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Delays at UK airports ...

Delays at UK airports ...

Old Apr 28, 2012, 3:28 pm
  #31  
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Originally Posted by stut
I think the only way to protest is the British way.

Once in the queue, get everybody singing "why are we waiting" to the tune of Adeste Fideles. That'll panic 'em.
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Old Apr 28, 2012, 3:53 pm
  #32  
 
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Immigration at BHX this evening, < 5 mins
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Old Apr 28, 2012, 4:52 pm
  #33  
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Originally Posted by iainbhx
Immigration at BHX this evening, < 5 mins
One of the joys of living in a place that no-one in their right mind would go to
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 3:51 am
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by stut
I think the only way to protest is the British way.

Once in the queue, get everybody singing "why are we waiting" to the tune of Adeste Fideles. That'll panic 'em.
I thought the British way was to not complain at all, and when asked say "Oh no, there's nothing wrong here!" but then moan about it for the next fifty years and continually repeat what you almost said.
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 7:56 am
  #35  
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Unhappy Union warns border agency cuts make lengthy queues at airports more likely

theguardian: Union warns border agency cuts make lengthy queues at airports more likely
I am not certain this surprises any of us...

APD and UKBA passport control can make coming into LON airports a real deterrent!

Passengers flying into Heathrow on Saturday reported having to wait for up to three hours before clearing passport control. The issue has become a major government concern in the runup to the Olympics, with immigration minister Damian Green being summoned before the home affairs select committee about the problem.

But the Public and Commercial Services union has warned staff cuts at the Border Agency will make tackling the queues difficult, with 1,500 staff going by 2014. The union's general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We've warned time and time again that, as elsewhere in the public sector, cutting jobs in UKBA is not only unnecessary, it's hugely damaging. Quite clearly, there are not enough staff."
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 9:31 am
  #36  
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They could get some of that staff back by transferring the customs agents scrutinizing Eurostar passengers at St Pancras supposedly entering from a common market country. Suppose they would require years of cross-training first, alas.
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 9:42 am
  #37  
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It does create an awful impression when they have these little signs up saying "Due to increased security measures it may take longer to process your entry"
Then you get to the desks and half of them are empty. It is pretty clear that the delay is not increased security but woeful staffing.

Never had a problem at LHR but arriving at LTN* at 23.00 and the queue almost runs up to the plane's doors, then when you finally get to the desks, there is one little old lady running it, it's past her bedtime, she hasn't got her teeth in and she has already had her cocoa.

If I weren't British I would be wondering where the devil I had landed

* I appreciate discerning FTers do NOT "arrive at LTN" but needs must sometimes.

It's not a uniquely British problem, arrive at LIM and you will see that not only are just half the desks manned but only half of them have computers and chairs too.
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 9:51 am
  #38  
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Originally Posted by JohnnyColombia
It does create an awful impression when they have these little signs up saying "Due to increased security measures it may take longer to process your entry"
Then you get to the desks and half of them are empty. It is pretty clear that the delay is not increased security but woeful staffing.

Never had a problem at LHR but arriving at LTN* at 23.00 and the queue almost runs up to the plane's doors, then when you finally get to the desks, there is one little old lady running it, it's past her bedtime, she hasn't got her teeth in and she has already had her cocoa.

If I weren't British I would be wondering where the devil I had landed

* I appreciate discerning FTers do NOT "arrive at LTN" but needs must sometimes.

