I arrived into JFK airport in New York on Sunday night for my first ever trip to the Big Apple (or one of the branches of the apple tree, perhaps, as I am visiting White Plains). Apart from feeling slightly nervous that I have brought the torrential UK rain with me, I am feeling a little more tired than usual after the transatlantic flight, courtesy of US Customs & Border Protection.
Our flight landed ahead of schedule around 9pm. At 9.30pm, a Boeing 777 full of passengers were standing in line for the US immigration process, always a somewhat slow but understandably thorough process. However, at 10pm, virtually all of the officers packed up and left their booths at the end of their shift. According to the American Airlines ground staff, the US Federal government is declining to pay overtime to the staff and there was no-one due on after 10pm. I was roughly in the middle of the visitors queue and it took me almost two hours to clear immigration. At least I didn't have to wait for my luggage! My thanks to the few officers who decided to stay on, apparently unpaid, to get us through.
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