[ZKSmith]

Charles P: interesting, I’ve never had any issues with E-gates at Brussels, or any other airport in mainland Europe. However, UK E-gates only accept my passport around 20% of the time. No idea why.

A couple of months ago I had to transit onto a domestic flight at LHR T5, late evening, lots of other passengers hurrying to connect to the last domestic flights… and there was only 1 immigration officer, no E-gates. Complete joke. Even more ridiculous there were 3 staff members checking boarding passes, and 2 taking the photographs required for domestic transfers, which seems like a complete waste of man power given we had to go via the single immigration officer.

Granary: I also find the UK immigration officers to be rather interrogative. Usually asked where I’m coming from, why, who I’m travelling with, how long was I there for, the nature of any business. In the rest of the EU it’s only an occasional question about where I’ve come from / I’m going to, and is always much more friendly.

[JohnHarper]

I arrived at T4 one night last week about 20.00 and there was a grand total of one immigration officer dealing with EU arrivals. Fortunately I was one of the first off the plane and wasn’t kept waiting too long. It did though have all the potential for mayhem.

[NTarrant]

I was lucky yesterday morning at around 0830 having got off an AF flight just ahead of a crowd pouring off an Eitihad A380! The queue was moving quickly and all desks manned.

[alainboy56]

I agree fully, arrived from DOH on a A380 at a similar tme to anoher A380 from EY.
What a disaster T4 immigration is – LHR mangement are useless, should be fired along with shaking up the insolent ‘UK Border’ staff with their paramilitary uniforms, who the hell the think they are? They know they hve no right to ask where anyone has come from but they inside on asking. i just ignore them and asked earlier this month – pointing my thumb over my shoulder at a zig zag line of more than 300m – “for you this is acceptable?’ She quickly pointed me to a small table to fill out a complaints card, to which i rsponded ‘no I dont think I shall waste my time’ and then added ‘you remind me of why I left UK more than 20 years ago’
I wish politicians would read these articles and explain to us why LHR is so mismanaged, so inept (ie upgrading all e-gates at the same time and fencing them off), so useless in the important things that matter (oh the duty free areas that bring in money – not from me I hasten to add —are beautifully efiicient). I travel all over the world and nowhere, believe me, nowhere is a bad or slow as LHR Immigration
I am fed up with UK and LHR in particular!!! Its embarassing..

[TominScotland]

alainboy56
“I am fed up with UK and LHR in particular!!! Its embarassing.”

Then it is good that your exit from the UK will be quick and painless – hopefully, for your sake, that will be soon.

I am always amazed at people who are ignorant and rude with operations staff who have no control over the situation such as long queues – and are proud of their ignorance! Why berate her? How can she change things? She is just doing her job. And what is wrong with answering a reasonable question, given today’s security concerns?

[MrMichael]

ToninScotland +1. I would add that clearly Alainboy has not extensively traveled to the US, Egypt or Russia where long queues of over an hour are commonplace.

[alainboy56]

I would like to elaborate, I was not rude, just reserved, and I did not berate her, i merely asked quietly if that 300m queue was acceptable for her.
Yes I have left the UK already more than 20 years ago and ‘unfortunately’ have to come back now and again, but hence as I do live abroad, and work overseas, that is how I can judge and compare UK with other countries. Egypt? yes many times, USA? yes also, Russia no, through choice, but how about, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan? Both many, many times, does that count? what about pakistan? Yes so many times i know some of their airports intimately.
In my message, my idea was not to insult border staff, its their ‘managers’ whom are inept, its also the politicians who make the policies that are inept.
Do you argue with this observation?

[lesmclaren]

Lets hope that as May soon approaches that the E gates at T4 will in fact not only open but actually work !! Having arrived at T4 3 times recently [and experienced lines of between 5 minutes and 90 minutes] and seen absolutely so sign or sound of anything happening behind the boarded up area where presumably these long awaited gates are going to be located I have my doubts!!
Hopefully the highly annoying “Coming soon, improvements to make T4 a better experience” will also disappear. I jokingly said to the immigration officer that I had forgotten to bring my marker pen to add to the signs “and so is Xmas!”. At least my comment raised a good smile form both him and his nearby colleagues who overheard my remark!!
I do agree that there has been general inaction to help the situation from the blue jacketed brigade at T4. Simple things like shortening the line barriers when there is no line instead of standing around talking to each other in a “coffee clutch” would not go amiss!!

