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Paddy_N_Murphy
15,248 posts
54 months
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mattdaniels said: I can't believe the fuss in the media about the size of the non EU immigration queues at Heathrow.
They've obviously never seen the "non US" lines at JFK when a couple of jumbos land. I have never really had longer than 30mins at any USA border - AND TBH they do a lot more checking / faffing / fingerprinting etc than the UK Immigrations lot. I am disappointed the IRIS system has been binned - it used to be great, and has had me from a Transcontinental seat on a plane to a Hire car seat at Manchester in under 15minutes on several occasions.
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TonyHetherington
30,991 posts
120 months
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I agree - I thought the IRIS was great. Occasionally the queue would be longer than that for normal passports, but it was a good system though. Why are they canning it?!
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sjg
4,325 posts
135 months
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According to this FOI request/response the support contract for the system was due to end in March 2011 - presumably not extended. I'm guessing they'll stay at Heathrow (even if broken all the time) so they're not criticised for taking them out before the inevitable Olympic chaos. My cynical take is that they'd hoped (and planned) for reductions in staff numbers by throwing some poorly-implemented technology at the problem. That didn't work, they've wasted a load of money, they're understaffed, and aren't quite sure what to do next.
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Paddy_N_Murphy
15,248 posts
54 months
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sjg said: My cynical take is that they'd hoped (and planned) for reductions in staff numbers by throwing some poorly-implemented technology at the problem. That didn't work, they've wasted a load of money, they're understaffed, and aren't quite sure what to do next. + a sprinkle of Union meddling, I fancy.....
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TonyHetherington
30,991 posts
120 months
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Ah, sounds about right. Reduce numbers in line with expected gains, before they materialise.
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greygoose
1,475 posts
65 months
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The management got rid of loads of staff to save money, introduced an inflexible team working system which didn't provide staff on duty in line with traffic levels, then the Brodie Clark affair blew up and so everyone had to be checked (with a slower computer system than before), queues built up and there are no staff to deal with it.
The usual combination of poor management, political interference, poor quality IT, and a demoralised workforce.
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Paddy_N_Murphy
15,248 posts
54 months
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greygoose said: The usual combination of poor management, political interference, poor quality IT, and a demoralised workforce. So the UK in a nutshell then. Well at least it gives visitors a glimpse of what is to comes once they eventually get through immigrations.
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llewop
2,001 posts
81 months
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Paddy_N_Murphy said: I have never really had longer than 30mins at any USA border you've been lucky then! Last year in Miami it was well over an hour and a total cattle market. Never used the iris scanning, but at Christmas used the e-passport at T5 and was through in a couple of minutes. Last time through T5 (a month ago) there was a bit of a queue (both normal and e-passport, not that I could use it as Mrs was with me and still has a non-biometric passport) but at least they'd switched to a single queue rather than pot-luck on which queue was best.
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billzeebub
2,407 posts
69 months
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greygoose said: The management got rid of loads of staff to save money, introduced an inflexible team working system which didn't provide staff on duty in line with traffic levels, then the Brodie Clark affair blew up and so everyone had to be checked (with a slower computer system than before), queues built up and there are no staff to deal with it.
The usual combination of poor management, political interference, poor quality IT, and a demoralised workforce. Spot on, you just forgot to mention the. resultant drop off in forgery/imposter detections and refusal of dodgy passengers, which will cost the country far more money in the long term than the savings in staffing costs from getting rid of a few hundred 'expensive ' Immigration Officers
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dreamer75
996 posts
98 months
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The problem with the IRIS system, was that the process of scanning (from getting into the booth to getting out) was really slow. Much slower than the process of the person on the desk looking at your passport and ok'ing you.
You had to wait behind the line until the previous person vacated the booth, then a green light or something would go on. Then the dimwit waiting to go in takes a few seconds to realise they can walk forward. They take a few steps, wait for the auto door to swing open, step in. Then spend what seems like an eternity shuffling around lining up their eyes, being told they are standing too close to the scannner, too far away, too high, too low, usually too close again. Then wait for what felt like ages before the door swings open and off they walk. For the whole thing to start again.
I always thought it was way too slow to scale properly. The only reason it was any good, was that so few people actually used it, it was usually quicker than the queue.
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Paddy_N_Murphy
15,248 posts
54 months
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dreamer75 said: The problem with the IRIS system, was that the process of scanning (from getting into the booth to getting out) was really slow. Much slower than the process of the person on the desk looking at your passport and ok'ing you.
You had to wait behind the line until the previous person vacated the booth, then a green light or something would go on. Then the dimwit waiting to go in takes a few seconds to realise they can walk forward. They take a few steps, wait for the auto door to swing open, step in. Then spend what seems like an eternity shuffling around lining up their eyes, being told they are standing too close to the scannner, too far away, too high, too low, usually too close again. Then wait for what felt like ages before the door swings open and off they walk. For the whole thing to start again.
