[Khaled]

I travel at least 5 times a year by plane. I flew with Lufthansa regularly since 1986, except for some arrogant staff, it was OK. last February while flying back through Frankfurt back to Manchester UK, while boarding, I was stopped by Frankfurt Security Officer who asked me tens of questions about my flight to the UK. I tried to explain to her that I work as a doctor in England for 12 years and I carry an EU passport and according to EU freedom of travel, she had no right to stop me boarding. She insisted that she needs proof of residence in the UK!!
This is like an American flying from Washington to New York and security asks him for a US visa!!!
there was tens of similar passengers who carry the passport like me travelling on the same plane who never got stopped. The question she asked was private question about where I work what speciality..etc in front of other passenger, she was very rude, arrogant, unfriendly and very racist. I believed I was stopped because of my skin colour. I complained to Lufthansa who did not take any action, there was no reassurance that this will never happen again. I decided not to travel to or through Germany. I nearly paid twice with another airline not to travel with Lufthansa. The new Transportation Security company that runs Lufthansa took over in 2006, their orders were clear to target certain passengers from certain ethnic background..If you are dark skin, you will be treated with disrespect and humiliated in Germany!!

[Corbel]

the reason Lufthansa didn't do anything about this is because its NOT their problem. this sounds like security/customs to me. im sick of the whole i was stopped because im this colored skin or this religion....i thought we were past these times. i travel in and out of germany (mostly frankfurt) all the time for work. Lufthansa doesn't run security and security doesn't run lufthansa

[Khaled]

Me too I'm sick of airline employers who really HAVE NOT GOT A CLUE about customers feelings..you got to be on the receiving end to know the feeling..something you might never experience. If you spent two third of your life studying, research, publications, saving humans life..etc to be humiliated by some scums who happened to have some power and they abuse it bringing their frustrations and racist feelings on others..Yes it is not Lufthansa's fault but if Lufthansa does not do anything about it by advising Transportation Security to choose their employers who are not ex prison officers or used to work in Guantanamo Bay, Lufthansa will loose customers. I will pay triple the price not to be humilated by some low class sick security garbage.

[Khaled]

I have never complained about an airport issue. as I said I travel at least 5 times a year since 1986..I never experienced something like this!

[PHXFlyer]

This is AIRLINEcomplaints.org, not AIRPORTcomplaints.org. The security personnel have nothing to do with the airlines. They don't hire them. They don't train them. If you approached a security officer with a question about your ticket they wouldn't have a clue what you were talking about. Why do people have such a problem making a distinction between airline personnel and the security screening process? One has nothing to do with the other.

[Silent Bob]

True to the point Phx and Corbel. Khaled, your issue cannot be with Lufthansa, sorry but they can't and won't do anything concerning security issue and they definitely can't push any influence onto those who's job it is to screen passengers just because you are a doctor. Obviously telling the security your a doctor doesn't do anything, better to answer the questions and move on.

[Corbel]

this is like the complaint when i was a ticket agent at my local airport, this guy came up to me and complained that the TSA made him "strip" ok, take it up with TSA...not me!! i didn't nor did my employer hire these people

[Corbel]

so basically, your saying that if i decide to fly united, and i have a problem with TSA, i should go straight to united and tell them to do something about it?? i dont think so. i would go straight to the TSA. as should you. go to the people (what ever security they use at FRA, and tell them) lufthansa isn't going to do anything about it

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

In the USA, presenting a US passport would have ended the detailed questions and reduced the process to the standard questions: How long were you in (name of country)? Have you anything to declare? Etc. Does your EU passport show the UK as your permanent residence?

Even making allowance for the fact that you were in Germany when this happened, an EU passport should have responded to most of the questioner's concerns.

[Jetliner]

Khaled - you complaint is not with Lufthansa, it's with the German security company that was there. Lufthansa might be the airline hiring them, but it's only because they are required to hire someone. Lufthansa can go until they are blue in the face, they DO NOT control this company.

[Khaled]

I would like to thanks all of you for your support. What I wanted to say that I presented my EU passport to the TSA officer but it didn't stop her insulting me. It isn't lufthansa's fault for sure, but the airline will loose business if they don't do anything about it. There are tens of companies that would provide a more civilised service. Why should I travel again with lufthansa if the TSA in Germany is rude, unfriendly and racist. To the first comment: yes there is a lot if discrimination at airport based on someone's colour and name. You might not feel this if you are not dark skin. Thanks again for your kind words.

