Jan 20, 2015, 5:28 am
Last edit by: hillrider
LHR charges for the cost of this screening to the passengers. For example, if you transited LHR on a round-trip in economy class from the US, you paid GBP 54.39 (USD 83.10) for this (on the ticket under tax/fee "UB").
EU Regulations state that "transfer passengers and their cabin baggage may be exempted from screening, if: (a) they arrive from a Member State [...] or (b) they arrive from a third country where the security standards applied are recognised as equivalent to the common basic standards [...] [E.g. the USA]"
SECURITY CONTROL both ways:
NO SECURITY CONTROL either way (Schengen to USA or v.v.):
NO SECURITY CONTROL from Schengen to USA (control on the way back from USA to Schengen):
EU Regulations state that "transfer passengers and their cabin baggage may be exempted from screening, if: (a) they arrive from a Member State [...] or (b) they arrive from a third country where the security standards applied are recognised as equivalent to the common basic standards [...] [E.g. the USA]"
Security control when connecting between USA and Schengen flights (European airports competing for LHR traffic)
SECURITY CONTROL both ways:
- LHR
NO SECURITY CONTROL either way (Schengen to USA or v.v.):
- FRA (A/Z-gates only) [Lufthansa hub]
- MUC [Lufthansa hub]
- AMS (from mid 2015 when reconstruction works finish) [KLM hub]
- HEL
- ZRH [SWISS hub]
- CPH
NO SECURITY CONTROL from Schengen to USA (control on the way back from USA to Schengen):
- VIE
- WAW
- ARN
- OSL
T5 security is a total disaster! [inc Fast Track issues]
Dec 15, 2014, 3:30 am
#781
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA GLD .25MM, CO, UA, US, DL, HH, SPG (all cardboard)
Posts: 1,951
After paying attention this time through, the cause of the delays today was the very long time it seemed each tray spent being viewed in the x-ray, leading to no room on the conveyor to load new trays.
Dec 15, 2014, 3:37 am
#782
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mostly UK
Programs: Mucci Extraordinaire, Hilton Diamond, BA Gold (ex BD)
Posts: 11,209
Arriving back at T5 this morning (4:55) was HORRIBLE. The F experience ends the minute you get off the aircraft (didn't even get let off first) - parked at a C gate and the train was packed due to simultaneous arrival of BA12 and a couple of other large aircraft - hundreds of people all trying to get on the same train - it was uncomfortably packed...people were then queuing just to get on the escalators up to Transfers and UK Border which didn't look safe so I took the lift.
So for me - departure good, arrivals rubbish.
So for me - departure good, arrivals rubbish.
You can walk through and beat the crowds waiting for the train.
Dec 15, 2014, 3:58 am
#783
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Lincoln UK/BKK
Programs: BAEC Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 423
Happily located in the breakfast area of T5 GF (well, as happy as possible at this time of the morning).. Arrived at 5.50am, didn't like the look of the tensabarriers outside south security, but pressed on through Fast Track and found.... no queue.... The new area was working well and I must have been through in 5 minutes or even less. Was quite concerned having read this thread 
Dec 15, 2014, 4:06 am
#784
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
My proposal for Fast Track would be to staff it with people who work for, or are accountable to BA. That would hopefully improve the customer service and also reduce the finger-pointing as to whose fault it is that security is such a shambles.
Last night's random act of improvisation: "You have liquid touching metal so we need to test one of the items in your resealable bag". I had purchased a new tube of toothpaste during the week but not yet opened it, so the foil cap was still on. Seems it caused a hotspot on the xray machine. Top Tip: if you buy a tube of toothpaste prior to going through security, make sure you remove the foil.
Last night's random act of improvisation: "You have liquid touching metal so we need to test one of the items in your resealable bag". I had purchased a new tube of toothpaste during the week but not yet opened it, so the foil cap was still on. Seems it caused a hotspot on the xray machine. Top Tip: if you buy a tube of toothpaste prior to going through security, make sure you remove the foil.
Dec 15, 2014, 4:11 am
#785
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,607
staff walked off? Or had you mistaken customers for someone who worked there?
