Check-in times to US may hit five hours

From today's Guardian (and therefore to be taken with the usual pinch of salt):
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,7445,1197273,00.html

Add this to having to take my shoes off at US immigration (in case I managed to magically put a bomb inside them while I was on the plane, I guess) and taking finger-prints.

ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) may be well off the mark with their prediction, but it seems to me that the US Government is doing everything it can to put off people from travelling there. This confusion between terrorist and tourist! I think someone needs a dictionary.

I think there might be some degree of posturing going on here.   The travel industry claiming chaos and 5 hour checkin times in an attempt to get the US authorities to water down their proposed requirements.

Wouldn't it be great if all the checking was done in the UK, then we could just walk off the plane, collect our baggage and go straight to our destination on arrival in the USA.  Do all the immigration and customs stuff while we're hanging around Gatport.

I tend to agree with Graham,, especially in light of the US starting to loosen up on airport security,, it would make no sense. I know that after 9/11 when security was increased, even with extra checks, full checked baggage checks,, I never saw delays of that kind of magnatude.

Yeah.. I've even heard news articles in the past week or two make mention of them removing the check-point ban.  No idea when they're thinking they may start allowing non-passengers back to the gates.. but it's being discussed again as probable in the not-too-distant future