[Corbel]

well, im going to warn you about this. Brussels airlines flies out of the same terminal as lufthansa, therefore, the same security WILL be used. i guess you should avoid them as well in frankfurt. im almost willing to bet they use the same security company in all terminals so you may as well just avoid frankfurt and all airlines in and out of there so this doesn't happen again

[Khaled]

I think you misunderstood. I WILL NOT travel to or through any German airports because of their attitude. I flew with KLM, Air France, BA, Brussels Airline, VLM, Swiss Air, Qatar, Alitalia, Thomas cook, Monarch, easy Jet, ....etc..it is not just the airline..it is Frankfurt airport and the German Transportation ..(read the title)..as you know if you fly from UK to any country with Lufthansa, you have to stop at Frankfurt and I will never pay money to go to an airport to be humiliated. Lufthansa carries partial reponsibilty, if they allow this to happen they will risk loosing business.

[Silent Bob]

Khaled, carries absolutely no responsibility, whatsoever for the attitudes or the way TSA handles passengers travelling through Frankfurt. They have no control of security there, so they can't and won't accept even "partial" responsibility for how the security acted towards. They won't lose business, if that's the case ANY airline that works out of Franfurt will be out of business and I don't see that happening because of the building's security. You have made a choice to not fly thru Frankfurt (or avoiding germany altogether) and that's your choice, but you cannot complain about how Frankfurt's TSA treated you badly and then say it's Lufthansa's fault (even a little), because it's not. If you have a quip with the TSA, you have to take it up with them.

[justme]

SilentBob is 100% correct that NO AIRLINE anywhere in the US or the EU have anything to do with TSA or security personel nor should they be held even the slightest bit responsible in compensating you for the problems and aggrivation you endured.

[Khaled]

I DID NOT WANT OR NEED COMPENSATION! I will warn all my friends and colleagues...etc about the bad treatment they may have if they decide travelling through Frankfurt that includes-of course- flying with lufthansa.

[Corbel]

ok, so warn your friends about the possibility of rude security at FRA airport. but you do know that you could encounter this at any airport in any country. but why warn about lufthansa?? you didn't complain about them only except the fact that they didnt do anything about the security company (and once again, why should they) you only mentioned that you had a few arrogant staff...but that was ok.

[PHXFlyer]

You're not getting it. Regardless of which airline you fly the security personnel will be the same. I guess you just won't be flying to Germany any more!

[justme]

I was just reading thru this thread again and I'm confused about a couple things. First, why does it matter if you are a doctor? Doctors put their pants on the same way everyone else does. And just because you showed them a UK passport does not automatically mean you get a free pass on to the airplane. As far as they know, it could be fake, or expired, or you could be a wanted fugitive trying to get out of the country. The only people that get different treatment (that I know of) going thru security (at least in the U.S.) are military personnel on active duty/deployment orders. And the "special treatment" they receive really isn't all that special. Second, you say it's not Lufthansa's fault, then you say it is their responsibility in a later post. Which do you believe? The security employees were only doing their job. Most of the time the way they pick who they question is by stopping every 7th person, or 9th, or 18th, they just pick a random number. I have been stopped in many many airports in many many different countries for "extra" questioning and I am a white middle aged male. So the issue you have is definitely not isolated to Germany, definitely not isolated by race, religion, or nationality, and definitely has nothing to do with ANY particular airline.

[jimworcs]

Let's just be clear about a few things:

1. Travelling from Germany to the UK on an EU passport is not the same as travelling inter-state in the US. This is because despite having the rights to live and work in any EU state, each state within the Union has retained it's rights to exercise their sovereignty in relation to the right to live and work there. For example, Germany could refuse a UK citizen with a criminal record to live there, notwithstanding their rights under EU Law to live in any EU country.

2. The UK is not a member of the Schengen group of countries and therefore immigration rules apply to all people entering and leaving countries, even within the EU. The UK opted out of this. Khaled is wrong to suggest that this applies to UK citizens. The fact that the security staff at FRA selected her is not in of itself racist.

3. The questions you were asked, such as what work do you do, what is your specialty and where do you work are not personal or private questions. You are over sensitive if you think they are.

4. You work in a hospital. If I have a problem with the catering can I complain to you as the doctor and expect you to do something about it? It is ridiculous for you to ask Lufthansa to do something about an employee of a different legal entity over which they have no control. Your refusal to understand this distinction suggests that you have problems in appropriately assessing situations and causes me to have doubts about whether you have assessed the actions of the security officer appropriately also.

