peterg Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Swcfo (soon) found out hers ESTA had expired when I dropped her at Heathrow in March but she managed to renew it online on her Blackberry there and then S'funny 'cos I had asked her prior to her trip if she had a valid visa and naturally I got the usual "of course I have, do you think I'm stupid!!" Quote
dombanks Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Swcfo (soon) found out hers ESTA had expired when I dropped her at Heathrow in March but she managed to renew it online on her Blackberry there and then S'funny 'cos I had asked her prior to her trip if she had a valid visa and naturally I got the usual "of course I have, do you think I'm stupid!!" guess you figured out swcfo then lol (its a little unfair as it wasnt nasty or unamicable) Quote
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Cap'n, it applied for me, not the passport and I was assured by those nice chaps in that building in Grosvenor Square, the one with the ten-ton budgie on the roof, that it remained valid in the expired passport if I took both it and a current one. It worked a number of times when all you needed to get in was an address in the States to stay at and a return ticket - that or a visa which negated all other requirements. All that changed in the last few years when biometric passports hove into view. I haven't set foot in the US since the late eighties. Quote
Captain Colonial Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 See MOTCO, told you I was wrong! Ten-ton budgie, love it! Quote
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 No, not wrong, just (probably) too young to have been interested when the 'real' British passports were in circulation... I love the wording in the inside cover front page Quote
Blatman Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Hey Cap'n... if you wanna have sone fun, next time you check in, ask for a halal meal. Just don't be in a hurry when you land in the US. Chances are they may want to have a chat with you. Happened to an American (white cuacasian) friend of mine when he changed his meal request... Quote
bhouse Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 That happened to me after I requested a vegetarian meal. Maybe I should have asked for a KFC... Quote
Captain Colonial Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Hey Cap'n... if you wanna have sone fun, next time you check in, ask for a halal meal. Just don't be in a hurry when you land in the US. Chances are they may want to have a chat with you. Happened to an American (white cuacasian) friend of mine when he changed his meal request... There's a time and place for humour, and that ain't it! As much as it would disappoint people, I'll give that one a pass, thanks. Yank in front of me once got to security at O'Hare with his violin case: Humourless Homeland Security Numpty: "What's in the violin case, sir?" *Pause for comic effect and disbelief* Passenger: "No, this is Chicago, it's a machine gun, idiot." Try to guess what happened next. (Clue: He missed his flight.) Quote
Blatman Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Oh it wasn't deliberate. He was booking in on-line and checking the meal options. Of all the meals available the halal happened to be the one he wanted so he chose it. It was nothng to do with religion. But the Homeland (in)Security boys still checked him out for 3 hours. This despite him holding a US passport and being a US national, born and bred in Los Angles (sic)... although that may be why Quote
Norman Verona Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 If you think those nice people who checked me in at O'hare are bddies try flying to Isreal. On one trip the American behind us made a smart-A*** remark. His case was opened and the contents were taken out one by one (and where they were rolled together - like the dirty underwear) and thrown out over the barrier in all directions. They then stripped him down to his underwear there and then. When they finished they said he could pick his stuff up and get dresses, then he could follow them for the finger upm the bum treatment. We just stood there silently (well almost) laughing. We had already got through but as I heard this chaps remark I stopped and waited. It was worthwhile. Quote
Norman Verona Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 On a related note, we were in Dallas for the night and were off to Chicago first thing in the morning. Our Host (my new boss from ADP who I'd sold my company too) got us a cab and we arrived at the airport. He called a porter and gave him all our bags and flight number. (we had a lot as we were there for 3 weeks at New Orleans, Chicago and Portland Oregon, hot to cold). I remarked that you couldn't do that in Europe, you had to check your own bags in and go through security. His reply really left me speechless. "It's OK, it's an internal flight - no risk" Later on I broached the subject again but he didn't understand that a terrorist could board an internal flight as easy as arrive from abroad. That was 1992. In hindsight I'm surprised we had to wait so long. Quote
Stuart Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 This despite him holding a US passport and being a US national, born and bred in Los Angles You haven't heard of John Walker Lindh then? Check out Steve earle's somg about him - John Walker's Blues. Bit powerful and sends a shiver...... Quote
Captain Colonial Posted April 12, 2011 Posted April 12, 2011 Americans - can't take them anywhere... Quote
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