American airports do not rank in Top of the world

> Is the poor service in the US seen as a problem that's being sorted? Or just accepted?

I think differences in acceptance vs. verbalized outrage are less important than whether things actually get fixed. (I'll definitely admit, though, that I'm irked by the acceptance I've seen among fellow Americans.) Do you know whether wait times actually went down substantially, or just that "something was done"?

No, the DHS treats citizens like that too. My understanding is that it's purely a psychological technique to extract more truthful stories. People have plenty of time on the plane to practice their cock and bull stories, but when some key detail changes during their interview, they aren't so good at thinking on their feet and they end up being caught in a lie. "This picture doesn't look like you" is the oldest trick in the book. If the customs agent really thought the picture didn't look like you, he wouldn't have told you. You would have been led away without question. What he really wants to do is get you on the defensive where you're less likely to remember your pre-rehearsed story.

(If you ever want to watch Customs in action for four hours, take the train between the US and Canada.)

UK Borders is managed by the Government, BAA then pays the UK Border Agency for staff costs, etc.

It's WAY more pleasant.

I see the sign, it doesn't affect me, I am happy.

I see the TSA, they go through my stuff, they treat me like a terrorist, I wonder if they're going to steal something, they enforce arbitrary rules at their discretion, they take up my time, the whole thing is very unpleasant.

Nonsense, I flew out of Changi last week and can't recall a single sign warning about the death penalty for drug trafficking.

The warning is on the customs form that you fill in when you fly into Singapore, as you'd expect. But comparing it to the TSA is facile as they're unavoidable if you're flying in the US.

> every other sign in that airport reads "death for drug traffickers"

Yeah, a few signs and only a light touch of enforcement. Coming in you show your passport, glance at the sign, and walk straight out. Done. On return, you show your passport, and a quick shoes-on bag screening at the gate. Queuing is rare and short.

Compare that to USA airports where you queue for hours, get 20 questions at immigration (admittedly by cheerful and well mannered staff), and go through more queues. On return you queue for hours, take various random items of clothing off, get irradiated, and generally pushed around and looked at suspiciously.

Yeah, I'll take the signs.

SFO has scanners, at least for international flights. No idea whether they are operated by the TSA though.

The airport itself is pretty nice by the way, if you forget about going through security. I haven't travelled to any other US airports, but SFO is way better than some of the (mostly smaller) European airports I've been.

I think they still have scanners - they're just not operated by the TSA - as in it's not a "government agency" running the operation.

I know everything you're saying is tongue-in-cheek, but I will point out to those who may not be 'in the know' that you can always opt out of any intrusive scan for a pat-down instead. Perhaps not any more comfortable, at least the sweaty TSA agent brushing your inner thigh is just as uncomfortable as you are. Hopefully.