[alainboy56]

@ SimonS1 — oh dear, oh dear oh dear – The Government, the Government, the Government – ok the rest of you play on and discuss amongst yourselves. I give up as I realise once more, so clearly, the reasons I left UK in the 1st place.

[SimonS1]

@Alain…goodbye then, I’m sure you will be sorely missed by the front line staff that you are continually abusive towards.

[AnthonyDunn]

@ SimonS1 – 03/06/2016 10:32 BST

+1

A brave attempt at a rational and logical discussion…!

[WillieWelsh]

My goodness, such an out pouring of ‘sympathy’ for the immigration service which in my view is not deserved. They are all public servants and accountable.

The wets and liberals are certainly out in force here at the moment.

[esselle]

WW

Not sure I see nay sympathy here, just gentle censure for those who condone bad manners.

[WillieWelsh]

esselle – 03/06/2016 16:44 BST

That’s bad manners in your opinion.

I really don’t know what happened to freedom of speech but then again wets and liberals have only ever valued it as long as you agree with them. Difference is not welcome.

[Tony-UK]

I suspect Theresa May and her cronies never have to experience the inconveniences of us mere mortals and are whisked through a VIP route at LHR, they would not want to be exposed to the hoi polloi.

I am gobsmacked as to how many people seem to accept the situation at LHR.

[AnthonyDunn]

@ WillieWelsh – 03/06/2016 16:48 BST

None of us have to post on here and none of us are forced to read other people’s comments either. It’s called “give and take” in my eyes. Which is why I have never once felt inclined to complain to BT about any poster’s comments – even when they have been scabrously (and/or personally) offensive. You might even call it a “liberal perspective”….

Now knee-jerk, unthinking and unknowing conservatives are another thing… §:-)

@ Tony-UK – 03/06/2016 16:57 BST

I don’t think that it is a question of “accepting” the situation at LHR, rather more one of understanding what is behind it. We’ve almost all of us been impacted at some time or other.

[MrMichael]

Let me make clear as I am on this issue considered a liberal. I do not like for one moment the delays experienced by any traveller at LHR. We are a first world country with a first world airport and first world airlines. Unfortunately our Border Force and Customs services are not serving the travelling public in the way they should. I think it accepted that queues will occur from time to time just as they do at my local Tesco on Xmas eve. However, the government should be funding these services so they are efficient, effective, do not unreasonably delay people and have well trained, motivated staff with a desire to serve the public. We do not have that quite simply because the country is skint, potless, in debt up to its eyeballs, spending more than it earns…..if the UK was a business it would be bust. This is not the fault of the immigration or customs officers (I won’t get in to whose fault, that’s for a different forum entirely) but they take the can, they get the eejit with the sarcastic or downright rude comments. Well give them a break for gods sake, they are just doing their job. If you don’t like the “where have you come from, where are you going” questions then ask to see a senior immigration officer/manager and ask them why such impertinent questions are being asked. You might be surprised at the answer. Personally I just go with the flow and get on with my life, hoping my bus to SW London is nicely timed for me to have a relaxing smoko before stepping aboard, or like Icenspice….go landside and have a Pall Mall……..

[SimonS1]

Nothing to do with condoning poor service at LHR, being sympathetic towards the immigration service etc etc.

More a recognition that front line people on just over £20K a year don’t make up the rules, they just do what they are told. So playing the smart arse with such people doesn’t impress or indeed really achieve much if anything.

From what I can tell the desk officers are similarly demoralised by the whole thing.

[PeterCoultas]

I do have sympathy for staff at LHR on low wages who are going to lose their jobs if they don’t exactly follow instructions. Similarly for concentration camp guards though fortunately consequences for both airport entry “goons’ (sorry staff) and passengers are less dramatic.

I don’t have sympathy for those who provide too few staff or functional E-gates to give a decently efficient service – they are incompetent managers and excessively highly paid for their poor performance. Much the same could be said of Mrs May.

If I (requiring a visa) can be off a flight in Melbourne and out on the street in 20 minutes it should be possible to do the same in the UK. For those of us from the UK and the EU (with its so-called free movement) there is no excuse for the pathetic immigration nonsense at LHR.

Equally having cleared immigration at LHR it should be possible to just walk straight onto any UK domestic connection without further inconvenience.

[seasonedtraveller]

Mrs ‘Seasoned’ travelled with me to NYC last weekend. Whilst I was working, she did the touristy stuff.

Our arrival (CW with BA) into JFK was flawless & we were outside the terminal less than 20 minutes after disembarking.

In contrast, my wife’s return to LBA via LHR (I am still here, in sunny Miami) on Wednesday morning – as a British citizen, connecting to a UK domestic flight, took a total of 75 minutes – not brilliant when there is only a 90 min connection time…..she said there was no fast track & no Orange short-connection ‘ticket’………

Welcome home dear 😉

PS – If front line staff are rude to me, I will be somewhat sharp in my response to them – if not, then I can see no excuse for rudeness to them whatsoever, Those of us (like me) who have had a so called ‘menial job’ in the past can only empathize with their situation.

[PeterCoultas]

seasonenedT:
sounds OK in NY…but typical for uk…hope all will be better done on your return

[seasonedtraveller]

PeterCoultas.

I’m not going to hold my breath 🙂

[BTMEEditor]

Case for the defence!
Flew in and out of T3 over the bank holiday weekend and although the e-gate wasn’t working, found the immigration queue moved quickly and the woman on the desk smiled and welcomed me.
The lady in Costa was courteous on the return, as were security staff.
I saw some Changi-style ‘rate the airport’ signs beyond security which I hadn’t before.
I was travelling light with hand luggage only, but found the whole experience fine and Piccadilly line prompt both ways.

[Author]

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