Janet Haven

So, this is weird. For the second time this fall, I’ve flown internationally out of Heathrow airport without going through immigration or having anyone, other than airline employees, look at my passport. The first trip was from London to Johannesburg in the middle of September. Traveling Companion and I at that time were puzzled, but theorized that perhaps there was an agreement between the UK and South Africa limiting the need for passport checks (although on reflection, that doesn’t make a lot of sense). But today, I’m on a big American Airlines 777 flying from London to Los Angeles, and no official of the British government examined my passport before I boarded the flight. All kinds of other reviews happened: I took off my shoes, turned on my laptop and stood spread-eagled three different times to be patted down by three different security officers during my journey through the airport. But no passport check. Am I missing something here? What the heck? Given the scrutiny one receives on entering the UK, I can’t believe that they aren’t doing some sort of cross check on the way out.

One other worrying thing about this situation: I was surprised enough to mention it to two different employees of American Airlines. In response, both looked at me blankly and then shrugged and waved me on when I re-elaborated the point. Hm. I’m certainly happy not to have yet another line to stand in to get to the airplane, and I’m not necessarily sure it’s even that important to check everyone’s passport when they leave a country…but given the extent that the UK is going to create an atmosphere of both threat and consequently, safety, at the airports, shouldn’t they have someone giving passports a glance? And shouldn’t an airline care if one of its passengers reports something that seems like it might be amiss?

Update: I asked the immigration officer who checked my passport when I entered the US in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon about exit passport checks. He told me that at LAX, they also don't check international exits. In Euroland and every other country I've ever been to aside from the US and the UK, they certainly do. So what's the calculation that Homeland Security has made here?