Locked gates on arrival at LHR

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    DavidGordon10
    Participant

    When SK 1517 arrived from CPH on 25 April, passengers were stuck on the ramp for some minutes until a door leading to arrivals was unlocked.

    This is at least the third time this has happened to me, with different airlines each time. It is infrequent, but it should never happen. It is grossly inefficient and confirms the view many of us have of LHR, as an unpleasant experience.

    What must overseas visitors think of us?


    Binman62
    Participant

    Opening gates is an airline responsibility. Don’t wait though, once there are a plane load behind you use emergency exit button. It is not safe to have too many people trapped like that and use of the emergency button will soon sort things out.


    FormerlyDoS
    Participant

    I agree with Binman, even more so if is a gate where you are on the apron and exposed to jet blast and other hazards.


    ImissConcorde
    Participant

    @formerlyDoS I think it highly unlikely that passengers would be on the tarmac area unescorted.


    FormerlyDoS
    Participant

    ImissConcorde

    Who said anything about being unescorted?


    capetonianm
    Participant

    Maybe a coincidence, but in all the fltying I’ve done over the years, this has only ever happened to me twice. Both times it was on SK flights, so I do wonder if this is carrier specific.


    FormerlyDoS
    Participant

    it’s happened to me a few times, at a few airports, on a range of carriers.


    DavidGordon10
    Participant

    The other occasions where I can remember the airline, one was BMI and the other CSA – so not SK-specific, but the later histories of BMI and CSA at LHR may be instructive.

    I note Binman’s proposal at 21.28 to use the emergency exit button, but I would be cautious: I was once threatened with the police for just banging on the door to attract attention.


    goalie11
    Participant

    Not just a problem at LHR, it used to be a regular occurrence at EDI on my weekly trip home on a Friday afternoon with bmi.


    Binman62
    Participant

    DavidGordon10…..No need to be cautious if you are in genuine fear for your safety of that of others you have every right (indeed I would argue a duty) to make use of the emergency release buttons.

    Whilst many police are excellent protectors of the public there are just too many “plod” who have let the power go to their heads and have little common sense. This is particularly true at airports where the public do seem to have allowed common sense, courtesy and their civil liberties to be lost in the so called name of compliance and control.


    ZKSmith
    Participant

    At a lot of airports, including EDI, the reason for locked doors is other passengers at neighbouring gates boarding.

    Using EDI as an example, arriving international passengers walk along a corridor next to the departures area, before reaching immigration and baggage reclaim. Departing passengers must cross this corridor to reach the air-bridges.
    Your flight arrives slightly early, or boarding is slightly delayed at a near-by gate, and you’re stuck waiting behind locked doors until boarding of the other aircraft is complete.


    goalie11
    Participant

    That’s only part of the problem at EDI, the bmi example was restricted to their gates, which did not impact on the international side. As Binman said earlier it is down to the airline staff to make sure the doors are open and most of the time it was due to forgetfulness on their part, witnessed by their reaction when they had to run up the bridge to sort it out or, having knocked or kicked at the door, other staff came from the other side to get it opened.


    LeTigre
    Participant

    I’ve noticed that most of the time it is Heathrow Airport staff rather than grounds handlers that open the doors. They appear to be the most at blame. On occasion, I have been waiting with several hundred pax, and from the top of the jetty watching the staff playing on their phones, until they notice us and rush to the door. Diligence indeed!

    However, this situation will substantially improve with the opening of T2, which means that 3/4 terminals will have split floor departures and arrivals. (T2, T4, T5 and a significant part of T3. It can only get better!


    Age_of_Reason
    Participant

    Not just the gates at LHR…. I’ve been on early arriving BA flights into T5 which were received fine around 05.00 but he rail shuttle and inter-terminal transfers were not functioning. We couldn’t even get to immigration to take advantage of the early touchdown. Airport staff need to remember that their customers are delivered fatigued, jetlagged and generally miserable, keen to get that last hurdle behind them.

    But tempers fray very quickly, so staff must remember who are the customers, and who has the duty of care.

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