The reports of queues at LHR

Seems to be quite a thing nowadays, but I did notice that while they refer to the problem generically being heathrow, the footage and mention was actually Terminal 5, so the BA flights...

I know it varies, but has T3 been as bad?

Seems to be quite a thing nowadays, but I did notice that while they refer to the problem generically being heathrow, the footage and mention was actually Terminal 5, so the BA flights...

I know it varies, but has T3 been as bad?

I believe T5 is the worst, then T1. T3 and T4 aren't as bad, but can have their moments.
Though BBC have reported bad delays in T2... )

I have heard that one of the problems about T5 is how the desks are split up by the E-passport gates, meaning that the desks either side have to be EU only and non-EU only, no flexibility to get queues down.

Obviously UKBA could employ more staff, but it means more tax/tax not being spent elsewhere. They do need to find a solution though.

I travelled through Heathrow T3 this morning - I was through (UK passport holder) in less than 10mins but the queues for all other passports was horrendous, wait times of up to 2hrs were been quoted by staff trying to manage the queues n(

Jon

I hate everthing about LHR always a long circle before you land,and then the long queues when you do,flying out and back to Chicago o'hare in August so should be fun

Hi

Have been back through T3 twice this year so far, about half an hour for UK passports and a good 2-3 hours for the poor souls visiting. Both my flights were the later LAX. Why can't we have the four fingers, one finger, eye that seems to work pretty well in the US rather than the middle finger that is offered to arrivals in this country..

Rgds, Bob

Hi

Have been back through T3 twice this year so far, about half an hour for UK passports and a good 2-3 hours for the poor souls visiting. Both my flights were the later LAX. Why can't we have the four fingers, one finger, eye that seems to work pretty well in the US rather than the middle finger that is offered to arrivals in this country..

Rgds, Bob

I was going to say that we don't fingerprint and photgraph arrivals into the country then worked out what you actually meant :0 :0

The approach the Americans seem to take is "we will do what we have to to protect the border BUT we will generally try and resource the service approriatly and even then people will have to wait".

Over here it seems that the Govt says it "wants a secure border but we won't resource it properly, people will have to wait but we won't take responsibility for long waits".

T3 hasn't yet been a problem for me, but I do smirk and think that it serves visiting US travellers right for the hole that is MIA and then also JFK after the VS45.

Hmmmm......arrived on the VS45 the other day knowing full well what it can be like and indeed it lived up to its reputation as it took over an hour to be processed, arriving after a PIA and Egyptair didn't do much to help.... :0 but think I got away lightly... ):

Then again, at least I was not stuck out on the tarmac like those on the VS45 yesterday were at JFK who waited over 50mins for the stand to be free - hope they didn't then have to join a large queue after leaving the aircraft !

T3 hasn't yet been a problem for me, but I do smirk and think that it serves visiting US travellers right for the hole that is MIA and then also JFK after the VS45.

I too smiled when I heard this on the radio. I think my record at MIA runs at about 3.5 hours :0 ( and that wasn't even when I got secondary screened- that was even longer ! ).
DL

Thankfully my arrivals into LHR T3 on VS 24/20/301 this year have been trouble free, however the wife and I spent 2.5 hours getting into IAD last year even with getting off the plane first.
Not looking forward to coming back to LGW on VS 32 now that IRIS is no longer available at LGW South Terminal.

I walked straight up to the passport desk getting off the VS4 yesterday... Of course being 1st off the plane might have helped a bit!

On a slightly different front, we came back into the country just after Christmas from a Cruise (Southampton to Southampton)

We were called collect our bags in what was just an almighty scrum, then proceeded through immigration smoothly and out to the car park. Once in the car we realised we had not shown our passports once all morning.

We had disembarked at various ports but were we considered as having come from a sterile area??

[honey lamb]

The last couple of times I've come through T3 I've walked into an empty immigration hall for the EU passports and on another occasion we were through quicker than people at the E-gates.

We were called collect our bags in what was just an almighty scrum, then proceeded through immigration smoothly and out to the car park. Once in the car we realised we had not shown our passports once all morning.

We had disembarked at various ports but were we considered as having come from a sterile area??

Came back on a transatlantic cruise last week from the Caribbean back to here.. same thing only had to show passport upon checkin in in Puerto Rico, no checking of passports after disembarking the ship back in Europe (had visited 5 other islands in-between too!) for anyone onboard!

Surprised me really, assumed there would be!

BAA floating the idea that extra security's paid for by raising landing fees.

FT and Guardian

The last couple of times I've come through T3 I've walked into an empty immigration hall for the EU passports and on another occasion we were through quicker than people at the E-gates.

Last 4 times I've been through various immigration halls, the egates are broken, have crashed or (the one time I did stand in that line), were about to crash...

The e-passport gates are absolute rubbish, the only good thing is that you get shepherded off to one side after the nth "Re-insert passport" message. We will not cope with the Olympics and that's a fact.

BAA floating the idea that extra security's paid for by raising landing fees.

FT and Guardian

Damien Green MP and Willie Walsh appeared on the Today program this morning - WW basically agreed that BA would be happy to pay increased landing fees if immigration clearance performance was improved.

[Darren Wheeler]

Damien Green MP and Willie Walsh appeared on the Today program this morning - WW basically agreed that BA would be happy to pay increased landing fees if immigration clearance performance was improved.

Or more correctly, passengers will pay, in addition to their normal taxation, by us putting up prices ):

I queued for over an hour when I flew back arriving April 16. Whilst I live hear, I still hold a US passport. From what I could see the UK/EU queue and even fast track were equally as bad.

There were four or five agents on duty for foreign passport holders and five or six for UK/EU. This was in the morning after an A380 from Sydney, my VS046 from JFK, a Thai flight from Bangkok, and another flight from somewhere in Asia all landed very close together.

I landed at T5 from Istanbul on April 26th on British Airways 679 and was in the passport control line for 1 hour 45 minutes.

It was really horrible.

I will never again willingly arrive after 1:15pm as the FastPasses are given out only in the morning before 1:30pm


Steve