How did that work exactly? If she has an EU passport why not go that route in the first place? Or did she just chance it and hope they'd do a non-EU passport at an EU desk? (and what was the result if she did?)

I came through this morning off the BA106 from DXB. Landed at 0610, on a C remote stand at 0620 (after waiting for a couple of minutes for the guidance system to be switched on - did they not know we were coming) and then of course cramming into a bus to be driven to T5A (which the captain sold to us as a "benefit" over the PA, though I guess it did mean we didn't have to use the silly transit). By the time I cleared the UK border at 0720 I had made some new Botswanian, American and Canadian friends adjacent to me in the fast track queue having bonded over complaining about the useless excuse for a government department that is the UK Border Force. There was one border agent clearing the entire Fast Track queue.

By 0720 the non-EU queue was rammed with the entire snaky queueing area full up and Fast Track pass holders were being queued behind a tensa line outside of the main passport control area so they wouldn't impede the flow of passengers trying to cross the hall to get to the EU passports area. All in all I was actually pretty lucky (a) having had access to Fast Track and (b) just managing to beat the wave of other flights arriving after mine in the 0630ish bank. But it is a sad state of affairs when "Fast Track" takes over 45 minutes to clear.

Utterly shambolic.

They’d cleared the EU queue
She has a New Zealand passport and has permanent leave to remain for 20 odd years.
I think had they refused they would have had to answer some questions about staff sitting at empty desks on one side of the hall while on the other side the line was snaking out the hall.

Hasnt this always been the case in since T5 opened?

I have more than once recently heard the excuse that there was a long queue "because another full 747 arrived just in front of you". It seems the Border Agency still do not understand that Heathrow handles some 700 arrivals a day, they are stuck back in the days of Britannias rolling in now and then (with 90% of the pax British), and also there is no ability to get unexpected "bunching" of arrivals because the landing runway slots are scheduled months in advance at 99% of maximum capacity every day, all day long.

However they do seem to understand the income from passengers fees they receive, which is meant to cover the costs of the service adequately. They can bill BAA for this efficiently, it seems, but not provide the service paid for.

No idea. This was my first morning arrival at T5. Over at T3 they usually have two, sometimes three agents handling Fast Track. Last week I got off a CX flight at more or less the same time (0610) and was straight through Fast Track with no one in front of me at all. Now that may be luck but I have never had to wait more than 20 minutes at Fast Track at T3 (which I think is bordering on unacceptable for Fast Track but a damn sight better than the 45 minutes at T5 this morning).

Absolutely not! Usually in the morning there are 2 or 3 agents for fast track, IME.

Fundamentally, the London cab rules only apply to journeys within London. If your journey takes you outside London, then it's a free-for-all.

Not sure whether it's the cab driver being more dishonest by gouging as much as he can just because the trip to the Hilton "Terminal 5" is a trip to somewhere outside London, or the Hilton being dishonest by naming itself so as to pretend that it's not in Slough.

This is correct. EXCEPT from Heathrow airport. There is specific legislation in the rules for this.

Any hiring wholly inside London must be taken if 12 miles, or if one hour duration. However from Heathrow any hire up to 20 miles must be taken. Drivers are free to negotiate (which is what they are doing here), but if you say "on the meter" they must take you, and up to 20 miles in any direction from Heathrow at meter rates, plus the Heathrow surcharge (currently £2.40).

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/...axis/1140.aspx

With the help of a completely empty Iris, I was off the aircraft and landside in less than 5 minutes last night (6pm-ish).

To be fair to Hilton, it really is just outside the T5 perimeter, walking distance, and certainly much nearer to T5 than Hilton T4 or the Bath Road hotels. There's also a Travelodge there in Poyle too. Hilton T5 is quite a nice hotel, I stayed there on Friday when irrops made me miss by connection home to Newcastle. But it is definitely in Slough, postcode wise.

That said, the Hoppa bus H57 runs every 22 minutes and takes under 5 minutes gettting to the Hilton T5, and 12 minutes getting back (due to the visit to the Travelodge).

I've never seen more than one agent manning the Fast Track immigration queue at T5. It's not to say that there is never more than one, but IME (and had more visits to T5 than I care to count) there has only been one.

Thank you - useful to know, that.

Pleased to confirm IRIS was fully functional on this day of our Lord at 1300 hours. Even though the EU queue looked quite manageable, for me its automated all the way, whenever possible.

Although there was someone standing in the IRIS who can only be described as nothing short of a jumped-up goon.

Practically in love with self and voice that he would bray loudly at no one in particular (perhaps he had just snorted some of those 'legal' highs Theresa May is set to ban?).

Someone who clearly thought the recent Jubilee celebrations were actually for him rather than the Queen.

He was so full of pompous hot air that he actually had the nerve to march past two pax who were waiting in the queue for IRIS.

After the two pax had picked themselves up from falling over in shock at the rudeness that had just taken place, they strode up to stand in front of this DYKWIA, who continued to bleat relentlessly at nothing in particular.

Sometimes I weep for humanity :rolleyes:

Hi,

Yesterday afternoon at about 1500 there were 3 or 4 Border Agency staff at the bus arrival point ( we were bussed after the IB MAD-LHR flight) doing a passport check before we got onto the escalator to go to arrivals/ connections.

Regards

TBS