[AnthonyDunn]

@alainboy56 – 28/04/2016 08:26 BST

For whatever reason, you choose to come back and there is no compulsion to come here. If you don’t like the border controls, then the answer lies in your own hands. I am one of those who does not consider politicians (at least in this country) to be a separate genus but to share the same DNA as their constituents/those who elect them (which is quite a damning statement in its own right…)

That there are serious controls at the UK border owes itself to the demands of said electorate for more secure borders. Which is why the Border Agency does indeed have the right, amongst other things, to ascertain from whence you have travelled and what your onward travel plans are. This is even if, as an EEA national, you may have the right to travel here – subject to the rules regarding an individual’s presence in the UK “not being conducive to the public good”. Have you, by any chance, noticed that there is an EU “in”/”out” referendum currently taking place right now – and the control of the UK’s borders (and who and how many we allow into the country) is one mother of a political hot potato.

In the meantime, I would suggest that you get used to those 300 metre long queues – as a native, I have come to expect the minor inconvenience and get on with it.

[alainboy56]

I see that many people get quite upset when anyone challenges what is the ‘norm’. I merely have said that T4 Immigration is a mess as have many other readers to this forum. I am British, fully British, born and bred (an thick in the ‘ead’ as they say down my way). I do not vote, as I don’t believe I have a right to influence the voting, and it does not concern me anyway. However, management, and the resolving of problems is something that should be on people’s minds.
As far as control of the borders and the up coming referendum, I fully understand, and as I have been insulting to politicians so far, I will continue, in fact I understand more than they do, as I travel and work all over the world. Has anyone questioned them, as to why when ‘jihadi’s’ go off to fight in Syria or Iraq, they ‘let them back’??? Then just 2 days ago some US politician stated the obvious, that there are sleeper cells already in UK!!! It makes me want to spit feathers!
I am British and still proud to carry a “red’ passport (not a blue hard cover one – something else that the politicians sold us down the river on!). To end all this I will ask one question, the bombers in Paris, and Brussels, were French and Belgian? or where they Maghrebi??? A passport in my eyes, does not necessarily identify you as to whether you are Belgian or French, (this is given by some civil servant) the answer is THEY WERE/ARE ALL MAGHREBI. So ….. Is it not easy to start to secure our borders from that point?
Like I have said before sheer ineptness, and an abiding adherence to liberal views on human rights and not appearing to be racist.
I am sure now that I will receive an avalanche of complaints to my points raised.

[stevescoots]

Came through T3 this morning and they are closed for upgrade

[slotski]

Any idea when the T4 e-gates will be operational. I am due to return 13 May

[lesmclaren]

Slotski – The “T4 Improvement” boards all say in May, when in May [or if!] is of course the burning question!. As I said in my previous post, the last few times I have been through T4 there has been absolutely no sign or sound of any activity.
I am next through May 3 – will let you know!!
It is also to be hoped [sic] that the LHR APP will also advise when they open! – and if we get lucky they may also work when they do open.

[Agamemnon]

I complained to Heathrow re the T3 e-gates that have been closed to week and I got pointed towards Border Force, but wasn’t able to find an email for them (barring the Home Office which will disappear into the ether) and they clearly don’t man their Twitter account either.

[alainboy56]

In a true democracy one should be able to ask the authorities the facts, and in this case where you, as tax payers are being given an inferior service which is unacceptable, and me as I pay the exhorbitant Airport Fees on my air ticket.
So iets ask Business Traveller to forward our demands to LHR/BORDER FORCE the following questions.
Who decided to upgrade the software in the e-gates without properly managing the change-over ?
Who decide to close all tehe-gates when obviously they did not have the software checked and running correctly.?
Why are they still in their position?
If I showed such ineptness at managing a small project such as this, I would have been fired, maybe worse, arrested in some countries that I work in!
So lets ask the ‘powers that be’ out there, why in hells’ name they made such a complete and utter mess of this simple little project.???

[Author]

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