GUWonder

The colonizer government is competing with some of its former colonial possessions to come into the modern era and ditch the antiquated process of using paper landing forms. The form's elimination can't come soon enough for me, if they manage not to mess things up even more by doing so.

A self-service machine for US citizens at LHR on their first ever trip to the U.K. isn't necessarily going to be a time saver for the US passport-using passenger. As it is, my use of U.K. landing cards doesn't slow me down even a noticeable bit at LHR T5 compared to my use of the UK epassport gates without a landing card there.

Jimmie76

If you're travelling with someone who is in a different cabin on the plane to you it adds to the time at the CBP in my experience. Last time I flew into BOS I was in First and my family member was on the Upper Deck in Club World. I had to wait at the machines for them so that they could enter their details/passport/facial picture etc. Before the machines they could just join me in the line when they caught up. The first time we used the machines I just went through and did all that on my own then when talking to the officer he asked if I was travelling alone. I said that I had family on the flight and he said that we must go through together doing the machine entry as a family and made me go and get them out of the line. Said we should use the same customs form as well.

UKtravelbear

Not that what happens in the UK has anything to do with the USA and vice versa but family groups should always go through immegration together. The officer was right.

Jimmie76

Yeah I realised that when talking to him and expecting him to say back of the line. I then realised that it was going to be a pain having to use these machines if travelling with someone as it would just add to time getting through immigration.