Keir Starmer at it again..

[Derby Wolf]

Last trip to USA, 2 fookin hours to get through security. That meant we hit LA rush hour by the time we collected our car. Another 2+ hours to drive 17 miles.

Its unbelievable. When I lived in Canada we crossed the border at Buffalo (NY) and it took at least 90 minutes but then crossing back into Canada was 15-20.

 

[Tony Towner]

JFK I did in 35 mins, 5 years ago.

LA was just nuts. Some electronic check in then get in a frigging queue. Hoping Atlanta is better going when I finally get there

Bastard. 'Going' in December. Throw Covid passports into the mix and I expect it to be longer than the flight

 

[Kenny]

Bastard

Would have been quicker but the lad in front of us in the queue was marched away to an interview room

 

[Tredman]

JFK I did in 35 mins, 5 years ago.

LA was just nuts. Some electronic check in then get in a frigging queue. Hoping Atlanta is better going when I finally get there

Atlanta is ace, should sale through assuming you don’t get some border guard in a mood.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Not directly but my other half (like DW) studied German (and French) at uni, a crucial part of MFL studies is the Erasmus programme where they can take their skills and really develop themselves living and studying with native speakers... my other half spent her year in Germany and France. Students are no longer eligible for Erasmus as its an EU initiative. The government have introduced the Turing scheme but unlije Erasmus this doesn't include tuition fees and has extended it to include schools, so some spotty cretin from Harrow gets to go off and do 6 months before uni but the lass from a South Derbyshire council estate can't. Working class learners are shafted they'll leave university with worse language skills than my SO or Dan.

Those graduates then are completely unemployable or the careers they go into, translation are watered down. If they become teachers the cycle repeats with pupils taught poorer standards etc

Cannot overstate this.

As of 2001 I would say my French and German were roughly equal after two years of uni (I'd done French for a wee bit longer as that was right from the start of secondary school whereas German was third year onwards). Then I moved to Hamburg.

There is a very good reason why I now never work in French and exclusively in German when I'm doing translation work. Wouldn't even try French unless it was for free and as a favour to a mate or something, I couldn't do it to a professional standard that I'd be satisfied with.

Cutting that off is a complete disaster. I have no idea what the position is with the scheme I was on - it wasn't Erasmus but a formal thing of being a language assistant* over there. It's been in place for 25 years, maybe 35 years. All ripped up and for what exactly?




*Teacher, basically. They'd have an hour off and leave it to me. Thanks, la. I'm 20 and I've got no training. Fuck it, I'll tell them why David Beckham is better than Michael Ballack, that'll do.

 

[Tredman]

Bastard. 'Going' in December. Throw Covid passports into the mix and I expect it to be longer than the flight

LA is fucking terrible - 4 hours last time I was there!

 

[Jabbawolf]

Atalanta is ace, should sale through assuming you don’t get some border guard in a mood.

Italians can be a bit petulant....

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Last trip to USA, 2 fookin hours to get through security. That meant we hit LA rush hour by the time we collected our car. Another 2+ hours to drive 17 miles.

Yep, i had a good 2-2.5 hour ordeal in LAX last year too, amazed i didn't catch covid that day (maybe i did)

 

[leedswolf]

Out of interest, what affect has Brexit had on people? On a personal level I can’t say it’s had any effect. Shipments took a bit longer around January time but that’s about it really.

Beerdome, an online beer shop based in the Netherlands, stopped shipping to the UK at the end of last year because of all the additional costs as a result of Brexit.

I read that by June they may be a possibility of less foodsfuffs being exported by EU members to the UK because of border checks, etc.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Yep, i had a good 2-2.5 hour ordeal in LAX last year too, amazed i didn't catch covid that day (maybe i did)

Oz is often no better. Spent many happy hours in the immigration queue at Brisbane.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

By contrast Singapore is usually super quick and efficient. It’s also the best airport on earth.

 

[Kenny]

By contrast Singapore is usually super quick and efficient. It’s also the best airport on earth.

My last trip overseas was Singapore, took an hour and a half to get through security.

Nowhere has matched the chaos of Mexico though. That is a free for all and lucky if you get out of the hall with limited aircon in under 3 hours

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Athens always used to be bad but I haven’t flown there in years. It may have improved.

 

[Tredman]

Not been since 2014 (I think) but it was pretty good - very empty though.

 

[Tredman]

Christ I miss flying

 

[Johnny75]

Christ I miss flying

Oddly enough I don't at all. I miss the places I fly to but the airports and the travel can get in the bin.

 

[Tredman]

Oddly enough I don't at all. I miss the places I fly to but the airports and the travel can get in the bin.

I love airports, I know that's really weird but its like the gateway to a new experience etc.

 

[Kenny]

Airports are shit (bar Singapore obvs)

I need to fly again to wipe out the memory of 3 shit flights getting to and from Singapore in 2019. The only decent flight was the Singapore to Dubai leg, the rest were horrible. Emirates were appalling.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I hate airports, but then I hate people in general. You lot are lucky I like you. Well, most of you.

 

[Tredman]

Airports are shit (bar Singapore obvs)

I need to fly again to wipe out the memory of 3 shit flights getting to and from Singapore in 2019. The only decent flight was the Singapore to Dubai leg, the rest were horrible. Emirates were appalling.

Dubai is shit - not quite sure how they have made it so bad.

I quite like Birmingham tbh, but Denver is my favourite, closely followed by Schipol.