Merry Christmas everyone, just a quick update for anyone using T5 today, it is very busy and you may wish to allow some extra time for security - make sure to take your e-book reader out and place it with your laptop for scanning.
Just done a flight connections at T5 (around noon), there were significant queues - 15 mins to get to the scanner in the fast track channel.
They've also changed the rules, but aren't making it public.
Take out e-book readers or you will have every item removed from your bag and rescanned, which happened to me.
Total time through security was 45 minutes, as it took an age to process all the bags pulled with the new rule.
Moral of this story? As always, if at all possible, avoid changing planes at Heathrow.
Ebook readers have a hard dive so should always be considered as a laptop, at least that was what I was told the first time I left it in my bag.
first_class_please
Whoever told you that is a cretin, as most ereaders do not have hard drives (not sure what that has to do with it, anyway), but they do now have to be scanned separately.
DanDare1975 - 22/12/2011 14:47 GMT
All of the common e-book readers that I am aware of use flash RAM storage rather than a hard disk drive. I am not sure I understand the logic of why e-book readers and iPads have to be scanned separately and smartphones don't. Can anyone else shed any light on this?
Moral of the story is for passengers to take less hand baggage!
Binman62 - 22/12/2011 16:00 GMT
Moral of the story is that BAA continue not to have a clue.....I went through t5 last Thursday.....it was a breeze but I had iPad in hand baggage as a gift and the recipient travelling with me....Advised them and it was allowed to remain in bag.
It is the inconsistent nature of using LHR that causes the most grief and the rules change depending on who is on duty.
I know the inconsistency seems irrational, but on reflection, perhaps that's the whole point. The inconsistency actually makes the whole security process less draconian since the baddies cannot assume that iPads etc will always go through unchecked.
Lugano
I can't agree.
Surely there is a reasonable balance to be struck and it is failing at the moment.
The 45 minutes I lost yesterday could have made me miss a tight connection (60 minutes is the minimum time intra T5) and this is simply unacceptable.
When I took it up in the lounge, there was a fatalistic acceptance and no duty manager was available to talk to me.
So I used BA's wifi to book 3 x J class returns with other airlines, transiting outside the UK.
Enough is enough.
JordanD - 23/12/2011 08:05 GMT
Odd this: only because I've been through T5 twice this week.
First time was on Saturday, at 11am (so morning peak on the busy weekend before Christmas). Went through Security North (only because I didn't want to walk to the south end of the terminal). Yes there was a wait, but including queuing and a delay whilst the passenger in front of me took of her high heeled boots, I was through in under 12 minutes.
Second time was Wednesday night around 7pm. An Op Up to CW meant I went through Security South Fast Track - although as it was quiet the BAA man directed me to a quieter non-fast track scanner, and I was through in less than 3 minutes, with no queue needed. Only length of time was to take out my laptop and iPad (which I hadn't kept handy as I normally take them out in the queue).
I don't doubt you had a tough time DoS, but I struggle to see it bad if both my experiences this week were so good.
JordanD
Binman sums it up "It is the inconsistent nature of using LHR that causes the most grief and the rules change depending on who is on duty."
You went through twice in 17 minutes, my one transit took nearly three times as long, inconsistency personified.
SimonS1 - 26/12/2011 11:15 GMT
Doesn't Binman's post say it all. We all have to pull our iPads etc out, unless it's a gift when hey ho it can remain in bag. Shows what a farce the whole thing is.
VintageKrug - 26/12/2011 11:37 GMT
Through in two minutes last week; supposedly the busiest travelling day of the year.
"Doesn't Binman's post say it all. We all have to pull our iPads etc out, unless it's a gift when hey ho it can remain in bag. Shows what a farce the whole thing is."
I went through the day after Binman and left my e-reader in my bag, with no problem, so I guess the rules had not changed then.
If they want to change the rules, I have no problem with that, but what I have a big problem with is being delayed because they don't make it clear.
This is the current info on the BAA site
Bag screening
All cabin baggage will be X-ray screened.
Place laptops and large electrical items separately in a tray.
Put coins, keys, mobile phones and other small items in your coat or hand baggage.
Place your hand baggage and coat into a tray.
Place any liquid items (important: see Liquids above), correctly bagged, into the tray.
Pushchairs and walking aids will be X-ray screened.
Wheelchairs will be thoroughly searched.
So it appears that e-readers are now classified as large electrical devices, whereas they were not treated that way before.
As a frequent, professional, traveller, I find this behaviour by the authorities to be reprehensible, as they threaten people's flight connections by failing to give them sufficient information and that could cost people a serious amount of money in booking new flights, to say nothing of the consequential losses caused to business people.
Utterly crap and typical of the UK.
VintageKrug - 26/12/2011 20:29 GMT
I think e-readers are covered under the "large electrical items" clause.
The advice is consistent and hasn't changed; I do think you're looking for a problem where there isn't one.
SimonS1 - 26/12/2011 21:34 GMT
Yes but why is it acceptable for Binman's iPad to remain in his bag when everyone else has to get theirs out? Is the security threat reduced if he item is a gift?
Vintage Krug
Once again, you are wrong.
Let me draw you a picture. Binman was allowed to keep his iPad in his hand luggage and I was allowed to keep my e-reader in my hand luggage, on the 15th and 16th respectively, because the rules allowed it.
Then on the 22nd, my entire bag was emptied and scanned, because I had my e-reader in it.
The rules had changed, the security officer who searched my bag informed me of this and said it was due to DFT, but accepted that BAA had not shared this info, which is why the queues were horrendous, as a lot of people were caught - is there anything else that would help you to understand this?
The term 'large electrical item' is ambiguous and if little practical use to travellers, this is my complaint.
I understand that in your fantasy world, you always clear security in 2 minutes and have a great experience in first class, wunderbar.
SimonS1
If you read Binman's post carefully, he doesn't say everyone else had to take their iPad out, he says he asked if he could keep the gift in his bag.
As the rules allowed on that day, he was told he could.
VintageKrug - 27/12/2011 04:38 GMT
Perhaps you look shifty ;)
While I do think BAA should pass on *most* changes in DfT policy, I disagree that it is unacceptable for a last minute change to be communicated. There will always be updates and security alerts which require changes, and frankly changing things sometimes at the very last minute is a good way of foiling terrorists.
Stepping back from your specific concerns, it's crazy that e-reader weren't scanned separately in the first place.
It's easy enough to extract all electronic items - and I struggle to understand how any right-minded person would see an e-reader as anything other than a large electronic item - from one's luggage and have them available to be scanned separately.
I'd suggest that it was inconsistency in the previous application of the rules, rather than any change of rules which was the case here.
My 2 minute security example was actually last Thursday - the same day you travelled - and my experience couldn't have been quicker.
Ever since I had an iPad I must have traveled on at least 50 flights, LHR, LCY, jfk, jnb, sin, mxp, fra to name a few, and only on one occasion was I told to remove the iPad and that was at ZRH. I went back through less than an hour later (I was early at the gate and flight delayed, so went to lounge), same machine, same security officer and not asked to remove iPad. "Go figure" as our cousins would say!
Lugano
My experience is similar to yours, over 200 flights carrying an e-reader and only once was it queried, at MUC, because they thought it was a netbook and then said it was okay when they found out what it was.
As to the definition of a 'large electrical item', if I heard this out of context, I would think immediately of a washing machine.
My e-reader is a tiny little thing and this right minded person has never considered it a 'large electrical item, neither had the security people until last Thursday.
But as I said, I don't have a problem with them changing the rules, I do have a problem with them doing it opaquely.
