Gagravarr

For some value of "soon", and some value of "will"....

(Even after an invocation of Article 50, we'd be bound by EU laws for at least 2 years, maybe longer, so that's the very minimum for "soon" and they don't seem to want to invoke it just yet. As for "will", all depends on what's negotiated, other non-EU countries like Norway and Switzerland have that kind of queue.)

Probably better to say "there is a non-zero chance that the line might vanish in 2.5+ years, but no-one will know about that for at least a year, likely much longer"

LondonElite

Are you in possession of some tidbit of inside information? (Or just chucking some nonsense against the wall in the hope it may stick?)

paul00

You'll find the Fast Track immigration queue to the left of the non-EU immigration queue. Strictly speaking it's not Gold Track as not all *G card holders have access (only *G card holders of certain airlines, like Avianca, have access).

LondonElite

I know where it is, just never realised that certain *G members had access!

GUWonder

I find that highly improbable, at least for a couple of years ahead. And even after a couple of years, the LHR primary line label separation/filtering may well be akin to how EU Schengen ports of entry/exit handle passengers from say Norway and Switzerland.

stut

Another data point: all e-passport booths closed at T3 last night, EU/EEA queue running at 90+ minutes. Lots of people missing the last tube/HEX as a result. Really not acceptable.

UKtravelbear

I really do wish people would complain to their airline. HAL, their MP etc etc about this sort of thing.

The target time to clear the UK/EEA line is 25 minutes for example.

stut

That's over double what I would consider acceptable, to be honest... But it beats 90 minutes.

GUWonder

If only these transport providers at LHR behaved like some transport providers at small airports in Scandinavia, where the non-car/non-taxi transport options wait for the last passengers to get out of the airport. But LHR is too large for that to ever be done so reliably.

When missing the last tube/HEX, the cheapest paid way into the city is the night bus system. It does work well enough to get from LHR to parts of Central London, and it may be cheaper than even the Tube. But it will eat a lot of time. I've seen that done when LHR T3 immigration has had a beastly line for me.

How was the T3 non-EU/non-EEA line?

T3 fast track immigration closes too early for me sometimes and then too often I may end up stuck waiting for 45-90 minutes unless I try the terminal shuffle.

stut

In the case of the Tube, this will soon be addressed, but at weekends only. The sticking point has always been maintenance.

The HEX/HC could operate later (the mainline services operate all night), but I imagine the cost of staffing the Heathrow Stations (including the security sweep of each train as it turns round), driver hours and signalling would be prohibitive.

There are also services from Hayes & Harlington all through the night, and an all-night bus heading up there from Heathrow. Not a great frequency, though...

Don't know, I'm afraid - this was a friend's experience, not mine. From what I understand the delays were principally on the EU/EEA side as the machines were all closed and they hadn't increased staff on the desks to compensate. Whether or not they transferred staff from the non-EU/EEA side to help, I don't know.

aidy

what a ridiculous comment

NWIFlyer

To back up the OP's experience, the BBC today reports that UK Border Force has missed its targets for non-EU/EEA immigration checks in all terminals for May and June, and it sounds like that will continue into July. This isn't just a near miss - it's a massive gap. The phrase "not fit for purpose" doesn't remotely begin to describe the state of the organisation right now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36868585

alanR

In the old days the minister responsible would resign.

GUWonder

In the current days, the thinking is that there is a reward for showing how "tough" they are at the border. The government knows there is a backlog and will be ugly backlogs and more than tolerate it.

Just wait and see what happens with the lines at LHR if/when the EU gives the UK a "temporary" 7-10 year break from the freedom of movement of EU citizens.

LondonElite

Kind of tricky when the minister responsible just became PM. Oh wait, that's like a resignation!