sunrisegirl

I think you mean Immigration. There is no fast track for Customs - they pick who they want!

HIDDY

That flight landed 3 minutes early....according to you it landed late?

zkzkz

It never fails, pilot announces that due to favourable winds we expect to land in London about 20 minutes early -- sometimes more. Then we get to the general area and are told that due to traffic, surprise, it'll be another 20 minutes before we land.

I notice that the DUB-LHR flights are scheduled for different durations depending on the time of day. I'm pretty sure it's the same distance between the two airports all day long. The congestion at LHR is so predictable they can set schedules by it.

Luckily though the stairs and buses thing is a special service BAA provides just for BA to thank them for being such good a customer. At T1 and T3 I can normally walk out via IRIS in a under 10 minutes from leaving the aircraft.

UncleDude

Clearly the OP has never arrived early at a EWR..when you have to sit on the aircraft waiting for Border Protection to open. Then because there's no Fastrack for Premium Passengers at EWR you notice that only 1 Person is maning the Visitors Line of 100 people waiting. Plus of course unlike the UK there is no IRIS or other electronic clearance system for non-US Citizens. Also you have to claim your Bag and recheck even though connecting to Mexico. Don't even ask at any USA Airport for an Arrivals Lounge and a Nice Cooked Breakfast and a Shower. Finally if GW Bush had not decided that USA should amend their clocks on differerent dates to everybody else in The World, scheduling arrivals at LHR in Mid March and early November would be much easier.

Makes T5 and LHR sound like a Dream to me.

HIDDY

The OP clearly has too a easy life if he thinks his experience deserves a rant tag.

Waterhorse

Or the slots they are using will not allow the same duration flight times.

For T5, parking space, particularly on gate rather than remote, is at a premium. If you arrive early the stand that had been planned for you is not available and so you either have to wait for it to become available, or you are put on another stand at short notice. This short notice stand is often remote and things are not all in place for you - no buses planned as you should be on a gate, no-one to turn on the stand guidance as the TRM to do this is still on another job etc. Sometimes more haste is less speed!

PUCCI GALORE

Thank you. I thought that I was the only one who rather wondered which planet the OP was on. When I think of the time that I have spent in stacks wating for EWR to release us - and just try JFK on a nice thundery day for a 6.oopm arrival. If there is the remotest whiff of a storm we will probably be held until the bar runs dry.

I have to say that Immigration has improved somewhat in the US - oh but wait we all have to be pre-cleared dont we? Of well not the crew but everyone else has to cough up $14 for an ESTA. I sincerely hope that we reciprocate Europewise. Fast Track - that's a laugh. As for the gates - yes its tedious but saves walking from through the terminal and riding the lifts and the busses.

Oh someone remind me - this is all BA's fault isn't it - from Heathrow's two runways, ATC, UK Border Agensy (well it starts with the same letter so they are bound to be involved somewhere, to the traffic jams on the M25 when I want to get home to sainsbury's a hot bath and depending on the time of day a cup of tea or a stiff gin.

origin

Sit back and enjoy the view.

Its a bit like flying into BOS on a sunday evening watching the boats return from the weekend or Sunday sailing.

Droch

I agree with you that EWR and JFK are both horrible. The back ups to leave EWR make LHR's look like nothing. You would think in this modern age with electronic passports and so on that they could have better ways to get through imigrations.

I am assuming once terminal C is finished things may be a bit smoother and getting a gate easier. At least the baggage comes off at LHR. PHL you may wait an hour for the idiots to start working.

I really posted this to see what type of response I would get and it was a perfect responses from all. I guess the whole industry is plagued with ineffectiveness and lazy people. It is nice when things flow along smoothly.

DYKWIA

Circling this morning, we got a great view of a BA777 just a 1000 feet below. Fortunately, only for around 10 minutes.

Yahillwe

You should be glad that you posted on BA's forum, if it were on LH's they literally would have massacred you and insulted you for being American on tops.

sunrisegirl

What an unfair statement to make

No we're not all lazy and ineffective people, we just have to work with the tools we're given.

SFOSpiff

That's not entirely true about US airports - UA has arrivals suites at SFO and ORD where you can get a shower and some breakfast (though not a full cooked one).

And you do have to be paid/award J or F to get in...

My experience at the T5 arrivals lounge is that's it's great for getting a shower, but the food options weren't that good compared to the galleries lounges. Maybe that's just because I arrive after 11 am and things are winding down.

HIDDY

Indeed.

The thread title is inaccurate and the rest does seem to be rather exaggerated. Not quite sure what the point was the OP was trying to get across to be honest. He got the rant part right at least.

origin

I have to agree that it was an odd statement. I am still trying to work out the line before, maybe jetlag has kicked in.

Anyway, its never the staffs fault, its always the wrong sort of pax.