5. Until about 10 years ago, there was a significant problem in the UK with Irish Terrorists. This resulted in many of the people who travelled from Northern Ireland to England or Scotland being stopped by police at border control points in airports and ports. These people were travelling within the UK. Was this racist or prudent policing? We cannot allow our sensitivity to racial profiling to hamstring our security forces who are trying to protect us all. Just to be clear.. I am not suggesting in any way that anything more than a tiny minority of people of middle eastern origin are involved in terrorism, just as a tiny minority of irish people were involved in terrorism...but that is not the same as saying being suspicious of irish people or people of middle eastern origin is automatically racist in those specific circumstances.

You are perfectly within your rights to decide not to travel through Germany because you dislike their security procedures. In fact, I find the UK security rules at airport ridiculous, inconsistent and annoying and have reduced my flying as a result. But alleging racism when there is nothing in your allegations to back it up is unnecessary and likely to inflame people. I find that irresponsible and surprising from someone with a scientific background.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

On a slightly similiar subject:

* Has the British passport been abolished in favor of the EU passport?

* You said the UK still does not participate in the Schengen pact. However does the pact with the Republic of Ireland still exist wherein someone cleared for entry in London, for example, may proceed to the Irish Republic without encountering a second immigration control, and vice versa?

[jimworcs]

All EU states remain sovereign nation states and have retained their right to issue passports and control their borders. There is no such thing as an EU passport.

However, all states within the EU are required by treaty to allow other citizen's of EU member states to live and work in their country (subject to certain restrictions). For example, countries can exclude those who pose a threat to national security or have criminal convictions for example. Also, some countries have placed restrictions on citizen's of accession states for a period of years.

My point is that the comparison with inter-state travel in the US is not valid at all... and each country has retained the right to control it's borders.

The Schengen agreement is an agreement by some member states to create a common border. Under this agreement, the first point of entry of a citizen becomes the border control for all countries which subscribe to the Schengen agreement. So, for example, if an Indian citizen enters France at Paris CDG, and passes immigration procedures, they will not have to go through the procedures again if they then flew to Frankfurt. However, the UK did not sign up to Schengen, and this means that anyone flying to the UK, regardless of where they are flying from, is subject to exit and entry checks and this includes UK citizens.

The agreement between the UK and the Republic of Ireland to allow travel without passport controls still stands, although some form of ID may still be required. As the UK does not currently have an ID card system, these means in practical terms the most useful form of ID is a passport or photo drivers license. The UK will have a voluntary ID card system from 2010 and this will allow travel to any EU country without a passport, if you have a valid UK ID card. (The ID card will be voluntary for UK citizens, but compulsary for new immigrants).

Hope that helps.

[country girl]

[I understand that Frankfort Security is not Lufthansa, however, the airline is Frankfort Airport and hired this group which means they can also influence and change the company. In addition, I will not fly Lufthansa again because of this incident.

I was not hasseled because of my color. I am of Irish-French decent , born in the US and about as Irish as you can get. I was hasseled because I was traveling from Tehran. So therefore the racist designation Here is my story:

Unfortunately right after Osama was killed in Pakistan, flying Lufthansa for the first time, I returned home from Iran through Dulles International with a layover in Frankfurt. I have traveled for decades and gone through security all over the globe during extra high, high and low alert levels. I have never been treated as badly by any security people as I and the rest of my fellow travels from Iran, were treated in Frankfurt. When the high level of extremely inappropriate treatment was brought to the attention of the security supervisor, the response was to threaten the person presenting the complaint. In the future, I will avoid both Lufthansa and Frankfurt airport due to a low level of incompetence combined with high levels of alert producing an unhealthy environment for travelers.

[jimworcs]

Low levels of incompetence are desirable...

[Marie Jean]

• 1 human as me = 105 pounds

• total weight of my bag and my husband bag = inferior to my weight

• surplus of one bag 3 pounds taxed by UA "only" 100 $

• no cabin bag

• my thin person travelled squezed between 600 pounds persons

• United Airlines do not reimbursed me as they promised and make me send by mail and call them several times ( means the tactics of let it go )

Please note :

1. Wihin my position as PM, my company of 6'000 persons will never purchase a UA ticket ( and when I say never, it is never )

2. I will send my case to ALL who want to hear me - that is a perfect publicity for 100 $ surtax of thin human

3. I think UA should tax thin persons not 100 $, but 10'000 $


A very proud thin customer with 105 pounds weight