Originally Posted by
T8191
Please forgive a selfish and personal perspective.
UK Residents, UK e-chipped passports.
We usually arrive at LHR T5 at around 0630 ex-IAD. I don't think we've ever had a major SANFU … we just wade through the crowd [in the Tensa maze] to use the e-passport gates. Although we're both registered with IRIS, only mine works. OK, so we haven't done this since last October, but is it really dramatically different now?
I have a slight sensation that there are a lot of posts from non-EU, or even non-British EU, which are slightly fogging the picture.
So … How difficult is it now, for me [and the OH] as British chipped passport holders to get across the Border? At 0600-0700?
Er. No.
I'm British and I promise you the queues last night were horrendous. And please can you explain to me why it is that it's somehow acceptable for the rest of the world to be left to queue for hours and hours just because you waltzed through in 30 seconds or whatever it was ? In case this hasn't registered, LHR is the face of the UK and the first thing many people encounter of our country. I was ashamed to be British in the queues last night.
The eGates were not working last night and the queues for Iris (which doesn't work for me - believe me I've tried) were pretty long too.
So please take back your assertion about picture fogging.
BAH