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-   -   Long queues at T5 border control (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1335455-long-queues-t5-border-control.html)

stimpy Jun 28, 2012 4:07 am


Originally Posted by WHBM (Post 18834815)
This sort of approach normally causes paranoia at the Foreign Office due to all those countries who are excluded causing upsets through their Embassies at being excluded, tit-for-tat retaliations for British entering the slighted countries, complaints about whites-only racial discrimination, threats to boycott British goods as they've been insulted, you name it.

You are right which is why I was surprised that someone here has reported seeing it. Maybe it's just for the Olympics, but I hope they can permanently do this, especially at T5.

MNManInKen Jun 28, 2012 4:09 am


Originally Posted by magyaar (Post 18834734)
every supermarket in the country manages to train sufficient people to use tills so that they can fill as many tills as they need to if queues get huge.

You clearly haven't used my local supermarket. ;)

LTN Phobia Jun 28, 2012 4:12 am


Originally Posted by WHBM (Post 18834815)
This sort of approach normally causes paranoia at the Foreign Office due to all those countries who are excluded causing upsets through their Embassies at being excluded, tit-for-tat retaliations for British entering the slighted countries, complaints about whites-only racial discrimination, threats to boycott British goods as they've been insulted, you name it.

I was a bit surprised that someone reported the lane being open. I haven't flown into T3 for about 4 weeks and I normally head straight to the IRIS gate anyway so I hadn't noticed it myself.

They can't say it's white only though, because they have included the Japanese nationals, it seems ;)

Anyway, I suppose I shall see if it's there myself when I arrive there next week.

Top of climb Jun 28, 2012 3:25 pm

Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (and also Monaco and BNO passport holders) are the countries to whom Britain extends Tier 5 (Youth Mobility) visas which suggest that there is already some degree of entrenched immigration reciprocity as to those countries.

But although that explains Japan it doesn't explain the US... so maybe that's a non-explanation rather than a helpful one!

EK029 Jun 28, 2012 5:50 pm


Originally Posted by LTN Phobia (Post 18834862)
I was a bit surprised that someone reported the lane being open. I haven't flown into T3 for about 4 weeks and I normally head straight to the IRIS gate anyway so I hadn't noticed it myself.

They can't say it's white only though, because they have included the Japanese nationals, it seems ;)

Anyway, I suppose I shall see if it's there myself when I arrive there next week.

I note that the President of the US has discernible Kenyan heritage.

Further, the clear majority of births in both the US and the UK are now to babies with significant African and/or Asian ancestry, so find it difficult to jump to the conclusion that US p/port holder lane = white only.

Sixth Freedom Jun 29, 2012 2:13 am

At T5 this morning off the DOH/BAH flight, landing at 06:30, there was no queue at UK Border at all. I just walked straight through to the Arrivals Lounge.

That makes three in a row without a queue! :)

LTN Phobia Jun 29, 2012 3:26 am


Originally Posted by EK029 (Post 18839317)
Further, the clear majority of births in both the US and the UK are now to babies with significant African and/or Asian ancestry, so find it difficult to jump to the conclusion that US p/port holder lane = white only.

I was merely responding to another post, which mentioned the potential accusation of 'white only policy' from various quarters, with an example of a country where probably less than 0.01% of its citizens are white. :)

xienon Jul 1, 2012 12:38 pm

Arrived at 06:40 last Sunday and waited 80 minutes to go through the fast track line. In fact, fast track was much slower than the normal non EU line as I was getting out of the line at the same time as people who arrived 1/2 an hour after me.

Many of us in the fast track line were joking about how the olympics will be a complete fiasco. Only 2 booths were processing fast track while the staff processing the UK/EU were just sitting there staring at an empty line. Finally an American couple about to miss a connection headed to a non fast track window when they reached the front of the line and managed to convince that border officer to process the fast track line. After that, the line moved a bit faster with 3 windows open. All in all, completely unacceptable.

Also, BAA staff was never checking boarding passes or asking for the fast track flyer when people were joining the queue.

taske Jul 1, 2012 1:58 pm


Originally Posted by xienon (Post 18852762)
Arrived at 06:40 last Sunday and waited 80 minutes to go through the fast track line. In fact, fast track was much slower than the normal non EU line as I was getting out of the line at the same time as people who arrived 1/2 an hour after me.

