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-   -   Any FTers arriving into LHR or LGW on June 30? Strike day? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1230265-any-fters-arriving-into-lhr-lgw-june-30-strike-day.html)

randomflyer Jun 25, 2011 7:33 pm

Any FTers arriving into LHR or LGW on June 30? Strike day?
 
As the title of this thread may hint, I am.

Guess the best laid plans to avoid the strikes, by coming home in September before the promised "Autumn" and "Winter of Discontent" didn't count on suddenly having a general strike on June 30, long after plans were set.

After reading in the paper that the Immigration/Border staff are included in the public employee group expected to strike (or not, but we'll find out), I wrote to BA to ask what they would advise travellers coming in on a flight needing to clear immigration.

I'll cut to the lead: They just said "watch this space" essentially. And check for updates in their travel news section.

Not a surprising answer. But wanted to ask the question anyway.

Why am I beginning to get visions of 747s and various big birds piled up at stands Thursday morning, not allowing pax to get off, because the immigrations halls were already full and nobody there to let them through?

So, guess all we can do is "watch this space" on the BA travel news. Sigh.

(And hope for the best on Thursday of course, whatever public employee portal one has to traverse.)

Liba Jun 25, 2011 7:37 pm

We are scheduled to arrive LHR on the evening of the 29th and depart on the 30th. Should I be concerned?

Google is not helping me at all. Do you have any information or links to help keep me informed? If we are likely to get stuck in London I will make different plans and pack differently than if we are just there for an overnight layover.

randomflyer Jun 25, 2011 9:00 pm

Nobody knows how big this strike is going to be or if it's going to be a big bust and nobody strikes. It's an unknown right now. All that hyperbole that "this is the biggest strike since the General Strike of 1926" might be true. Might not. Who knows?

It seems mostly to be centered on teachers taking a day off to protest, but it's also a "public employees" call to action over their pensions.

But if the June 30 strike disrupts commuter travel in anyway, imagine how hard it will be for flight crews, cabin crew and airport staff to get to the airport on June 30 to work--even though they aren't on strike themselves. That's where I see the potential disruption for the airports on June 30--lack of crew, ground staff to get flights out of there and lack of border agency personnel to get incoming flights through immigration will undoubtedly be a problem if the strike really is big.

Follow bbc.co.uk web site and click on "news." Look for headlines about June 30. Also www.telegraph.co.uk newspaper. Less so www.dailymail.co.uk because they often get stories rather wrong. So not that reliable on the detail. Also, www.skynews.com has a web site with text to read, even if you can't access their live video reports.

And of course the workers' rag: www.guardian.co.uk

They live for strikes! LOL

If you happen to have a Virtual Private Network that can allow you to watch the BBC and SKY NEWS live tv coverage from their own websites, then they will have updates as well.

But if no VPN, the above web news sites and newspapers will be following it as it gets nearer.....

Meanwhile BA ain't talkin'! And why would they? Thousands of people planning to fly in that day are completely unaware of this unless they follow UK news closely. If BA put something on their web site about this now, everybody and his dog would be phoning them wanting to change the dates etc. So I understand why they are playing it cool.

All they can do is react anyway. It's BAA's and the Border Agency's airport, not theirs. BA are as stuck as we are if a big strike actually occurs.

Am hoping it's a tempest in a teapot. But we'll see. I hope to get out to Ireland on July 1 after one night at the Sofitel T5. But....sigh.

Atalanta Jun 26, 2011 4:23 am

i'm waitlisted for the flight back from GRY on Wed so landing LHR on Thu AM. Can't say I'm too worried about the strikes, maybe if others get worried they'll cancell and i'll clear my waitlist!

traveller42 Jun 26, 2011 5:06 am

I should be arriving at LGW from VCE on Thursday evening on the 2585.
Hopefully by then it will be clear how many people are supporting the strike and how much of a shambles things are. If the strike is well supported, I wonder if they'd be brave enough to just open the gates and let people in without being checked?

stimpy Jun 26, 2011 5:39 am

I have a family member transiting LHR on the way to EDI on the 30th so I will be following the news on this more than I care to.

A P Yu Jun 26, 2011 5:52 am

The border agency are training managers to cover the desks. This could result in there being more immigration staff than normal on duty - depending on how many do strike of course. But don't worry.

BA6501 Jun 26, 2011 5:54 am

I had a day trip to EDI on the 30th, I have changed it to the 28th just in case.

LHR-HUB Jun 26, 2011 6:01 am

I'll be coming back from CDG on Thursday evening, but I'm not too worried.

Will IRIs be working? Not sue about leaving my (non IRIS) colleague in a mile long queue though (will try to register him when we go out).

mcinverness Jun 26, 2011 8:16 am


Originally Posted by LHR-HUB (Post 16626927)
I'll be coming back from CDG on Thursday evening, but I'm not too worried.

Will IRIs be working? Not sue about leaving my (non IRIS) colleague in a mile long queue though (will try to register him when we go out).

Good luck with that - maybe just co-incidence but IRIS registration has been unavailable on my last 12 trips out of T5 (yes, I've been counting...)
Ah well try again tomorrow just in case those queues are nasty when I arrive back from ORY on Thursday evening...

David-A Jun 26, 2011 9:14 am

Above all else, don't believe everything you read online. Especially if you don't know the nature ad competence of the source.
Otherwise, you might believe some ridiculous bit of complete misrepresentation such as this:


Originally Posted by randomflyer (Post 16625926)
And of course the workers' rag: www.guardian.co.uk

They live for strikes! LOL

Do you honestly have any clue about what you are talking about?
Make no mistake, where you fall on a political spectrum doesn't bother me, but misrepresentation does - it undermines democracy.

antichef Jun 26, 2011 12:35 pm

I am flying in from DUS on Thurs evening, and I do hope the IRIS machines are not on strike too!

evanderm Jun 26, 2011 1:55 pm


Originally Posted by antichef (Post 16628376)
I am flying in from DUS on Thurs evening, and I do hope the IRIS machines are not on strike too!

Wasn't IRIS terminated altogether?

heckenhocker Jun 26, 2011 4:10 pm


Originally Posted by antichef (Post 16628376)
I am flying in from DUS on Thurs evening, and I do hope the IRIS machines are not on strike too!

as far as I can tell, one or other machine is on strike most of the time....though I have not noticed them inform of the results of their ballot :D

antichef Jun 26, 2011 5:40 pm


Originally Posted by evanderm (Post 16628677)
Wasn't IRIS terminated altogether?

The scheme is to end, but has not yet!


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