I always thought it was way too slow to scale properly. The only reason it was any good, was that so few people actually used it, it was usually quicker than the queue. Really - I thought it remarkably quicker than these Booths for the E-Passport Scans - also the advantage was that the people with the Iris Scan tended to be 'travellers' . Who are efficient and want to crack on. I want to punch in the back of the head these types who stand in the queues for 30mins, get to the front THEN have a forrage in a back for 10 mins to find the fecking Passport / Boarding Pass / Piece of paper....
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ExFiF
Original Poster
18,599 posts
121 months
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Paddy_N_Murphy said: dreamer75 said: The problem with the IRIS system, was that the process of scanning (from getting into the booth to getting out) was really slow. Much slower than the process of the person on the desk looking at your passport and ok'ing you.
You had to wait behind the line until the previous person vacated the booth, then a green light or something would go on. Then the dimwit waiting to go in takes a few seconds to realise they can walk forward. They take a few steps, wait for the auto door to swing open, step in. Then spend what seems like an eternity shuffling around lining up their eyes, being told they are standing too close to the scannner, too far away, too high, too low, usually too close again. Then wait for what felt like ages before the door swings open and off they walk. For the whole thing to start again.
I always thought it was way too slow to scale properly. The only reason it was any good, was that so few people actually used it, it was usually quicker than the queue. Really - I thought it remarkably quicker than these Booths for the E-Passport Scans - also the advantage was that the people with the Iris Scan tended to be 'travellers' . Who are efficient and want to crack on. I want to punch in the back of the head these types who stand in the queues for 30mins, get to the front THEN have a forrage in a back for 10 mins to find the fecking Passport / Boarding Pass / Piece of paper.... Yes indeed this^^^ The Iris is good when you have regular travellers, who know the sequence and are there ready to move forward, to know just where to stand and have everything lined up and all their ducks in a row. Do agree about those who stand there and, forward a bit, back a bit, forward a bit etc, especially when they are looking into the wrong bloody screen. The equivalent eye scanner system in Schiphol is much much quicker. Agree about the E-passport readers, I've never had a successful scan, always had to have the intervention of the operator.
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Puggit
29,670 posts
118 months
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dreamer75 said: The problem with the IRIS system, was that the process of scanning (from getting into the booth to getting out) was really slow. Much slower than the process of the person on the desk looking at your passport and ok'ing you.
You had to wait behind the line until the previous person vacated the booth, then a green light or something would go on. Then the dimwit waiting to go in takes a few seconds to realise they can walk forward. They take a few steps, wait for the auto door to swing open, step in. Then spend what seems like an eternity shuffling around lining up their eyes, being told they are standing too close to the scannner, too far away, too high, too low, usually too close again. Then wait for what felt like ages before the door swings open and off they walk. For the whole thing to start again.
I always thought it was way too slow to scale properly. The only reason it was any good, was that so few people actually used it, it was usually quicker than the queue. Don't forget the people that march up enthusiastically to the glass gates before the green light come on. Then the IRIS machine gets in a huff and you have to take 3 steps back to reset it  Last time I used Iris I suffered the walk of shame when I had to come back out as it didn't recognise me...
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dreamer75
996 posts
98 months
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Yep at the beginning Iris was quicker, but the last few times I used it, I spent ages stuck behind other people faffing around. And daring to be a bit too quick up to the doors. It seems the milling sheep had figured out how to get registered 
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K50 DEL
5,246 posts
98 months
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I was one of the first to register for IRIS when it first became available and have used it extensively over the last god knows how many trips.
It's a great system that really has only 2 flaws, firstly you can never guarantee which little camera it's going to ask you to look into and secondly there are always a bunch of morons who can't read the signs and who aren't registered for IRIS but join the queue as it's short.
I've taken now to loudly saying to the person next to me... "I didn't realise there were this many people registered for IRIS".... the number of people who shuffle away sheepishly at the point often halves the queue.
I really hope that it stays operational for a long while yet.
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ExFiF
Original Poster
18,599 posts
121 months
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Getting worse, half mile long queues, two and a half hours. link
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eldar
7,038 posts
66 months
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Went through T5 last Tuesday around 5PM, longish queues, but moving quickly, 40 minutes. Too long, but not the nightmare I'd been expecting....
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llewop
2,001 posts
81 months
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Friday afternoon through T5
- from landing to outside terminal waiting for bus to hire car: 30 minutes.
- from landing to M25 - less than 1 hour (including collecting and loading hire car): M25 far less accomodating!
Clearly there are variations and peaks and troughs
landed just after 3 for reference
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dougc
8,235 posts
135 months
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T5 a couple of weeks ago. Sunday night. Very quiet and didn't even queue.
What did suprise me was having to get a bus from the plane to the terminal. Seems odd that in a brand new building, all stands don't have airbridges?
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phumy
3,754 posts
107 months
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dougc said: T5 a couple of weeks ago. Sunday night. Very quiet and didn't even queue.
What did suprise me was having to get a bus from the plane to the terminal. Seems odd that in a brand new building, all stands don't have airbridges? Who did you fly with? Carriers normally have to pay to 'park up' at the terminal, your carrier may have chosen not to pay the charge and decided on a bus for the rabble....
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