Many of us in the fast track line were joking about how the olympics will be a complete fiasco. Only 2 booths were processing fast track while the staff processing the UK/EU were just sitting there staring at an empty line. Finally an American couple about to miss a connection headed to a non fast track window when they reached the front of the line and managed to convince that border officer to process the fast track line. After that, the line moved a bit faster with 3 windows open. All in all, completely unacceptable.

Also, BAA staff was never checking boarding passes or asking for the fast track flyer when people were joining the queue.

I encountered similar circumstances when passing through on 6/22. 2 guards to process fast track and about 10 to process UK/EU which was empty nearly the entire 60 minutes that we waited. When someone in fast-track asked about the UK/EU guards handling some of the foreign passports, the lane guard said that they aren't trained to stamp books. I imagine it takes more than applying a stamp but she made it sound as if that's all there is to it and those guards weren't even trained enough to apply a stamp.

I'm afraid that you made the same mistake I made in taking the fast-track line. According to the tensor barrier guardian, it isn't a "fast-track" line. It is a "priority" line. She said there is no guarantee that it will be fast.

Three days later after taking the 285 home to SFO, there were 4 guards processing US passports and about 30 processing foreign passports. It looked like it took the same amount of time to get through both lines.

MNManInKen Jul 1, 2012 2:56 pm


Originally Posted by taske (Post 18853070)
Three days later after taking the 285 home to SFO, there were 4 guards processing US passports and about 30 processing foreign passports. It looked like it took the same amount of time to get through both lines.

With all due respect, but while I agree that the queues at T5's border are infuriating and need to be addressed, I have frequently had long queues and waiting times at US immigration as well.

vla Jul 1, 2012 3:28 pm

Here's a common sense solution to alleviate the concerns of all and to actually do something to combat the problem. For those non-EU nationals on a long-term entry clearance (ILR, spousal visa, Tier 1 or Tier 2 visa, other long-term Entry Clearance), let them use the UK/EU queues. Those with biometric residence permits, let them use the ePassport gates. As most would be taxpayers, this will please the Home Office's best (foreign) customers. And as these are low-risk, pre-cleared returning residents, attention can continue to be given to those requiring more scrutiny.

Because at the end of the day, the point is that absolutely nobody wants to read things like this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...-approach.html

cme17 Jul 1, 2012 3:34 pm


Originally Posted by vla (Post 18853500)
Here's a common sense solution to alleviate the concerns of all and to actually do something to combat the problem. For those non-EU nationals on a long-term entry clearance (ILR, spousal visa, Tier 1 or Tier 2 visa, other long-term Entry Clearance), let them use the UK/EU queues. Those with biometric residence permits, let them use the ePassport gates. As most would be taxpayers, this will please the Home Office's best (foreign) customers. And as these are low-risk, pre-cleared returning residents, attention can continue to be given to those requiring more scrutiny.

Because at the end of the day, the point is that absolutely nobody wants to read things like this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...-approach.html

Not quite so easy. The people manning the EU/EEA desks are probably the contingency staff who have only been trained to process EU/EEA. It is likely that they will not have stamps, so cannot process other passengers, even if there are no queues.

stimpy Jul 1, 2012 3:37 pm

How bad is the transit queue at T5 to BA Domestic flights?

The _Banking_Scot Jul 1, 2012 3:58 pm


Originally Posted by stimpy (Post 18853536)
How bad is the transit queue at T5 to BA Domestic flights?

Hi,

I have not found it too bad as there were only a few people in front of me in the EU/Line c 5mins max for the passport check.( non-EU pax had only 1 or 2 officers so they might have had to wait a bit longer)

Regards

TBS

xienon Jul 1, 2012 7:35 pm


Originally Posted by MNManInKen (Post 18853336)
With all due respect, but while I agree that the queues at T5's border are infuriating and need to be addressed, I have frequently had long queues and waiting times at US immigration as well.

Agreed, the US requirement to fingerprint all visitors really slows things down. I've learned never to pick the line behind a large family as they could easily take 15 minutes or more.

The one big difference is that the US officers in the citizen line will process foreigners when all the citizens are through.


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