Weird question at Denver when checking in for our return flight to the UK

[WritersBlock]

We recently spent a couple of weeks in the USA. While checking in my bags in Denver for the return trip back to the UK, I handed the airline agent my US passport and boarding pass, and then he asked me when I was returning to the USA. I said something like, "I dunno; I live in the UK."

Then he asked if I had any paperwork to prove that. I'm thinking, "huh??" So I told him I have a British passport, and he asked if he could see it.

I've never been asked that question before upon *leaving* the US. The only justification I can think of for an agent of my departing airline to ask this question is if my US passport had less than six months to run. But it's brand new; I renewed it last year.

I'm wondering if this indicates a change in the UK immigration policy, or if he was just being an ass? Unless the UK government's now requiring that question be asked by airlines when checking in US - UK flights, then it's not really any of the Denver ticketing agent's business when I'm coming back to the US, as long as I have a valid US passport with more than six months to run on it, is it?

I just checked the UK Border & Immigration site and can't see any reason from the UK government's side for this question being asked of people departing the States right now. e-Borders doesn't even go into effect until October. So now I'm putting on my TFC and wondering if it's something new and improved from our "friends" at TSA.

[SoCalDem]

1. Having two passports may have triggered it

I always thought you could only carry a passport of ONE country at a time :shrug:

[tsuki]

6. I looked it up for Son. There is no restriction on carrying two valid

passports, or even having them.

[WritersBlock]

7. I have to enter and exit the US on my US passport, and enter the UK on my UK passport.

So I'm required to carry both with me. He didn't know at the time he asked the question that I had a British passport. I've only had it for a year or so; prior to that, I just had a stamp in my passport and a letter from the Home Office saying I had indefinite leave to remain. But I'd never been asked to produce either of those when departing the US; only when entering the UK.

Weird....

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Maybe he was surprised by the US passport when you're using a return part of a ticket back to the UK

People say they're suspicious of anything out of the ordinary, these days - which includes things as innocent as a one-way ticket. It's possible that if an American without the permanent right to stay in the UK went, without a ticket to come back within the time allowed (90 days?), they'd be in the 'suspicious' category. It may even be possible the airline would be held responsible, just like they're held responsible if they allow someone on a flight without a valid passport.

[DCKit]

3. Does it have to make sense? Remember who we're talking about here.

"Say Anything" has morphed into "Ask Anything" and Dog help you if you get angry at the bizarre questions, behavior and hoops you're asked to jump through in order to travel "freely."

[WritersBlock]

8. Could be. It's just that it's never happened before. I've made at least one trip per year back to

the States during the past few years, and I've never been asked this before.

But who knows... as someone downthread said, I should think of who I was dealing with :D

[Vinca]

4. You should be grateful they didn't strip search you and throw you in a cell.

And to think this election season the new talking point is "booga, booga, booga, the Russians are coming."

[WritersBlock]

9. Oh trust me, I AM.

Very much so.

[JCMach1]

5. That is unusal... I have never gotten that coming to and from my home here in UAE

on a regular basis.