Recent Experience at LHR?
 

Anybody have recent experience on security wait times at LHR? Also any thoughts on relative security wait times being in VS Premium Economy or AA Business?

AA Business will get you Fast Track at LHR T3, if you are talking about leaving the UK. VS Prem Eco will not unless you are a VS Gold Card holder.

Came through LHR on Monday. Fast Track was a breeze. 5 minutes maybe. That was at about 8am. The regular line appeared quite a bit longer, but still under 30 minutes I'd sy. They don't allow any of the "baggie fluids" the US does, so lose everything. Lines at the ticket counters were much longer than security.

Did LHR on friday. Took 10 minutes through security. The security is insane though. I had a very small bag with my laptop, charger a book and two shirts. The security informed me that 6 kg was it and that was that. so i had to take my 3kg laptop out of the bag and check the carryon bag. Insane -i can't imagine the plane being in jeopardy because i have 2 kilo over the limit (and my bag is much smaller than what was allowed).

But waiting times? non-existent. The Virgin lounge is quite pleasant. Got myself a dinner and a haircut.

(btw. do you know how silly it feels to lug a thinkpad in a clear see-through duty free bag???

This sounds like idiocy imposed by Virgin. I never fly them but heard that they are fanatic about carry-on weight. But then you say "security informed me". Surely they don't have scales at security??

But I guess the UK is still on my boycott list. You can't, for example, carry a small briefcase with your laptop and your carry on as I normally.

As usual the UK surpasses US security idiocy. Just like the plastic cutlery that went on for like 4 years after 9/11.

Truth to be told it was someone who didn't wear a Virgin uniform but who interviewed me before i was allowed to the upper class checkin counter. He told me he was "security". Altough i should have known better than state security, it could very well have been a Virgin employee.

I don't think i'll fly them again. They kind of sucks, and their seats are way too narrow.

"gnaget" - from solna?

That would be VS Security. They've been doing that for a few years now. VS and BA are both picky, at least on EWR-LHR-EWR flights, and have had the 6 KG (approx 13 lbs.) for some time too. My intended carry on has usually been weighed at check-in and I've seen them weigh carry-ons at the gate.

Is there a Fast Track for pax connecting to a US-bound flight?
The only time I've used it was arriving at LHR from the US, and I got the hot-pink envelope to use as access. Which I still have. Do I need to use that to access the Fast Track when connecting from a LH flight to a UA flight?

LHR security erratic
 

We just came home from Dublin where we were routed both ways through LHR. Flying UA and BMI. When you arrive from the states you must go through security again (long tedious line) for the ongoing flight. Very erratic. They had me dumping mascara, etc and I had to wad up my handbag into my cosmetic (train case) case to meet their one carry-on only rule. However, we saw others breezing through with two carry-ons. On the return, it was even more bizarre. I checked my train case so I would have only one bag and watched security entering the UA terminal allow two men with 2 huge carry-ons each go through. When my husband and I asked, the guard said he let them by because they were men. My husband again complained to the guard at the end of the security lineup and he said he would not have let them by (although he did) but the other guy at the beginning of the line (before x-ray) was responsible, not him. Duh. We face them again on Oct 31 and I dread it. I can live with the rules, though it makes me furious that terrorists have put us in this situation, but not when the rules are bent for some and not others.

Another annoyance: in LAX on the return, someone opened my train case and evidently couldn't get it closed again or?? and it came off the conveyor open with stuff falling out. I was furious. It does not have clasps that come apart easily so it did not "just happen" as UA tried to explain. In the old days before the liquid crisis, it would have been hand luggage. Amazingly, I cannot find anything missing. I have no idea what possesed someone to open it and just leave it open.

Limit is supposed to be 8 kg for UC. However, we simply act as if our bags are featherlight and have always successfully ignored their efforts in both LAX and LHR to weigh them. You mean they are now nabbing folks before they get near the scale?

BA should now be if you can lift it unassisted into the overhead (and it doesn't exceed the maximum permitted size), then you can carry it onboard. But with all the changes in restrictions, it's not entirely clear they've kept that rule.

On a similar note, BA has delayed the implementation of their new checked baggage policy until DfT can get their S together.

Came through LHR twice last week.

First time was through the FCC T3-T4, but I was very early in the morning, having been in the first set of flights that landed right after the 6:00 a.m curfew. Had no lines at all and walked right through the FCC security.

Second time was T4-T3 at about noon on Sunday, but landside, since KLM wouldn't check my bag through to UA. No line at the T4 immigration and 5 minutes max at the T3 "fast track" security, although the regular lines didn't look much worse.

I am afraid there is no Fast Track in the flight connections centre. (Not quite true but is only for BA Premium Passengers).If you are flying F or C, you could immigrate at T2, walk underground at T3, and the use Fast Track security in T3 for X-Ray.

This would depend on the length of the line at the Flight Connnections Centre.

The hot pink envelope is for immigration only.

Yes, although I prefer to say that Gnaget is from Stockholm.

Thinking back I did fly VS once about 8 years ago. It was a "never again" experience and they did seize my bag at LHR.