jjpb3
SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers?
« Thread Started on: Oct 11th, 2006, 02:46am »
So CGK , JPB and I were talking over the magnificent martinis they make at the Mandarin Oriental in London (I'm beginning to associate the watermelon martini with LON SIN Do's), and we arrived at the conclusion that immigration officers are, on the whole, a gruff lot.
Which brought us to the interesting question: in your experience, which immigration officers (i.e., at which airport) have been, on average, a notch above the rest in their friendliness / welcoming attitude?
My vote goes to the CGK (un-bolded font) officers who greeted me with a cheerful "Mabuhay" when my brother and I visited for a spell a couple of years ago, and who said "Paalam" with a smile when we exited the country.
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 02:48am by jjpb3 »
shortfinals
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #1 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 07:56am »
My vote goes to KUL (if you're a malaysian with a chip enabled passport)..... ah the joy of talking to a machine
cawhite
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #2 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 08:48am »
I'll give the nod to SIN. Always welcoming IME
shortfinals
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #3 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 08:58am »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 08:48am, cawhite wrote:
I'll give the nod to SIN. Always welcoming IME
Them too. Friendliest non-machine bunch around.
Shortfinals
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #4 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 09:06am »
I've actually found a simple greeting to the officer in the local language helps defuse any tension somewhat. A sawasdee kaa/krap/g'day/kia ora/gruezi/wie gehts/bom dia/buenos dias/hola/oi/kamustaka goes a long way.
jjpb3
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #5 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 09:15am »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 09:06am, shortfinals wrote:
I've actually found a simple greeting to the officer in the local language helps defuse any tension somewhat. A sawasdee kaa/krap/g'day/kia ora/gruezi/wie gehts/bom dia/buenos dias/hola/oi/kamustaka goes a long way.
We're not as mutli-lingual as you are, my dear shortfinals.
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 09:16am by jjpb3 »
shortfinals
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #6 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 10:18am »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 09:15am, jjpb3 wrote:
We're not as mutli-lingual as you are, my dear shortfinals.
que? pourquoi?
glam82
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #7 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 10:47am »
The friendliest for me would be the immigration officers at Karimun Islands, Indonesia, but they were friendly because they wanted some money on the side...
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 10:48am by glam82 »
KeithMEL1985
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #8 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 2:31pm »
My vote goes to HKT.
SIN is a hit or miss, but efficient nonetheless.
MEL's officers are pretty polarised - either downright jerks or the friendliest people in the world.
Airlineslover
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #9 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 2:42pm »
I will say KUL. They are really friendly. (Although I just went through KUL twice before)
I never see SIN immigration officers smile. Nor they reply my greeting in the past. Although they are efficient enough, but they are not friendly at all.
As for ADL, I experienced a very rude customs officer before and was very dissapointed with his action. Some will greet you with a smile and are very friendly, but not all.
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 2:45pm by Airlineslover »
MadameConcorde
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #10 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 3:41pm »
The friendliest immigration officers I have met are the ones in Papeete, Noumea and Rarotonga. Tonga and Western Samoa immigration was good fun. Fiji was easy too.
Not the ones in Honolulu. U.S. immigration officers always tend to think we are all entering the country to be illegal workers or terrorists.
I avoid the U.S. mainland as much as possible although I will never skip Hawaii as it is not the U.S. It is Polynesia, only stolen land by the U.S. from the native Hawaiians.
Now the easiest immigration has to be Paris CDG airport. They never seem to ask anybody questions and just stamp the passports and let people go through whether E.U. or not E.U. residents. Frankfurt, on the contrary, has heaps of immigration agents everywhere in the airport. Just have to go through them and show passports all the time.
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 3:43pm by MadameConcorde »
9V-JKL
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #11 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 4:56pm »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 3:41pm, MadameConcorde wrote:
Frankfurt, on the contrary, has heaps of immigration agents everywhere in the airport. Just have to go through them and show passports all the time.
I'm with you on this one. Once I had to prove that the passport was mine. They asked for other IDs to prove who I was on the passport.
glam82
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #12 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 5:10pm »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 3:41pm, MadameConcorde wrote:
Not the ones in Honolulu. U.S. immigration officers always tend to think we are all entering the country to be illegal workers or terrorists.
I avoid the U.S. mainland as much as possible although I will never skip Hawaii as it is not the U.S. It is Polynesia, only stolen land by the U.S. from the native Hawaiians.
I agree totally with you, probably one of the most unfriendly and suspicious bunch of people. I get stopped everytime I get here and it has gotten to the point where I don't get anyone to pick me up from the airport anymore so that they do not have to wait for me.
jjpb3Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #13 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 9:17pm »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 4:56pm, 9V-JKL wrote:
I'm with you on this one. Once I had to prove that the passport was mine. They asked for other IDs to prove who I was on the passport.
Yeah those roving officers used to annoy me too. But fortunately, I've never been asked to prove that my passport was in fact mine.
SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers?
