johnaalex

Very helpfull check in agent urged me to write and complain about the new useless seating policy. Despite wanting to help, the person in question could not explain why I could not have 1A&K on a future flight even though I did have them "reserved" originally. It would seem this new policy is getting the staff down as much as us. I was told that if they change a seat after the boarding card has been they printed they get a rollicking

It took over 30 minutes to get through security - do they ever open the second scanner? It was not even that busy which is why the check in agent had time to try and help with a future booking.

Still no JW Gold in the First lounge - I had the last drop out of a bottle last week and when I asked for more I was told "there would be a new bottle tomorrow". That was last week and still no sign of a new bottle (unless of course all supplies have been consumed in the meantime).

Is LHR and airport with a shopping mall attached or a shopping mall with an airport attached?

Regards

John

aristoph

Isn't it a bit early in the day to be drinking scotch?

justin_krusty

Not that long ago it was JW Blue we were complaining about... I can't believe you would settle for a bottle of Gold in the F lounge! Maybe they are waiting for a delivery of Black instead.... sigh.

Smirnoff

Last time I flew out Monday morning, it was queued back up the corridor towards the entrance from the street (where the nice man with the machine gun and the alsatian stands). I was told this is normal for a Monday morning.

I have never flown out on a Monday morning since.

DocH

Monday morning is always hopeless at LHR... the traffic is also appalling trying to get there.

irmster

T1 main security area was queuing all the way down to the domestic check in this morning. Took about 1/2 hour to get through, so not too bad.

awm

I arrived at LHR T1 for 0600 this morning, no queue at the F checkin but the security queue was hotting up. A couple of weeks ago I got there for 0630 and it was terrible, traffic backed up along the spur road, queues to the drop off point at T1 and security queues, so I vowed to get up a bit earlier and get there before 0600 - seemed to work over the last few Mondays.

I know I'm going over old ground, but this seating policy is ridiculous. Of the bookings I have with a colleague all of them have had our seats changed and we're split up. When I go to MMB and Seating, even though I can see 3A&C free, I can't move us there, presumably because my colleague isn't gold. Asking at check in if there was any chance of getting seats together, the lady behind the desk printed the boarding cards out and said "you've checked in online, I can't change your seats."

Is this what it's going to be like if I want to go away with my wife? I can pick my seat but she can't, even though we're travelling together and on the same PNR? Come on...

Smirnoff

Wrong thread, but yes. That's the new policy.

LH_Fan

According to what a BAA agent told me a couple of weeks ago, no - because BA only pay them to run one scanner.

G-BOAC

I must be honest and say I have seen 2 open...once in a blue moon. If BAA are moaning that BA only pay them to open one scanner, perhaps BA should be moaning a bit more at BAA for sending people over from the main terminal security farce, sorry, queue, which BAA are incapable of running properly (yes, just as they are everywhere else) over to Zone R on a regular basis to ease their problems there

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

It is never too early to drink a good scotch!

As someone once said, " Somewhere in the world, it is bar o'clock"

Regards

TBS

uk1

In the normal zones you have to get there and plant yourself at the entrance to security at 05:00. They are supposed to open it at 05:15. But each day they seem confused as it always takes them to 05:20. This is because they like to play with the zig-zag queue tape design to see how complicated they can make it. If you are first it's tempting to limbo. But if you aren't first ten it'd be bad form because you'd be q jumping.

By now there is already a queue but it seems to me that you have to get the first flight out to get through security relatively unstressed on a Monday morning.

Cargo Cult

I think we were there at almost the same time this morning. They did actually open up the second scanner just as I got to the front of the queue, which allowed Ms I'm Going To Barge Past To Join New Scanner Queue In Front Of You But Then Spend Forever Faffing Around to barge past to join the new scanner queue in front of me only to then spend forever faffing around with her stuff. I was caught off guard because I truly believed that the second scanner was just a dummy prop

I find turning up before 0600 to be a reasonably good way of avoiding queues (unlike T2 where there seems to be some sort of perma-queue in operation)

I note they've changed the way that the F checkin merges now - there's a rope barrier preventing you joining right at the front, but you can walk back along it a bit and join there. Except that nobody emerging from F this morning knew what to do and bemusedly wandered back to the tail of the queue. maybe that's the aim, I dunno.

adrianjc32

BA pay for 1.5 scanners which means that the BAA are able to drop to one machine at quiet periods and have both open when it is busy. Had this been negotiated after August I am sure that BA would have written it's interpretation of a busy time into the contracts. If it is any kind of a ray of light at the end of the tunnel I have seen quite a few new trainee security staff being shown around so the cavalry are coming!!

TMC

Both scanners in Zone R were open at 0800 this morning.

Only one open at 1400 - but there was no queue at all then.