Long queues at T5 border control
Apr 13, 2012, 3:53 am
#17
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Not sure which airport I was in recently which seems to lend out buggies to parents airside - AMS or ARN. I do wish LHR could do the same.
Back on topic, half term in February also had 90 minute+ queues for EU at LHR at 10pm. Luckily our kids are now older and could cope but some of the parents with smaller children were having real problems
Apr 13, 2012, 4:01 am
#18
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A wonderful AUH F lounge, a great EY F flight, and a complimentary BMW transfer to Dorset was totally spoiled by a 45 minute immigration queue at T4 - it was like a rugby scrum.
As a Brit I'm frankly ashamed with some of LHR's operational aspects - it makes the UK look very much second-rate in comparison to some other countries (although the US can be just as bad!).
Apr 13, 2012, 4:10 am
#19
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45 minutes ain't bad, once was @ JFK and the line was getting longer and longer, imo it almost reached the plane. I asked the immigration officer how long before everyone gets processed, he looked and said around 2 hrs, when I had an astonished look on my face, he said once during the summer it was 5 hours. When I said that it really is very embarrassing for a first world country to have 3 world service, he said that they were cutting down on employees with no plans to hire again.... Shame.
Apr 13, 2012, 4:28 am
#20
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45 minutes ain't bad, once was @ JFK and the line was getting longer and longer, imo it almost reached the plane. I asked the immigration officer how long before everyone gets processed, he looked and said around 2 hrs, when I had an astonished look on my face, he said once during the summer it was 5 hours. When I said that it really is very embarrassing for a first world country to have 3 world service, he said that they were cutting down on employees with no plans to hire again.... Shame.
I was at the begining of the queue looking at the arrival hall for 1H30, near a TSA agent who was letting in only US passport and US resident (they where then using the line they wanted). They finaly released us and let us use some of the US resident line. Such a nice gesture.
Was not the time I faced a "friendly" alcohol smelling agent, who had his head falling on his desk and start snoring, before waking up again and again.
But this is a diferent story.
Apr 13, 2012, 4:46 am
#21
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You know what drives me nuts? The utter bollocks UKBA is peddling about IRIS not working and being a waste - arrived off the 286 yesterday just after 1pm and the queues were massive for the UK/EU line. Not as bad as the pics here recently snaking back all the way along T5A but basically about full in the actual border area. Two IRIS machines, both working, I was out in under 30 seconds not minutes. It's a total travesty that they're scrapping it.
My best arrival ever into T5 remains the day the useless UKBA were on strike last year
My best arrival ever into T5 remains the day the useless UKBA were on strike last year
Apr 13, 2012, 5:01 am
#22
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You know what drives me nuts? The utter bollocks UKBA is peddling about IRIS not working and being a waste - arrived off the 286 yesterday just after 1pm and the queues were massive for the UK/EU line. Not as bad as the pics here recently snaking back all the way along T5A but basically about full in the actual border area. Two IRIS machines, both working, I was out in under 30 seconds not minutes. It's a total travesty that they're scrapping it.
My best arrival ever into T5 remains the day the useless UKBA were on strike last year
My best arrival ever into T5 remains the day the useless UKBA were on strike last year
FD
Apr 13, 2012, 5:26 am
#23
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That wasn't Shannon was it? The last time I went through on the LCY JFK route, the agent had clearly been on some massive lash the night before. Stunk of booze, red eyes, head on his hand.
Apr 13, 2012, 5:44 am
#24
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You know what drives me nuts? The utter bollocks UKBA is peddling about IRIS not working and being a waste - arrived off the 286 yesterday just after 1pm and the queues were massive for the UK/EU line. Not as bad as the pics here recently snaking back all the way along T5A but basically about full in the actual border area. Two IRIS machines, both working, I was out in under 30 seconds not minutes. It's a total travesty that they're scrapping it.
Apr 13, 2012, 5:55 am
#25
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No JFK but exactly the same behaviour. He did not even say one word, only pointing and showing various set of fingers, but this is not uncommon.