It's not a uniquely British problem, arrive at LIM and you will see that not only are just half the desks manned but only half of them have computers and chairs too.
I might start trying to fly in/out of LCY with connections at AMS or CDG this summer...the non-EU lane there is generally pretty good...sigh...
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 3:39 pm
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Originally Posted by rwoman
I might start trying to fly in/out of LCY with connections at AMS or CDG this summer...the non-EU lane there is generally pretty good...sigh...
The non-EEA lane at LCY is actually a relatively new phenomenon. They only added it in about 2008/2009 IIRC. They used to not even bother separating passengers.
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 3:51 pm
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Originally Posted by RichardInSF
They could get some of that staff back by transferring the customs agents scrutinizing Eurostar passengers at St Pancras supposedly entering from a common market country. Suppose they would require years of cross-training first, alas.
Hmm... there ought to be no difference in the "scrutiny" given to people entering from an EU country compared with those entering from any other part of the world, since the UK is not in the Schengen area and all passengers arriving from outside the Common Travel Area (i.e. the UK, the crown dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland) are subject to passport control... Another example of things not working quite as they ought to be, perhaps?
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 3:58 pm
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Originally Posted by Christopher
Hmm... there ought to be no difference in the "scrutiny" given to people entering from an EU country compared with those entering from any other part of the world, since the UK is not in the Schengen area and all passengers arriving from outside the Common Travel Area (i.e. the UK, the crown dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland) are subject to passport control... Another example of things not working quite as they ought to be, perhaps?
All Eurostar passengers entering the UK clear UK immigration checks at the station from which they depart (e.g., Gare du Nord or Brussels Midi). There are no immigration checks at St Pancras. There might be customs checks (although I personally have never seen any) but I believe there shouldn't be as all passengers are entering from another EU country and thus, technically, a common customs zone.
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 5:53 pm
  #42  
 
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Originally Posted by Christopher
Hmm... there ought to be no difference in the "scrutiny" given to people entering from an EU country compared with those entering from any other part of the world, since the UK is not in the Schengen area and all passengers arriving from outside the Common Travel Area (i.e. the UK, the crown dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland) are subject to passport control... Another example of things not working quite as they ought to be, perhaps?
There is a fundamental difference between EU citizens and non-EU citizens when it comes to entering the UK.

EU citizens have a right of entry under EU Free Movement provisions, subject only to an identity check. Non-EU citizens require entry clearance from UKBA.
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 6:21 pm
  #43  
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Originally Posted by ajax
All Eurostar passengers entering the UK clear UK immigration checks at the station from which they depart (e.g., Gare du Nord or Brussels Midi). There are no immigration checks at St Pancras. There might be customs checks (although I personally have never seen any) but I believe there shouldn't be as all passengers are entering from another EU country and thus, technically, a common customs zone.
There are UK immigration checks at St Pancras, the reason being that passengers can board the Paris-London train at Calais-Frthun where there is no UKBA employee as the passenger numbers there are negligible. Heaven forfend that any no-EU passenger might slip through the net.
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Old Apr 30, 2012, 12:12 am
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Christopher
Hmm... there ought to be no difference in the "scrutiny" given to people entering from an EU country compared with those entering from any other part of the world, since the UK is not in the Schengen area and all passengers arriving from outside the Common Travel Area (i.e. the UK, the crown dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland) are subject to passport control... Another example of things not working quite as they ought to be, perhaps?
I wasn't referring to immigration (which is done in Paris or Brussels for Eurostar and occasionally at St Pancras although I have no clue how they know who to check). I was referring to the unnecessary customs agents loitering at St Pancras inbound. The UK is a member of the EU which is, first and foremost, a customs union. There is no duty imposed entering the UK from Belgium or France.

Or are those folks really loitering immigration agents who pull people out at random? If so, that seems even sillier than checking at that one location.
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Old Apr 30, 2012, 3:37 am
  #45  
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UKBA accused of covering up airport delays

Ah, more on the craziness of UKBA at LHR... Shouldn't the government be aware of what people are going through to enter the UK???

theguardian: UKBA accused of covering up airport delays

Passengers flying into the airport at the weekend reported having to wait for up to three hours before clearing passport control. But after leaflets apologising for the problem were handed out by BAA, which owns Heathrow, the UKBA warned that they were "inappropriate" and that ministers would take "a very dim view".

The airport operator was also told to prevent passengers taking pictures in the arrivals hall, according to the Daily Telegraph, which obtained correspondence from Marc Owen, director of UKBA operations at Heathrow. Pictures of lengthy queues have been posted on Twitter by frustrated travellers.
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