[MartynSinclair]

@MartinJ – there has to be a realistic cut off time for passing through security. You cant have passengers rushing through and ending up not flying…

What I would suggest is a new security lane with say a 20 minute cut off BUT

**a strictly enforced what you can carry through (i.e. hand baggage, no cases – which is the main reason why normal security lanes are slow)

**perhaps paid for by the passenger annually, as in the US

**with an added benefit of “Trusted Traveller” status, reduced security, perhaps belts and shoes remain on. Laptops ipads no need out of the bag..

After all, whats good for our American friends, should be good for us too…

[solartravels]

@Martyn, I agree with this Trusted Traveller system.
I flew back from Vegas to LHR with BA in Business. The check in staff kindly gave us some passes for the Trusted Traveller security lane. It took about 30 seconds to pass through, no emptying pockets, no laptops out etc. It was a surprise, and something that I would personally pay for if operated in the UK.

[nevereconomy]

I had a delayed flight from MAN and could easily have made the connection (no bags) AND I was in First, but still got kicked to a flight
4 hours later with no First, so I guess you have to be famous as one reviewer suggested.

[canucklad]

I stick by my original point Simon, and if cityproffesional is correct HALis dictating BA boarding policy based on their inadequacies of processing people through security.

It is yet another deterioration in customer service levels enabling a corporation to profit at the consumers loss.

And Martyn, why can’t you have customers rushing through, it’s surely not beyond the wit of BA to have a manned Customer Service Desk airside, especially if the next flight after the missed flight is within a short period of time.

Sort out security, man it probably, invest in effective detection machinery and train personnel correctly and you wouldn’t have a need for turning people away. You also wouldn’t need to create different tiers of security such as Fast track and this Trusted Traveller security lane that they have in the US. Which quite frankly makes me very uneasy, as in my opinion it reeks of potentially becoming the weak link in the security chain, primarily because it could promote a complacency culture!!?

Let us all suffer together, or let us all benefit together.

[SimonS1]

That isn’t what you said though is it Canucklad. You said “why does a security guard at LHR have the power to refuse boarding onto a BA flight?”. As you probably know the security guards at LHR do not take those decisions and nor are they paid to. All they do is enforce the security policy that has been agreed.

I think you can also be reasonably certain that as the sole operator at T5 BA has some say in the conformance times which are well publicised on its website. I doubt HAL make them up on their own, and most likely they are tied to BA’s wish to have people at the gate latest 20 mins before the flight (hence 15 mins to pass through security and get to the gate).

No reason why there could not be more security points but someone has to pay for them, and for the sake of a few people who turn up late I’m not sure the business case would be that convincing.

I really don’t see any need to “suffer together’, 99% of people get to the airport on time for their flights so we (as I include myself in that number) don’t have any problem. If a few travellers insist on arriving late at security at a time when the UK is on a “severe” threat level then I think they only have themselves to blame.

[esselle]

Canucklad

Re my post on this earlier, I was not going through security, as I was transferring from a domestic flight, so security time was not a factor. The machine said no when my boarding pass was scanned going into the transit area.

So the question is, who programmes the computer? I don’t know the answer to that one.

What I do know is, having missed my connection to Milan by a whisker, I got not the merest scintilla of an apology/sympathy/human empathy from any of the BA staff I subsequently came into contact with. Three hours delay, missed slap up supper in Milan etc etc…..they just robotically booked me onto the next flight with a seat by the loos.

To Fly To Ignore

[LondonAndy70]

I always prefer to arrive early than late, but due to delays on the tube a couple of weeks ago I ended up getting up at T1/2/3 and getting the Heathrow Express to T5. I thought conformance was 45 minutes (which I wouldn’t have made) but I managed to get through at T-36. As it was the start of a 10 flight itinerary, I wouldn’t have been pleased with myself if I’d missed the flight. I can feel the pain of the OP.

[MrMichael]

Something that really bugs me is people being late to the gate and thus making the flight miss its slot and delaying me getting to my destination, or worse missing a connection. I am happy with the 35 minute rule, and what is more I would go further, if someone is late at the gate then they too should be booted, even if their luggage has not yet been found….they will try harder next time.

Most flights I use regularly have 150 – 200 people on them, why should they be delayed(plus knock on delays) for the sake of one tardy individual. Sod-em, they showed me and my other 149 travellers no courtesy, I owe them none. Exceptions should only be if an inbound connecting flight is late with a number of pax on board booked for that connection.

I agree with SimonS1, the rules at T5 are clearly an agreement with BA and Heathrow. It does BA a favour as it is not BA saying no, but Heathrows computer…..perfect.

I know some will disagree with me and say common sense should prevail, staff should use discretion, exceptions should be made for gold holders, first passengers, those with carry on luggage only, those with blonde hair and those with their own teeth. No, make a rule and stick to it for all, for the benefit of me and the other 149.

[MartinJ]

MrMichael, I would not stand the slightest of chances of jeopardising your flight. If my onboard bag and myself do not make it to the gate by the time the gate closes, I simply get turned away. No offloading bags, no delays, no fuss. All I ask is that I get a chance to try my luck, completely risk-free for the other passengers on my flight. I am free to try this pretty much anywhere, be it Amsterdam or Almaty, Memphis or Melbourne, Bangkok or Beirut. Just Heathrow won’t let me do it. Odd.

[SimonS1]

I don’t understand why it is odd. If you buy a ticket and the airline says “you need to be at security latest 35 mins before the flight” I don’t see why it is odd when you get turned away for arriving after that.

LHR is packed to the rafters and it is a model designed to assist planes in getting away from the gate on time. I don’t think Almaty, Memphis etc etc have anywhere near the same pressure on slots or gates.

[MartynSinclair]

I still don’t agree with the “let me try my luck brigade”.

One of the benefits of checking boarding passes is to ensure only people entitled to go airside go airside. Letting people through to try there luck, is in my mind a recipe for disaster.

The only times I do feel extremely sorry for passengers who miss flights is when there is a snaking line taking over 30 minutes, to get to the point where your boarding card is checked.

Although you are able to leave it to 35 minutes before hand, isn’t there an advisory out suggesting you get to the airport an hour before hand…

[WillieWelsh]

The anomaly is of course that the 35 minute requirement relates only to T5. If it was so great I do wonder why it was not introduced in T2?

Instead T2 has a very strict ‘gate closed’ policy and the airbridge may still be in place and the ground staff may still be on the aircraft but you will not get on and bags will be off. That is in my view much more fair than the 35 minute rule in T5 where I know security is inefficient but if you are sprightly you would make it to any of the A gates in time.

[Str8Talking]

Surely a “gate closed” policy is much worse for delays if they have to offload baggage because the gate is likely to close much nearer the departure time than the 35 minutes security cut off, which will be the point they decide to offload; and so by the time bags are offloaded, the flight has missed multiple take off slots!

I don’t disagree with a bit of common sense, but what happens if tens of passengers are allowed airside to try their luck, end up missing their flights and then having to make other arrangements. It’s not guaranteed they will get on another flight on that day, so then they have to come back out through security… what a mess! It’s bad enough with managing security flows in a single direction!

[MartynSinclair]

being a T5’er (and not yet used the new T2), please can someone explain the differences in the 35 minute rule between T5 and T2….?

What happens in T4?

[SimonS1]

@WillieWelsh – I though conformance was rolled out to all terminals at LHR in late 2013. It is certainly stated on the BA website and referred to on a number of other forums.

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