Heathrow Airport descends into fresh immigration chaos
Back to Forum- This topic has 399 replies, 68 voices, and was last updated 22 Oct 2013
at 07:21 by TerryMcManus24.
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ChrisBuda82ParticipantI 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
27 Apr 2012
at 22:56
AlasdairParticipantIt’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!
27 Apr 2012
at 23:34
Gold-2KParticipantFrom 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.
28 Apr 2012
at 06:00
Binman62ParticipantHave 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!
28 Apr 2012
at 07:17
BucksnetParticipanthttp://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.
28 Apr 2012
at 07:24
stevescootsParticipantAm 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
28 Apr 2012
at 07:30
capetonianmParticipantstevescoots : Nope, I’m with you on this. We may be lone voices in the wilderness but at least you have one supporter!
28 Apr 2012
at 07:32
stevescootsParticipantand 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
28 Apr 2012
at 07:50
StephenLondonParticipantPassing 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!
28 Apr 2012
at 07:52
Binman62ParticipantI 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-17876496I 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?
28 Apr 2012
at 08:46
RichHI1ParticipantI 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.28 Apr 2012
at 09:10
BucksnetParticipantVideo 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.
28 Apr 2012
at 09:32
LuganoPirateParticipantHave 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.
28 Apr 2012
at 09:35 -
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