American Airlines Information Gathering

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?"

Comments

Foreign Visitor Information Gathering

[dev_sda]

This is a standard practice in most countries -- When you are arriving with a visitor/landing visa, they want to collect the addresses and names of people you intend to meet/stay with so that they know how to track you down if you overstay your visa. I had to provide this information when I went to Japan, and Korea.

This is standard procedure

[molo]

When you fill out customs forms entering foreign countries, you are usually required to state where you will be staying. Hotel, residence, whatever. I had to do it going to Japan, and my wife's cousin had to do it when entering the US coming from Japan.

Actually the story is pretty funny, she didn't have my in-laws' address with her, and she had to get the help of the customs agents to make some phone calls to find it.

What is the big deal anyway? As a foreign national on a tourist/temporary visit visa, I don't find it unusual or unnecessary to ask for this info.

-molo

Yes I have ...

[(54)T-Dub]

... and it wasn't a big deal.

I recently got back from a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and I had the exact same experience at in all three countries. It was just a simple little line on the county entrance form. I crossed the borders of Cambodia and Thailand by foot so I filled out the form in front of officials and asked them about the field. They said it wasn't a big deal and if I didn't know to just put 'hotel'. Being a backpacker I truly had no idea where i would be staying.