Heathrow Airport descends into fresh immigration chaos

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 400 total)

  • ChrisBuda82
    Participant

    I have seen IRIS closed all the time at T3 for the last couple of mouths I thought this was ment to be open until after the games.

    To be honest the last couple of time I have not had to use fast track and there was no chaos. When My flight was at T5 I always had chaos but could my flight lands at the right time for me to be ok.

    I known it might sound bad would bringing back UK line speed things up? and having the option for you wife/parter to come with you? As we not signed up to segien (can’t spell it) I tend to find along with other UK passport holders being put in other passport/non-eu lines this has happed to me in France, Spain and Hungary.

    E-gates are crap they do not work and take longer to use than a real person to check your passport and they cost more than a real person, we seem to be using tech that cost more than a real person, also lot of people will not use them as they so crap and even the people come up to you and ask you to use them lucky my UK passport does not work on them:P


    Alasdair
    Participant

    It’s good to see unions highlighting the deficiencies in employment protocol in this day & age. Far too many aspects of the industry are bowing to Victorian ways and undermining their workforce. Get talking, move on & sort this out Airports, Government & Unions. In the run up to this Olympics this is hideous. And another thing, why isn’t terminal 1&2 completed already… Pathetic!


    Gold-2K
    Participant

    From the BBC website it looks like queues are affecting all passengers. Last week things were quick for IRIS and not too bad for EU, but now it looks like there is single queue to join the queue.

    At what point do they close the terminal for “safety reasons”. They must be getting pretty close to that by now.

    With the resulting delays in baggage reclaim etc this must be playing havoc with departures also …. Although I have not experienced any issue departing T5 it surely can’t be long before the whole operation gets impacted.


    Binman62
    Participant

    Have just noted that the passenger comment that they are now making PA announcments in the immigration hall to the thousands stuck for up to 3 hours.

    http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17876496

    So aside from standing in huge queues you now have to endure the torture of government propaganda trying to convince you that this is about defending borders rather than simple incompetance.

    It just gets worse!


    Bucksnet
    Participant

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17876496

    “It just gets worse!” – That’s the plan! A purge of CP assets is long overdue.


    stevescoots
    Participant

    Am i the only one who is wishing the whole lot collapses, planes diverted, massive delays, fights in the arrival hall etc during the olympics. I hope it does, just to finally show both the unions and the goverment what an absolute joke this nation is now on public service


    capetonianm
    Participant

    stevescoots : Nope, I’m with you on this. We may be lone voices in the wilderness but at least you have one supporter!


    stevescoots
    Participant

    and here I was thinking i am alone!

    my colleage arrived at T4 on monday from CAN and waited 1.15 mins, I flew into CAN on yesterday, took me 20 mins from door open to kerbside and car.

    Thanks to an hour delay getting out of LHR due to congestion it took me just 15 mins to deplane, bus , clear security and back on bus to plane in DOH


    StephenLondon
    Participant

    Passing through T3 at peak morning arrival, it was chaos, but at least most desks were manned and queues were moving. Iris worked a treat for once, though a few thought they were theaa was e-readers and had to be re-routed. The Iris system should be expanded, not eliminated. It would make such a difference. Dubai and Hong Kong have good e-systems that really work – something similar would be a boon to the UK!


    Binman62
    Participant

    I have just watched the video of the queues trenchant retching almost a kilometre. I then watched Brian Moore, head of border force trying to reassure people that there would be no queues as he had 7500 staff available and able to deploy them whe the peaks were. A clear lie.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17614994
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17876496

    I am with those who think the solution is now a total collapse of the system and mass diversions with CNN BBC SKY and the worlds press on Heathrows doorstep.

    Am I alone in finding the the name border force, combined with some of the individual’s who wear the uniform, aggressive, threatening and not a little sinister?


    RichHI1
    Participant

    I am pleased that after a long period of disinterest, the press has finally taken an interest. In this era of celebrity it takes tweets from politicos and sports people to raise issue but at least it is now in the open.
    I agree with posters who await the total collapse which cannot be far away.
    Ordinary travellers are caught between a demoralized badly managed workforce and a totally inept government. The special interest groups such as Common Purpose seem to be adding to the problem with their own agenda. How long will ie be before we have a tragedy and someone dies as a result? As we apprach warm weather, T3 for one does not have air conditioning that can cope. Elderly passengers who have just flown 11 hours are not going to react well to a 3 hour wait standing in T3 in 75-80 degree heat. While all the interested parties waffle on about security and service levels.
    Who would have believed Britain would have one of the worst immigration services in the world? This is a sad condemnation of this country and I really hope the damage that is being done to national prestige and business is only temporary. Don’t tell me it is all Someone elses’s fault and one side is. Blameless – rubbish! Utter rubbish! It is time to fix it now. If it is beyond the competence of the Home Office put the army in and remove May and Green from the equation. Other countries have had he military run their borders and Border Force is hardly a passive civilian title.


    Bucksnet
    Participant

    Video of queues last night: –

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17876439

    Rich, I’m glad someone else is trying to raise awareness of the CP menace, but is not a special interest group.


    RichHI1
    Participant

    OK how would you describe it? Other than a bad influence.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    Have to agree with you as well Steve. I’m pro Goverment but in this case a reality check is needed and urgently.

    I’m also hoping for rain during the Olympics. I think the whole thing is one expensive farce, forcing taxpayers in these straightened times to pay for self important officials to ride like communist rulers in specially reserved lanes not to mention the horrendous expense of building special facilities.

    If this were the US, and seeing the resentment against the special lanes, I’m sure Obama would cancel them immediately. What can the IOC do? They can’t cancel the games and by the time we bid again, it will be forgotten anyway.

    Time for an austerity Olympics methinks!

    However, seeing the enormous numbers of unsold tickets available in Europe and elsewhere in the world, I wonder just how many tourists will actually fly into the UK to go to the games. I think many people will sit at home, or in bars, as they do in S. Africa and watch for free.


    Bucksnet
    Participant

    Rich, I think I mentioned before that CP is a DVD front operation, and I would be more than willing to have a discussion on it at the next forum posters meeting. When is that going to be anyhow?

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