At least 500 people were waiting to be checked by the dozen or so Customs and Border Protection officials at Dulles International Airport in Washington last month. The queue seemed to snake on for ever. In the hour it took me to reach the front, I had read a couple of chapters of my book – and the many brightly coloured signs asking us to be polite to staff as they were trying to be polite to us were, to put it mildy, beginning to get on my nerves.

So last week, Times Travel visited the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square in London to ask what’s being done to improve the welcome US officials give travellers – a matter that regularly prompts letters from irate readers. We sat down with Marie Damour (Consul, Chief of Visa Services), David Tiedge (Transportation Security Administration), and Richard Galbraith and Michael Balero (both Customs and Border Protection).

Here are their responses to our questions about staff friendliness – and their answers to our key questions on travelling to the US:

Are reports that you are consulting Disney to train officials to be nicer to visitors true? Yes, we are in consultation with Disney. But they are not training staff. We are asking them about how to create quicker queues, create better signs and introduce videos.

What’s the latest on fingerprint checks and iris scans at immigration – is that adding to waiting times? At the moment there is simply a two index-finger scan and a picture taken – no iris-recognition system. The scans and pictures take seconds. We may bring in a ten-finger scan, but we are testing the technology.

Some people are confused about what information they need to give to airlines at or before check-in. Well, it’s mainly biographical: name, date of birth, passport number. But we also require the exact address for your first night in the country.

What if you haven’t booked somewhere to stay? The airline will not let you check in until you have.

The US Senate is considering proposals that require visitors to send this information to airlines 48 hours before they travel. Is this going to happen? All this is merely speculation. Nothing of the sort has been officially announced.

Do I need a new biometric passport to enter the US? No, a machine-readable passport is fine. [Most UK passports are now of this type.] However, very old passports that do not have bar-codes that machines can read are not acceptable. Airlines should not let passengers board with these.

Are children allowed to enter if they are on parents’ passports but do not have their own? No. Children must have their own passports.

Do travellers need a visa? Tourists do not need visas. They are allowed to visit under the visa-waiver programme and will be given waiver form 194 to complete on aircraft.

Occasionally, readers forget to hand back the part of this form that is left in their passport during their stay. Is there a problem if people accidentally keep this form when they leave? Yes. If these are not handed back, the person is officially regarded as still being within the US. This will cause problems the next time they try to visit.

What can you do if you’ve forgotten to hand back the form? It should be posted as soon as possible with a covering letter to: ACS-USCIS, SBU, PO Box 7125, London, Kentucky, KY 40742-7125, USA.

What are the rules about locking the luggage that you check in? On the way to the US you can lock your bag. However, on returning from the States, customs officials need access to all bags. If you wish to lock bags they should be locked with TSA (Transport Security Administration) locks which are available at US airports and baggage shops [www.tsa.gov].

Some readers have asked whether minor driving offences such as speeding need to be declared on visa-waiver forms? No, but if there is a more serious driving offence that has resulted in arrest and/or conviction, such as drink driving, that would have to be declared in advance, and travellers will have to apply for a visa.

Do you keep a league table of “friendliness” for different airports – we’ve heard Miami has a bad reputation? Absolutely not .

Where can I get further information? The Embassy has an information line on 0904 2450100 – £1.20 a minute. Or see www.usembassy.org.uk. Also, Customs and Border Protection: www.cbp.gov. United States visas: www.unitedstatesvisas.gov. Transportation Security Administration (TSA): www.tsa.gov. Department of Homeland Security: www.dhs.gov.

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