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American Airlines Information Gathering

Posted by samzenpus on from the can-you-use-fake-names dept.

matt-fu writes "Cory Doctorow posted a story on boingboing.net this morning describing a recent hassle while flying American Airlines. It seems that since he was traveling from the UK to the US with a Canadian passport, he was actually asked to give out the names and addresses of everyone he would be staying with in the US! He has written an open letter to AA in response. Has anyone else had something like this happen to them?"

2 of 719 comments (clear)

  1. Not a US exclusive issue by cbqwinner · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I lived in London for a year while in college. I had a friend come over to visit. He filled out his landing card and couldn't remember what college I went to. The UK immigration officials pulled him aside, tore through his bags. They asked him a bunch of questions about his employment, schooling and also questions about me.

    Then they paged me in the airport and asked me the same questions to see if he was lying.

    PS, this was in 99, long before 9/11.

    This isn't new, this is someone overreacting and blaming everything on Bush and bashing the US

  2. Re:This isn't new. by Fareq · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    that's surprising, actually.

    The way things are, at least here in CA, you are treated like a king if you are Mexican. Especially if you can prove your illegal status.

    Already illegal immigrants from Mexico can get free tuition to California public universities, we're working on giving them free driver's licenses, we're working on giving them free health insurance (we already provide free school (up through High School), free medical care (provided you go to the E.R.), free food, free crappy housing or subsidized decent housing, ... and the cops are not allowed to check if you are legal or not, even if you are convicted of a felony.)