I just got my renewal passport in the mail yesterday and was shocked by the quality. The paper is so thin and the cover flimsy. I have all of my other old passports from as far back as 1973 and the new ones are pretty scary. As much wear and tear as mine gets, I can just imagine how it's going to look before it expires again (10 years from now)...if it can hold up for that long without ripping or falling apart. Happy Travels!

Oh, some of you will probably ask how long it took to get my renewal passport...I mailed it from a post office here in L.A. County on April 18th.I sent it to the passport center in Pittsburg.The postmark on the envelope from the U.S. Govt Mail service in New Hampshire(the agency that mailed the passport to me) was May 05.It's probably been sitting in my P.O.Box for a few days as I don't go to it but once or twice a week. So the service was fast...less than 3 weeks. Happy Travels!

i want to beat gpanda out by saying early on that it is directly W's fault that we will now have such flimsy passports....he and cheeny sat up nites trying to save money on this...

rhkkmk: If enough people like Guenmai complains about the flimsiness of the passports - W will just use that as an excuse to cut down more trees!! as in "there's no lack of oil just not enough refineries!"

Guenmai, they have a nice passport cover at the Brookstone store at the airport. See them at www.brookstone.com by selecting:
Travel & Auto >> Luggage >> Accessory Cases >> Passport Cover And Protector