[ngngngng]

I prefer American screening. I was recently in Frankfurt and was very pleased to find they had a line for families with children, but then every single screen was equivalent to the screen you receive when you leave a water bottle in your luggage in the USA. Everyone was required to have a full on 2 minute conversation with the security agent, and children were screaming as they received intensive pat downs.

If you're going to have security theater, at least try and make it fast.

[alexanderchr]

This is not standard procedure in Europe. I’ve never seen anything like it. Must have been something special going on that day.

[RajT88]

Agree. I have been through Frankfurt a few times, and never experienced anything like this. Let alone the rest of Europe.

[FireBeyond]

I grew up in Australia, and mostly pre-911. Took my girlfriend and her daughter there from the US recently. Worst part of screening was emigration/passport checking, outbound, at Sydney.

They've never traveled abroad, so I'm bringing them with me. There's a bunch of open gates. Agent says "Use the three gates" to us, "so it can be quicker".

We do.

Her daughter's passport is being problematic.

Agents are being unhelpful. They're more interested in berating us. The same one who spread us across three gates speaks witheringly and condescendingly to us, "This is why you need to go parent - child - parent." Took every ounce of restraint to not say "Then why did you tell us to do something different a minute and a half ago?"

Said kid is an intelligent 16 year old. There was actually an issue with the equipment, not her.

[grepfru_it]

Ha, when I flew out of of Frankfurt to Italy, I just had to walk through a metal detector like it was 1998. So did every other person at that security terminal. Made me wonder why flying in America was not like that great experience