« Thread Started on: Oct 11th, 2006, 02:46am »
So CGK , JPB and I were talking over the magnificent martinis they make at the Mandarin Oriental in London (I'm beginning to associate the watermelon martini with LON SIN Do's), and we arrived at the conclusion that immigration officers are, on the whole, a gruff lot.
Which brought us to the interesting question: in your experience, which immigration officers (i.e., at which airport) have been, on average, a notch above the rest in their friendliness / welcoming attitude?
My vote goes to the CGK (un-bolded font) officers who greeted me with a cheerful "Mabuhay" when my brother and I visited for a spell a couple of years ago, and who said "Paalam" with a smile when we exited the country.
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 02:48am by jjpb3 »
shortfinals
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #1 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 07:56am »
My vote goes to KUL (if you're a malaysian with a chip enabled passport)..... ah the joy of talking to a machine
cawhite
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #2 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 08:48am »
I'll give the nod to SIN. Always welcoming IME
shortfinals
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #3 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 08:58am »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 08:48am, cawhite wrote:
I'll give the nod to SIN. Always welcoming IME
Them too. Friendliest non-machine bunch around.
Shortfinals
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #4 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 09:06am »
I've actually found a simple greeting to the officer in the local language helps defuse any tension somewhat. A sawasdee kaa/krap/g'day/kia ora/gruezi/wie gehts/bom dia/buenos dias/hola/oi/kamustaka goes a long way.
jjpb3
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #5 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 09:15am »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 09:06am, shortfinals wrote:
I've actually found a simple greeting to the officer in the local language helps defuse any tension somewhat. A sawasdee kaa/krap/g'day/kia ora/gruezi/wie gehts/bom dia/buenos dias/hola/oi/kamustaka goes a long way.
We're not as mutli-lingual as you are, my dear shortfinals.
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 09:16am by jjpb3 »
shortfinals
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #6 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 10:18am »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 09:15am, jjpb3 wrote:
We're not as mutli-lingual as you are, my dear shortfinals.
que? pourquoi?
glam82
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #7 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 10:47am »
The friendliest for me would be the immigration officers at Karimun Islands, Indonesia, but they were friendly because they wanted some money on the side...
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 10:48am by glam82 »
KeithMEL1985
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #8 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 2:31pm »
My vote goes to HKT.
SIN is a hit or miss, but efficient nonetheless.
MEL's officers are pretty polarised - either downright jerks or the friendliest people in the world.
Airlineslover
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #9 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 2:42pm »
I will say KUL. They are really friendly. (Although I just went through KUL twice before)
I never see SIN immigration officers smile. Nor they reply my greeting in the past. Although they are efficient enough, but they are not friendly at all.
As for ADL, I experienced a very rude customs officer before and was very dissapointed with his action. Some will greet you with a smile and are very friendly, but not all.
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 2:45pm by Airlineslover »
MadameConcorde
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #10 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 3:41pm »
The friendliest immigration officers I have met are the ones in Papeete, Noumea and Rarotonga. Tonga and Western Samoa immigration was good fun. Fiji was easy too.
Not the ones in Honolulu. U.S. immigration officers always tend to think we are all entering the country to be illegal workers or terrorists.
I avoid the U.S. mainland as much as possible although I will never skip Hawaii as it is not the U.S. It is Polynesia, only stolen land by the U.S. from the native Hawaiians.
Now the easiest immigration has to be Paris CDG airport. They never seem to ask anybody questions and just stamp the passports and let people go through whether E.U. or not E.U. residents. Frankfurt, on the contrary, has heaps of immigration agents everywhere in the airport. Just have to go through them and show passports all the time.
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2006, 3:43pm by MadameConcorde »
9V-JKL
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #11 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 4:56pm »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 3:41pm, MadameConcorde wrote:
Frankfurt, on the contrary, has heaps of immigration agents everywhere in the airport. Just have to go through them and show passports all the time.
I'm with you on this one. Once I had to prove that the passport was mine. They asked for other IDs to prove who I was on the passport.
glam82
Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #12 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 5:10pm »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 3:41pm, MadameConcorde wrote:
Not the ones in Honolulu. U.S. immigration officers always tend to think we are all entering the country to be illegal workers or terrorists.
I avoid the U.S. mainland as much as possible although I will never skip Hawaii as it is not the U.S. It is Polynesia, only stolen land by the U.S. from the native Hawaiians.
I agree totally with you, probably one of the most unfriendly and suspicious bunch of people. I get stopped everytime I get here and it has gotten to the point where I don't get anyone to pick me up from the airport anymore so that they do not have to wait for me.
jjpb3Re: SQ Talk poll: friendliest immigration officers
« Reply #13 on: Oct 11th, 2006, 9:17pm »
on Oct 11th, 2006, 4:56pm, 9V-JKL wrote:
I'm with you on this one. Once I had to prove that the passport was mine. They asked for other IDs to prove who I was on the passport.
Yeah those roving officers used to annoy me too. But fortunately, I've never been asked to prove that my passport was in fact mine.
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