any interview like that all the times I've flown out of London (LGW mostly). But perhaps my US passport exempts me from that (yeah, right - I've gotten quizzed at US immigration).

But the reason they can't check the no-fly list is that the US government won't supply the no-fly list to any other country; they demand that all airlines transmit their manifest to DHS for checking. This, of course, has to happen airborne outside of US airspace.

When I was a teenager, I was going back to school and my mom dropped me off at the skycap at PIT. The skycap asked if I packed my own bags and I said no. She got a little nervous then asked, "well, who did?" I just smiled and said "my mom did." :D

The lady laughed, but I think she was ready to slap me at the same time. :D

Super

That reminds me of an exchange when flying AA earlier this year:

"Who packed your bags?"
"What do you know, the butler did it." ;) :D

So, are business and first passengers then not going to try to commit an act of terrorism aboard a plane? This is a perfect example of window dressing that does nothing for real security. It makes first time coach fliers feel more secure (gee, honey, they are really thorough here in their security checks, they wanted to know why I bought my hotel room seperate from my airline ticket), angers frequent travellers who have to explain for the 8th time to the 8th person that "yes, I am a single man and travel alone and yes, all I have is my backpack for a four day trip. Why is that, citizen? Because I don't like checking luggage, stupid!"

Meanwhile, 1st and Business passengers are whisked away from the peasants and don't have to answer anything. Get them off to the bar where they can have the sixth gin and tonic of the day.

All sarcasm aside, questioning some passengers but not others is nonsensical and a waste of time / personnel.

I agree.

It's similar to how the TSA doesn't think airport concession stand employees would ever carry a shoe bomb.

Answers to 2 Prior Questions
 

Less02: Yes, I was in Business, but we used the coach check-in desk because there was a backlog at Business.

Answers to Questions: At TLV (about 14 years ago) I said "Yes, I received these wrapped gifts from my relatives. I don't know the contents." They spent about 30 minutes checking and/or conferring (I assume they called my relatives). They ultimately passed us through security, with the gifts still wrapped (the scanner obviously examined them like everything else).

Didn't you ever talk to your gift-giving relatives after having left them? Wouldn't they have later told you if they received a call from strangers asking about you?

...and how many tens of millions of us over the years defined "Has your luggage been under your control?" as including it being in the back seat of your rental car all day while you were inside at a meeting. :confused:

That stands for Security Team for Uprooting Plots and ID (pax) or
Security Team for Uprooting Plots by Incredibly Dumb (people) or

But if your aunt gave you something to you to take to your nephew in Detroit and you said yes, there will be more questioning. If you lie, then you risk even worse teratment should the truth come out.

I answered "NO" to this question once at LGW. I saw the "big catch looks" on the face of the security guy and the disappointment when I told him that BA had my bags for a couple of hours that morning and I didn't know what they did with them :D