20:00 tonight, EU queue snaking back to the hall entrance and a sum total of 3 staff behind the desks. Iris empty. You have to wonder with such a long queue how they can't get people behind the desks - it's just not acceptable. Non EU was a fairly long snake too.

I really don't think even with 100% staffing of the desks there are enough of them and am starting to think the only solution is some major redesign of the whole entrance area.

The difference between T-1 and T-5 is shocking. I can't believe this hasn't been addressed yet as the solution is so simple.

Arrived at LHR T-1 at 7am last Thursday. No lines whatsover, more staff working T-1 than I saw last month at T-5. Was through in <1 minute in the non-UK line.

If BA management is reading this (doubtful): PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT YOU ARE LOSING MY HIGH REV PAID BUSINESS CLASS FLIGHTS TO LHR UNTIL THIS IS FIXED. Time is money for business travelers and we do have other options.

One more comment and if anyone from BAA is reading this: why direct people at the head of the queue to the next available desk. It's laughable to see UKBA staff waving hands, saying "Next" or "Helloooooo" to the bemused EU travellers becuase it probably doubles the time to process each person. If you're in the IRIS queue, you'll have a front-row view of what I mean.

What do you want BA management to do?

The issue is with UK Border staff action and who are paid by HM Government; not BA or BAA. BA and BAA have complained to the HM Government but as the HM Government is busy implementing budget cuts, this is having little impact. There is nothing BA or BAA can physically do themselves.

BA and BAA could in theory offer to pay more airport landing charges (resulting from already very higher UK airport tax) to HM Government but that does not mean more UK Border staff will be added. In short, it is the HM Government that is ripping customers off by charged the tax and not providing the service.

BA or BAA cannot employ their own UK Border staff under the current arrangements.

The press caught on to this after about a week's heavy venting on FT at Easter time. Unless you can get the press to highlight this issue again, HM Government is not going to be pressured into further action.

BA's official conduit for communication with the government is through the Department for Transport's officials, up to the Secretary of State for Transport.

The border staff officials are part of the Home Office, up to the Home Secretary.

Therefore they never speak to each other or have the slightest understanding of each other's issues. Officially.

Long queues at T5 border control
 

Flew out of MAN last week and they were doing exit passport checks just after clearing security (my UK Passport checked, wife's Canadian passport thoroughly thumbed and checked for Residence Permit, asked where we were going and why...).

They have the resources therefore available somewhere in the system...why not allocate more to LHR? As has been mooted here before methinks they may be above all trying to make a point at LHR with lengthy queues proving this for them rather nicely.

Late last night I managed to get faster in line (second off the plane) and spent 58 minutes in EU immigration queue. Collegue travelling ET, and mixed with more pax, from more destinations, spent 76 minutes in the same queue.

We saw the back of the last courtesy bus to Hilton T4 (23.45) as it departed.

:mad:

Arrived on the delayed BA376 from Paris at around 23.30 last night...queues back through to the concourse, mostly looked like holiday flights arriving. Skipped down the side of the EU queue, IRIS lane completely empty, felt very smug getting through in 30 seconds. Looked like at least an hour's wait for most people.

In light of this, what possible rationale could there be for scrapping IRIS? How long will the business community tolerate their high-value travellers having to deal with the pathetic inadequacy of the home office if the only fast-track solution to getting into the country is abandoned?

This helplessness is a clearly a key issue. Ultimately it doesn't matter to UKBA what airline someone flies into, but if BA cannot realistically influence the situation at T5 then I will switch my regular flights from DUS to LH and fly into T1.

I am very disinclined to do this because in every other respect I prefer BA: the lounges at T5 are nicer (and at DUS very little difference), I have status with BA whereas I'd have to earn from scratch on LH but ultimately nothing is more important to me than getting home on time.

The official rationale is that it costs too much and delays people. Exactly whom it delays is unclear.

Presumably they mean that by removing IRIS, they free up space for an extra lane - i.e. keeping it is an opportunity cost.

They could start by staffing all the existing lanes!

In fairness, when I was there yesterday, they were all staffed.

wow, that has to be a first.

IRIS was doomed as it threatened civil service jobs...

Long queues at T5 border control
 

A data point. I arrived off the 178 last night. The electronic gates, we were told, were being rebooted. The people in the ordinary queue would I estimate have taken about 5-7 minutes to reach the desks. The electronic gates went green as we passed that side of the queuing system so we ducked under the barriers and were through using them.