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London Heathrow Immigration

Posted:
14 Apr 2004, 23:23
by jonathan020
This time when going through the "EU" line at immigration each person had to wait behind the red line and get called forward by an immigration official. The official then checked my picture and swiped the passport..... Have never had this before, I always just hand it to them and they take a quick look and send me straight through (and no red line!).
Comments?

Posted:
14 Apr 2004, 23:25
by The_Banking_Scot
Hi,
On monday 12th April, Immigration just had a quick glance at all our passports -no swiping( off the VS20 around 1130)
Regards
TBS

Posted:
14 Apr 2004, 23:32
by jonathan020
Hmmm this was on Monday 12th April too, but then again I was coming off an American flight so maybe it was payback time

hehe

Posted:
14 Apr 2004, 23:50
by papadoc
I was there on Monday 12th as well. Had just come off VS004 at about 7:00am, the queues were terrible in immigration, but they just did a quick glance at the picture and waved me through.

Posted:
14 Apr 2004, 23:54
by mcuth
Coming back in off KL2273 (on Monday 12th April) at T4, passport was just glanced at

Cheers

Posted:
14 Apr 2004, 23:57
by jonathan020
Interesting! Immigration was really busy when I was there (around 8pm). Interestingly last Friday at BOS the line for American citizens was also long.

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 00:10
by mcuth
Jonathan
Maybe the Secret Service knew it was you that was travelling

:D
Cheers

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 00:11
by jonathan020
Hehe yeah, after I was told off at Boston for filming in the terminal I was probably shadowed all the way home [}:)]

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 00:16
by mcuth
Jonathan
Can you see the car parked outside your place now? How about the black helicopter hovering overhead? Had any repairmen visit recently?

Cheers

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 00:18
by jonathan020
Your one of them arnt you mcuth [:0] Ok well I am off to nail large pieces of crooked wood over all the windows and doors.

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 02:05
by ghagger
Just the routine quick glance on the 13th when I got in at around 9am.
graham

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 08:27
by mcuth
Jonathan
quote:Your one of them arnt you mcuth [:0]
Now, as if I'd tell you that

:D
Cheers

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 11:08
by csparker
I got the full queue / swipe treatment at T1 a couple of weeks ago coming back from Warsaw. This was a day or two after the fertiliser arrests. Looks like they're getting serious (sometimes at least).

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 11:20
by jaguarpig
I came in at about 8.30 on monday 13th April on VS046 there was no real wait at EU desks but they did swipe every passport, must have cleared PDQ as baggage hall was empty customs was jam packed as the good officers seemed to be shaking down a large group of rotten fruit & fish smugglers with lots of very bad luggage.

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 12:36
by Decker
quote:Originally posted by jaguarpig
seemed to be shaking down a large group of rotten fruit & fish smugglers with lots of very bad luggage.
'scuse ignorance but can we add this to the glossary? Or were they literally smuggling rotten fruit and fish?

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 17:00
by RichardMannion
Yep, my passport has been swiped every time over the last month when flying back from the US or from EMEA.
Always a bit of a pain, as my passport is in one of those lovely Leather Virgin Atlantic holders, complete with a stack of boardign cards....
Thanks,
Richard

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 17:17
by jaguarpig
quote:'scuse ignorance but can we add this to the glossary? Or were they literally smuggling rotten fruit and fish?
yep they did have loads of smelly fish and fruit.

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 19:57
by Nottingham Nick
quote:Originally posted by jonathanmayhew
Hehe yeah, after I was told off at Boston for filming in the terminal I was probably shadowed all the way home [}:)]
That actually happened to me and my brother a couple of years ago in Tampa - we had gone to see Bruce Springsteen and made the mistake of taking a photograph of a place we had just eaten in.
Unbeknown to us there were a group of FBI sitting outside at a table.
About half an hour later I was approached in a library a good mile away and asked for my ID - they had done a foot follow on me through the city because they thought I was photographing them[8D][8D]
All was soon explained and we got a free tour of the FBI facility in Tampa out of it:D:D
Nick

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 20:10
by jonathan020
Thats so cool! I thought the guy was going to take my tape, am glad he didn't though as it was the only tape I filmed on during my trip.
I dont think I will take any pictures or film in US airports again!

Posted:
15 Apr 2004, 20:18
by Elwood
quote:customs was jam packed as the good officers seemed to be shaking down a large group of rotten fruit & fish smugglers with lots of very bad luggage.
When we were arriving through T4 about 18 months ago we were stopped by LB Hounslow Food Inspectors who were lurking just after Customs. Never noticed them before and not seen them again although we have not been through T4 since but they made their presence know on that occasion - they carried out a thorough search of all our luggage. And there we were a little nervous about being stopped by Customs as we may have had a little more of various goodies than we should have!