[DavidSmith2]

TimFitzgeraldTC wrote:

“Maybe there’s a case for flights arriving in the UK on strike days to carry only passengers with biometric passports who are able to use the eGates.

THANKS|”

Sadly would rule out any child 12 entering the UK (and thus families travelling) which might be somewhat discriminatory so that won’t happen.

Indeed. I don’t think anyone chooses to have a ‘non-biometric’ passport – they are issued because of legal or practical restrictions which are no fault of the traveller. So to discriminate against any of them would be grossly unfair.

[Chris in Makati]

DavidSmith2 wrote:

TimFitzgeraldTC wrote:

“Maybe there’s a case for flights arriving in the UK on strike days to carry only passengers with biometric passports who are able to use the eGates.

THANKS|”

Sadly would rule out any child 12 entering the UK (and thus families travelling) which might be somewhat discriminatory so that won’t happen.

Indeed. I don’t think anyone chooses to have a ‘non-biometric’ passport – they are issued because of legal or practical restrictions which are no fault of the traveller. So to discriminate against any of them would be grossly unfair.

There’s already discrimination between biometric and non-biometric passports. It happens when you join the queue at border control points. Those with biometric passports go through the eGates and those without stand in a lengthy queue to be processed manually. That’s discrimination.

So when Border Force staff go on strike those without biometric passports will be processed at a snail’s pace, and if the area is too crowded they may not be allowed to disembark from aircraft because there’s no room in the arrivals area for them. That will result in the aircraft being unavailable for departing flights and more chaos will ensue.

[Tom Otley]

The article actually says it is pretty unlikely, but worrying for the 10,000 passengers arriving at Heathrow before 0700 on Friday….

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/border-force-strikes-uk-airports-forced-close-bvzfrnhjz

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cwoodward

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