divemistressofthedark

Hey folks, perhaps this is some 9/11 related glitch, but not only did it take nearly three hours to clear customs for non-EU-passported pax at around 7:30 AM today, but I have a small handheld thermometer and could see it was over 85 degrees in there...no bathroom or refreshment breaks for anyone...I was sincerely worried about the older gentleman behind me who had difficulty standing for so long and in such heat and humidity. There were a lot of women with very small children forced to stand in the shoulder-to-shoulder line as well. There were a lot of signs on the wall with language about penalties for assaulting airport staff, which would indicate to me that such a long wait is hardly an unusual occurrance at this particular jetway.

Is there any way around this, besides springing for a first class ticket (not feasible for everyone)? Nearly three hours seems excessive to me. There were no agents to answer any questions or to direct traffic (other than directing Brit/EU passport holders to the much shorter line at the side of the queue.) I had just popped in for a two-day visit with a friend before leaving for AMS on Thursday...I've been scouring the threads to determine whether Luton or Gatwick might be a better option going forward.

Sorry if this has been a longstanding topic of discussion and I've overlooked it somehow (did a search for LHR* Customs and didn't see much recent traffic...) I'd like to write a letter to management and was told there was a placard outside with information on the traffic authority, but I couldn't find it and no staffers I asked seemed to know what I was talking about.

Thanks for any info.

stut

Presumably you mean immigration, rather than customs?

I think it's important, if someone is particularly elderly or of ill health, to pre-request wheelchair assistance, in case of such an eventuality.

Otherwise, I would strongly recommend avoiding LHR. Where are you travelling to/from? That will stronly influence recommendations... There are many ways to get to London.

Raffles

City Airport is the only sensible way to go, although it would require a change of plane in Paris, AMS or Frankfurt / Munich on LH. No queue at all, bag back within 5 minutes and you can be in the City within 20 minutes (Canary Wharf within 10) of leaving the terminal.

GUWonder

I do what I can to minimize use of Heathrow nowadays. The suggestions above are good ones.

RichardInSF

If all the above fails and you go to LHR often, enroll in IRIS.

phreegreens

Here is a link to the complaints page for the UK Border and Immigration Agency. Do complain.

Were all the desks staffed ? I have seen long queues in LHR and 3/4 desks have been closed, that is unacceptable.

I do not use LGW much, it's the wrong side of London for me, but do go through LTN a few times a year. Generally I have found LTN to be pretty quick, but there have been horror stories posted here.

divemistressofthedark

Thanks folks. I will submit a comment form. I couldn't resist making a somewhat acid remark to one of the attendants to the effect that many countries welcome Americans spending tourist dollars, rather than pouring salt in the wound of the dismal exchange rate with a 3-hour wait at the airport...Made me feel slightly better. By all accounts my mistake was entering LHR in the first place, which I have now done for the last time, aside from tomorrow's flight to AMS which I may try to change to Gatwick. Anyone got advise?

(I had a nightmare travel day in London yesterday...after the 3 hour wait at LHR I took the Waterloo train one stop in the wrong direction, and couldn't get back the other way for over an hour (which meant I missed all the last buses and was stranded in some area near the airport, which resulted in a 3 mile plus walk at 2 AM (since my cell phone SIM card wouldn't work and I couldn't call a cab...oh, I need to go start an "avoid Telestial.com's PASSPORT SIM cards at all costs" thread...thanks for making me think about it...)

phreegreens

I don't want to turn this to a US-UK debate but in recent years I have waited 2+ hours at IAD and 3 hours at ORD for immigration clearance.

The situation though at LHR is unacceptable and it needs fixing but it's not a UK only problem.

BTW, we keep our acid remarks to ourselves when entering the US, or we end up in "special processing".

kt74

^ Here here. As a regular foreign traveller into both the US and UK, LHR is relatively benign, even on a bad day. Your alternatives are STN, LTN and LCY, which have relatively few non-EU travellers (e.g. at its most extreme, arriving from MCO on VS, you will waltz to the front of the non-existent non-EU line, while 400 people fight through the EU queue). Alternatively, IRIS, also suggested above

As for ORD and IAD, don't get me started. Last month I arrived at ORD, I queued for an hour, only to be directed to the other immigration hall with about 50 other people, from where I was then directed to return to the back of the line in the first hall . 4 immigration officers for non-US passengers arriving from about 10 flights, leading to an over 3 hour wait

Lucky I didn't have a connection, and didn't mind missing my dinner date - anyone trying to re-book their connecting flight or contact loved ones got barked at for trying to use a mobile phone in the immigration line (why???)

stut

I'm sorry, this is very shabby behaviour. The immigration officer in question acted very professionally in doing nothing more than ignoring your comments, IMO.

If you want to complain, there are proper paths to do so. I have no time for people who abuse front-line staff (particularly when "well, I'm spending money" is the reason).

dddc

Which terminal did you land at? From memory most of them have water and toilet facilities on the way to immigration, but obviously none in the queue at immigration. Regardless, that wait was too long. Anything over 20 minutes I think is too long.

This isn't just a LHR problem. At Miami and JFK we've had waits bordering at 90 minutes when we seemed to have arrived when everyone else did. Sydney I've waited 45 mins to get in after a 24 hour trip from London - and I have an Australian passport!! Again, this is when everyone lands there at 5.30 in the morning.

For coming into LHR I try and choose flights that land in the afternoon. That seems to avoid the worst rush of non EU country arrivals as they all seem to land between 5.30 and 8.30am too! I also find afternoon flights help with jetlag.

KenJohn

Stansted and Luton have shorter immigration queues for US and non-EU passport holders as most pax using the low cost airlines there are British or EU nationals. That is why EOS US pax have no need of a fast-track immigration line. The quees for British/EU nationals is bad.

divemistressofthedark

Thanks for the advice, folks. I certainly don't think this is a UK only problem, and avoid Miami like the plague whenever possible for exactly this reason myself. Which is why I'm in here asking about other alternatives, because I don't plan on boycotting the UK due to the conditions at LHR.

Although I must say I'm incredulous anyone would claim never to have made a remark out of immense frustration after an unreasonable and unexpected delay. Particularly one visibly causing health and wellness problems for the most vulnerable members of society.

More trouble this morning on the way out...seems the Hotel Hoppa doesn't visit Terminal 4 unless it's specifically requested upon boarding. Interesting. You'd think a "hotel shuttle" would advertise that some terminals are specifically excepted...sigh. I did manage to make it across eight lanes of traffic from Terminal 3 and onto the Heathrow Express in record time, though...

JOUY31

The hotel Hoppa DOES NOT visit T4, whether you request it or not.

phreegreens

Hotel Hoppa is a disgrace, you have my sympathy there, run by a money grabbing bunch of bandits, licenced by a bunch of money grabbing bandits.

Awful service.