Apr 13, 2012, 6:26 am
#26
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I totally agree with you when you say "the class of travel also makes a difference how quickly you get off the plane", but that's the extent of the carrier's responsibility IMO.
I travelled JFK-LHR in F a couple of weeks ago, and yes, I disembarked first. However, because of temporary disability I walk very slowly and so I arrived at UKBF immigration a lot later than most of my "fellow travellers".
Could I then have insisted that I be allowed to jump all the queues, on the somewhat specious grounds that I was a first class passenger? If I did, I could imagine the gauntlet I would then have to run!
Apr 13, 2012, 6:44 am
#27
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Hello britbronco22,
I totally agree with you when you say "the class of travel also makes a difference how quickly you get off the plane", but that's the extent of the carrier's responsibility IMO.
I travelled JFK-LHR in F a couple of weeks ago, and yes, I disembarked first. However, because of temporary disability I walk very slowly and so I arrived at UKBF immigration a lot later than most of my "fellow travellers".
Could I then have insisted that I be allowed to jump all the queues, on the somewhat specious grounds that I was a first class passenger? If I did, I could imagine the gauntlet I would then have to run!
I totally agree with you when you say "the class of travel also makes a difference how quickly you get off the plane", but that's the extent of the carrier's responsibility IMO.
I travelled JFK-LHR in F a couple of weeks ago, and yes, I disembarked first. However, because of temporary disability I walk very slowly and so I arrived at UKBF immigration a lot later than most of my "fellow travellers".
Could I then have insisted that I be allowed to jump all the queues, on the somewhat specious grounds that I was a first class passenger? If I did, I could imagine the gauntlet I would then have to run!
It's the same in ZRH and FRA if you're travelling *A and have status (or class of travel) - priority everything.
Apr 13, 2012, 7:30 am
#29
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You know what drives me nuts? The utter bollocks UKBA is peddling about IRIS not working and being a waste - arrived off the 286 yesterday just after 1pm and the queues were massive for the UK/EU line. Not as bad as the pics here recently snaking back all the way along T5A but basically about full in the actual border area. Two IRIS machines, both working, I was out in under 30 seconds not minutes. It's a total travesty that they're scrapping it.
My best arrival ever into T5 remains the day the useless UKBA were on strike last year
My best arrival ever into T5 remains the day the useless UKBA were on strike last year
Neither BA (in their terminal), UKBA, nor BAA want to accept responsibility, but it incenses me when I am in F, that I cannot use any kind of priority line. The passport readers are useless (the new EU machines), take a look at Helsinki.....
As for the fast track non-EU queue - BA are doing a disservice to their F and J EU passport holders, because the UKBA agents will allow an EU passport to go to a non-EU desk, it is BA who are preventing us from using the fast-track.....
Apr 13, 2012, 8:00 am
#30
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Bodes well for the Olympics, then.
Or maybe they'll have Olympic immigration lanes at LHR for the "VIPs".
A bit farcical that UKBA laid off a bunch of border officials recently, only to have to re-employ _and_ retrain new ones.
Agreed regarding F and J EU nationals' immigration with or without the Olympics. It's the weakest link in the chain. You've blown $10k on a ticket, been treated to a level of service that many look on in awe and envy, only to be chucked into a steaming pot at the other end. Rather a let down after all that brown nosing. Same applies to baggage reclaim.
Also agreed re the IRIS system, although finding an IRIS office open to register has always been rather difficult.
Cheers, Howard
Or maybe they'll have Olympic immigration lanes at LHR for the "VIPs".
A bit farcical that UKBA laid off a bunch of border officials recently, only to have to re-employ _and_ retrain new ones.
Agreed regarding F and J EU nationals' immigration with or without the Olympics. It's the weakest link in the chain. You've blown $10k on a ticket, been treated to a level of service that many look on in awe and envy, only to be chucked into a steaming pot at the other end. Rather a let down after all that brown nosing. Same applies to baggage reclaim.
Also agreed re the IRIS system, although finding an IRIS office open to register has always been rather difficult.
Cheers, Howard