On my first trips out of the U.S., our chaperones stressed the same thing--that we were ambassadors for our country in our travels.  That always stuck with me in dealing with anyone--it certainly helped me find my wife, since she isn't from the U.S. 

Back in the early sixties, all U.S. Government employees who applied for and were accepted for foreign assignments were given a list of things to study. I remember well that even family members were highly encouraged to study the same materials, and for parents and their dependents to discuss at length.

 

Among the recommended readings was "The Ugly American" (ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_American ). It was definitely worth reading and discussing, and most certainly affected how well my parents and I were able to "fit into the culture" in Tehran, Iran during our eight years there.

My experiences with the TSA have been pretty good, although the agents in Orlando didn't seem quite as nice as the ones in Sky Harbor, who are usually smiling and in good spirits when dealing with passengers.  If the TSA is treating foreign nationals rougly, that's bad.  The TSA are ambassadors for our country whether we like it our not.

 

That would make sense to me. I find that when you are travelling in the USA the experience is fantastic, it is just in the areas where their is a lot of international travel where that friendliness gets lost. Sky Harbor is a great airport and innovative. Orlando is an international destination because of Disney so this is probably why they are a little more difficult to deal with.

 

KLAX is notoriously bad for whatever reason, I lived in Reseda as a child so been through KLAX quite frequently from when I was a baby, through childhood and up to now. It was once considered iconic but I wouldn't call it that any more.

 

The main ones are KLAX, KORD, KATL, KJFK, KDFW, and these airports serve a lot of people in transit. I feel that just because someone is passing through, still treat them as a guest in your nation, this will keep them coming back (with their wallets). 

 

At Changi Airport you can swim in their pool, use the spa, sit on the skydeck, walk through the gardens and watch the planes come and go, it is very inviting. This is how you compete for people in transit and this is where KLAX is loosing passengers to at the moment, concepts like that.

I find Boston's Logan Airport to be one of the least friendly.  Perhaps it's the long TSA lines, with agents sitting around doing nothing while only 1 or 2 lines are open for inspections.  Maybe it's the State Police outside, always coming on as bad-attitude guys when you pull up to the curb to pick up a friend or relative and they don't appear within 30 nanoseconds.  The Staties have always been that way, even before 9/11.

 

In contrast, I think of the friendly atmosphere at Manchester, New Hampshire, where the police smile and the TSA does its best to get everyone through as easily as possible.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction

 

 

 

(CNN) -- The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has been charged, the Justice Department announced Monday.

 

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged with one count of using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death and one count of malicious destruction of property by means of an explosive device resulting in death, according to a statement from the Justice Department.

 

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

 

Tsarnaev, 19, made his initial appearance Monday before Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler in his hospital room at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston.

 

The decision to charge Tsarnaev in civilian court put an end to speculation that he would be charged as an enemy combatant, a designation sometimes used against terrorists.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the decision not to treat Tsarnaev as an enemy combatant is "absolutely the right way to go and the appropriate way to go."

Carney said that because Tsarnaev is a naturalized U.S. citizen, he cannot be tried by a military commission.

 

"And it is important to remember that since 9/11 we have used the federal court system to convict and incarcerate hundreds of terrorists," Carney said.

Despite being seriously wounded and heavily sedated, Tsarnaev is answering brief questions from his hospital bed by nodding his head, a source with first-hand knowledge of the investigation told CNN Monday.

 

Authorities are asking the 19-year-old if there are more bombs, explosives caches or weapons, and if anyone else was involved, the source said.

 

" USA should rebuild their airports to a standard like Changi Airport if it wants to compete for travellers once again, so when a traveller is in transit in KLAX or KJFK, they get the same treatment as if they were in Sydney, Vancouver, Hong Kong or Changi Airports. "

 

I care what the individual airlines want. If they want to upgrade their facilities, then let them pay for it!

I'm a taxpayer, I do not want to pay for it.

If the airlines want to install roadblocks to customers trying to travel, then let the airlines install whatever security they want. Meanwhile I will fly on 'fly by night' discount lines where I can board 5 minutes after arriving at the terminal, like I always did in the '60s.

Fielder, on 23 Apr 2013 - 07:35 AM, said:

I care what the individual airlines want. If they want to upgrade their facilities, then let them pay for it!

I'm a taxpayer, I do not want to pay for it.

This is fine. One consideration is the only airport in North America that is in the top 10 best airports in the world is Vancouver. The way that they paid for it was through a departure fee. Auckland airport was rated in the top 10 and has a departure fee as well. Airports have to be funded and properly managed if they are going to succeed.

 

I was at a dinner last night with some friends about to fly to Spain, they are going through LAX, I kept my mouth shut and listened to how much these 5 I was sitting with can't stand traveling in transit through the USA and much better to go the other way, even if you pay a little more and it takes a little longer. This topic does come up from time to time. LAX is cheaper but people don't like it. This impression is left on folks the world over.

 

When people do go the other way as many are now, then that means no revenue for any US Airline or airports. Look at the recent agreements with QANTAS and Emirates to fly people to Europe through UAE to meat the demands in this area, They are calling this the 'Kangaroo Route'. The world is competitive and easy to take business away from the USA with the way things are currently run.

This is fine. One consideration is the only airport in North America that is in the top 10 best airports in the world is Vancouver. The way that they paid for it was through a departure fee. Auckland airport was rated in the top 10 and has a departure fee as well. Airports have to be funded and properly managed if they are going to succeed.

 

I was at a dinner last night with some friends about to fly to Spain, they are going through LAX, I kept my mouth shut and listened to how much these 5 I was sitting with can't stand traveling in transit through the USA and much better to go the other way, even if you pay a little more and it takes a little longer. This topic does come up from time to time. LAX is cheaper but people don't like it. This impression is left on folks the world over.

 

More of our infrastructure than just Airports is on the way down.

More of our infrastructure than just Airports is on the way down.

 

I am half American and half Canadian so the American side of me don't like it. I only criticize when I think it can be doing better. Airports are a way to show your nation to the world so this one is a missed opportunity.

 

USA does have the know-how to figure it out and always has.