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F i F
Original Poster
18,390 posts
120 months
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Frankly I'm glad that due to now being a pensioner ah'm oot and don't have to suffer this nightmare any more!!!!!! Battle between Heathrow and Border AgencySorry Border Agency but you are a bloody joke. T5 has been a shambles for weeks now. 11 immigration stations out of 35 manned, both IRIS AND E-gates broken down AND a full immigration hall. Situation normal. Travellers busting through cordons refusing to co-operate. Banana republic. It'll get worse.
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sjg
4,296 posts
134 months
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The IRIS system, implemented at a cost of several million pounds, is being scrapped. I tried a few times to register for it, each time finding the right room to find a "temporarily closed" sign - last time the room had disappeared completely. Website says no new registrations. Every time I come back to Heathrow now the IRIS lines are closed.
Half the time the ePassport ones aren't working either, and I'm not sure where the staff saving comes from even when they do work. Normally there's 3 machines. One person directing people to the next free machine (er, thanks - I can see when a light goes green all by myself) and two at desks behind. The machines take several seconds longer than walking up to a desk and the customs officer scanning the passport and checking a photo. It's not exactly a skilled job - surely all that's needed is more people which must be an easy enough problem to fix.
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Puggit
29,500 posts
117 months
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Border Agency is also bullying BAA with various legal threats to stop them telling passengers who is to blame.
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ExFiF
Original Poster
18,390 posts
120 months
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Head of Border Agency in "Who gives stuff comment|http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/9237660/Border-Force-chief-Four-hour-queues-during-Olympics-So-be-it.html[/url] DT quoting Brian Moore said: Border Force chief: Four-hour queues during Olympics? So be it
Concerns were raised after passengers faced lengthy waits at immigration desks from flights into the capital, leading many to complain about the long lines at Heathrow's Terminal 5.
The queues prompted questions over how the UK's ports would cope with the influx of spectators during the 2012 Games.
Mr Moore, the Border Force chief, said the agency would continue to deploy staff in the same way.
"The vast majority of passengers pass through immigration control quickly. Queues are caused by a number of factors, including incorrect flight manifests or early or late planes which result in bunching," he said.
(FiF comment, thus it has always been, no different)
"The important factor is to have staff that are flexibly deployed in the right numbers at the right times and this is what we always try to do."
(FiF Comment, and increasingly fail, and amazingly most significantly fail on the EU desks
Mr Moore added there were "well-rehearsed plans" in place and the agency was “fully prepared” for busy periods during the Olympics.
Asked how he would feel if there were four-hour queues to enter Britain during the Games, he said: “If that is necessary in light of the threats and risks that we face at that time, then so be it. We will not compromise on safety.”
At the weekend, it was reported that the Border Force planned to spend £2.5 million bringing back retired immigration officers to cope with the volume of traffic into the UK.
FiF Comment, £750 a day nett will do nicely
There were also reports last night of calls for airlines to fund improvements to border controls to ease the pressure on airports.
"There is a real problem and the problem has emerged over the last few months," Keith Vaz, chairman of Home Affairs Select Committee told BBC radio.
"I'm not saying we should abandon checks, but it's a choice for the Government – you either look at the way you deal with people when they arrive at Heathrow or you recruit more staff."
"This is not just about the Olympics, this is about what happens before and after, it's about Heathrow as a world-class airport and it's about our reputation, and we need to make sure we get it sorted," Mr Vaz added.
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audidoody
5,171 posts
125 months
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"Border" Agency.
We're a f***ing island FFS.
There is no "Border".
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SeanyD
2,701 posts
69 months
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T5 almost caught me out on my last visit. Wasn't until I was returning for my flight home, I realised the boarding cards now state you must have cleared security 1 hour before. For a 50 minute flight to Newcastle? An hour before? Queue me legging it around the tube and terminal at speed.
Also still amazes me on hand luggage restrictions, you can't take a pair of tweezers, yet you can take a box of safety matches. Death by tweezers eh, one of the most feared acts of terrorism.
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BrabusMog
4,947 posts
55 months
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Came back into T5 on Sunday night after a lengthy delay at Barajas. Luckily I flew business so was first off the plane and knew there would only be a couple of desks open so I legged it to security and only had to queue for 15 mins to get through. I had, of course, forgotten my colleague who was sat towards the rear of our plane and had to wait for him as I was giving him a lift into town. He took nearly 2 hours to come through. At 23.30 on a Sunday FFS!
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ewenm
24,454 posts
114 months
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Just one of the reasons I'm trying to minimise air travel. The amount of faffing and "hurry up and wait" makes driving or getting the train somewhere far more appealing than flying anywhere.
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A lex
8,847 posts
102 months
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ewenm said: Just one of the reasons I'm trying to minimise air travel. The amount of faffing and "hurry up and wait" makes driving or getting the train somewhere far more appealing than flying anywhere. This - I work within the airline industry, but you wont catch me taking a flight unless there is an ocean in-between me and the destination, especially if I am entering/leaving the UK. Chunnel/Eurostar can be just as quick and far less stress, hell I even take the overnight ferry sometimes to avoid the miserable and lazy automatons that seem to find themselves manning the UK airport entry points.
