Silly yet decent security at SEL
 

I'm onboard KE #9 SEL-LAS now and I can report a decent security experience there. Much nicer than Europe-America flights. But still a bit silly.

At the main security checkpoint, they had a bunch of slippers standing by. I wondered if they were doing a shoe carnival, but as I watched the people in front of me, no one took their shoes off. When I got up to the x-ray, the guy asked me where I was going. I said Las Vegas, and he turned to advise the screener that I was going to America. I assumed they would now check my bag for liquids. He told me I had to take my jacket and shoes off. This was so weird after watching so many passengers go through screening the old fashioned way, and I had to do the silly TSA way. However it was nice that they gave me slippers and they didn't even open my bags.

When I got to the gate, there was the secondary screening. Again, much, much nicer than Euro airports like FRA or AMS. Friendly staff waived me to a table where they did a very brief poke through my bags and sent me on my way.

So apparently it is possible to comply with TSA directives and treat the passengers with integrity and decency. Shame on European airports.

HKG is actually pretty efficient at dealing with the moronic screening demands of the King-Of-All-Idiots.

They have about 25 screeners who take a quick look through your bags for liquids at a secondary point. Done. No shoe games, no jacket games, no BS.

This is very similar to the experience I had at NRT last month for my flight to JFK. No shoe carnival. Just a secondary check of everyone's bags for liquids. Everyone was very courteous and polite. No one barking orders or threats or carrying out retaliatory secondary screenings.

Why are Asians so much better at treating travelers with respect?

1. Natural Asian hospitality.
2. They see through the Kabuki that is going on, and limit their participation to the minimum.

3. No paranoid mindset.