Dec 15, 2014, 5:20 am
#788
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Try MUC Terminal 2. It would seem as though security exists to ensure that the agents get as much time socialising together as possible. There, they don't even remove a tray from the queue for secondary screening, no, everyone just has to wait whilst the passenger digs around to find their nail clippers, and don't even think about walking through the archway whilst they are doing so either. Also, if you haven't finished the conversation with your colleague then most definitely don't let any passengers through until you have.
Dec 15, 2014, 5:38 am
#789
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,828
Dec 15, 2014, 5:56 am
#790
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Germany
Programs: BA Executive Club Silver, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Alamo Insiders, Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold
Posts: 90
Mrs Wooster and I experienced T5's security farce on a recent trip from MUC to DEN and return. On the outbound leg we got stuck behind some numpty who had decided that the contents of 88 ner lights did not actually count as liquid and could therefore go through as hand luggage. For some unknown reason my hand luggage had been selected for secondary so we had to wait for 20 minutes while the solitary member of security staff on secondary dealt with the ner lights.
On our return leg, after going through fast track flight connections, we spent 20 minutes or so in the queue for security. Mrs Wooster's bag then got selected for secondary screening. After another 15-20 minute wait a manager came over, took the bag to another screening machine and gave it to a very bad tempered member of staff who moaned at him, ran the bag through the x-ray machine and advised us there was nothing wrong.
From my experience of security at LHR and DEN, I would say that the TSA staff are completely professional in comparison to the staff at LHR. Mrs Wooster underwent a pat down going through security at DEN and the staff there were polite, friendly and happy to chat. The staff at T5 seem like a bunch of poorly trained amateurs in comparison.
On the plus side, I hit silver as a result of this trip so it wasn't all bad!
On our return leg, after going through fast track flight connections, we spent 20 minutes or so in the queue for security. Mrs Wooster's bag then got selected for secondary screening. After another 15-20 minute wait a manager came over, took the bag to another screening machine and gave it to a very bad tempered member of staff who moaned at him, ran the bag through the x-ray machine and advised us there was nothing wrong.
From my experience of security at LHR and DEN, I would say that the TSA staff are completely professional in comparison to the staff at LHR. Mrs Wooster underwent a pat down going through security at DEN and the staff there were polite, friendly and happy to chat. The staff at T5 seem like a bunch of poorly trained amateurs in comparison.
On the plus side, I hit silver as a result of this trip so it wasn't all bad!
Dec 15, 2014, 5:59 am
#791
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: BA LifetimeGold GGL/CCR
Posts: 1,140
However bad the situation at LHR security is, some long posting 'seniors' at the BA FT forum (I do not want to use the word 'apologists') will point out locations elsewhere where the situation is even worse (according to them of course). When a bad experience with BA is reported they point to other airlines who are worse. This is not very helpful for the posters who report sometimes awful experiences and it does not motivate them to continue posting here.
Dec 15, 2014, 6:05 am
#792
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
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I think if you take the thread as a whole, there's information, conjecture, good ideas, good reviews, bad reviews - which isn't a bad outcome.
Last edited by corporate-wage-slave; Dec 15, 2014 at 6:10 am
Dec 15, 2014, 6:18 am
#794
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: BA LifetimeGold GGL/CCR
Posts: 1,140
Well I certainly would hope that bad experiences are posted here, indeed two of them are from me. These bad experiences certainly happen and it is worth highlighting. The reason I tend to push back a bit in this thread is that read in isolation this thread would give the impression that each and every passage through LHR is going to be a bad one, whereas in reality life is more nuanced: sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes (in fact mostly) indifferent. If only bad experiences were allowed to rest unchallenged, as implied by your final 2 sentences, it would give a very misleading impression to occasional visitors. Your experiences are valid, but so are mine.
I think if you take the thread as a whole, there's information, conjecture, good ideas, good reviews, bad reviews - which isn't a bad outcome.
I think if you take the thread as a whole, there's information, conjecture, good ideas, good reviews, bad reviews - which isn't a bad outcome.
Dec 15, 2014, 6:25 am
#795
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MAN/BHX
Programs: ABBA
Posts: 6,027