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sjg
4,296 posts
134 months
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Yep, roll on the day when other operators can use the Eurotunnel and make direct routes to destinations beyond Brussels and Paris. Even then it can be better with a change - eg. I'm doing a trip to Amsterdam in June and I could my complete ticket from Eurostar, even with a change it's 4h40 from St Pancras.
DB are hoping to be running direct trains to Amsterdam in 4 hours and Frankfurt in 5 from next year, then start expanding to other cities from there. I'd much rather show up 30 mins before, breeze though security then sit on a train for 5 hours than do the whole Heathrow experience.
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JuniorD
3,068 posts
92 months
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When the Pope came to the UK last year, one of the Cardinals was roundly castigated for daring to suggest that Heathrow (T3, I think) was like arriving in the third world. Having been to some of the s  ttiest destinations known to man I can say that he was being generous in his praise! Don't get me wrong, I like heathrow for lots (mosty sentimental) of resons but in general, it's a disgrace. I'd love to be in charge there for a year.
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mattdaniels
5,116 posts
151 months
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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.
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ExFiF
Original Poster
18,390 posts
120 months
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Have you been through T5 Heathrow recently? Every time it's been a problem, the non EU queue has been nothing exceptional. I've regularly seen about 20 max in the non EU queue, yet meanwhile EU queue is out of the immigration hall and onto the corridors back towards the arrival gates.
Having said that it's not always a disaster. Last month the gate was the next but one closest to immigration, only one Iris m/c was working but I was second in the queue so no problem. From powering down engines and seat belt light off to firing up the car in the car park was 25 minutes. So it's not all bad to be fair, but that was the best experience since T5 opened.
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davepoth
19,913 posts
68 months
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Two elements to this as far as I can see. Firstly, the change to checking requirements last year - UKBA used to be allowed to not check all the passports properly when it was busy, but because that got done too much they decided everyone had to be checked.
Because of that we ended up with a very demoralised UKBA workforce, and I think the unions have perhaps suggested to them that going even slower might be a way of getting some action.
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Roo
5,871 posts
76 months
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ewenm said: Just one of the reasons I'm trying to minimise air travel. The amount of faffing and "hurry up and wait" makes driving or getting the train somewhere far more appealing than flying anywhere. It's also one of the reasons why I tend to now do driving holidays in Europe. That and the ridiculous amount of tax on trans atlantic flights nowadays. davepoth said: Two elements to this as far as I can see. Firstly, the change to checking requirements last year - UKBA used to be allowed to not check all the passports properly when it was busy, but because that got done too much they decided everyone had to be checked.
Because of that we ended up with a very demoralised UKBA workforce, That just about sums up what is wrong with certain employees in this country. They used to, legitimately, not have to do their jobs properly but now they've got to they've all got the hump.
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TonyHetherington
30,894 posts
119 months
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I travel fairly regularly, and I too have noticed it getting a lot worse. Specifically, as someone above said, the IRIS machines and the E-Passport machines. Both are commonly out of order, and when the E-passport is open it fails to read my passport properly and I get directed (by the person standing there) to just go to the person waiting there specifically for people who the E-passport gate doesn't work for. But the thing that's annoyed me most is that the uproar has been "because we'll look bad for the Olympics". Immigration queues have been bad for years, however because the whole of the world will now visit London, NOW we must do something about it. Mind you, this is nothing compared to the Chicago O'Hare queue for Non-US residents 
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Blackpuddin
4,792 posts
74 months
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All three e-passport machines were broken when I came thru T5 last week. When I started queuing one was still working (hence the queue) but it conked out just as I arrived for my go. Pal of mine was telling me last night that every time he's tried his e-passport in working machines it comes back as 'alien'. I read somewhere that faulty chips in the passport are a problem that has to be sorted by the passport holder, not the issuer. He's given up with his one and just joins the big queue.
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TonyHetherington
30,894 posts
119 months
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Blackpuddin said: I read somewhere that faulty chips in the passport are a problem that has to be sorted by the passport holder, not the issuer. He's given up with his one and just joins the big queue. I can't recall if mine's ever worked. However, don't just join the normal queue! Go to the e-passport gate and when it doesn't work, just go to the guys waiting specifically there. It means you don't have to join the (now very long!) normal EU queue.
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Blackpuddin
4,792 posts
74 months
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TonyHetherington said: Blackpuddin said: I read somewhere that faulty chips in the passport are a problem that has to be sorted by the passport holder, not the issuer. He's given up with his one and just joins the big queue. I can't recall if mine's ever worked. However, don't just join the normal queue! Go to the e-passport gate and when it doesn't work, just go to the guys waiting specifically there. It means you don't have to join the (now very long!) normal EU queue. Yep, that was the only good thing about being in the queue for busted machines, you then got 'fast-tracked' (pfft) to a regular desk that appeared to be dedicated for this purpose. My pal was getting repeated 'alien' messages and it was freaking him out.
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TonyHetherington
30,894 posts
119 months
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Is this his passport picture? 
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