All OK for a 12 hour queue at Heathrow?
All OK for a 12 hour queue at Heathrow?
Author
Discussion

rs1952

Original Poster:

5,247 posts

290 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Personally I think that these threats of 12 hour delays are being hyped, because my personal view is that riots would probably break out well before 12 hours were up. What does anybody else think?

carreauchompeur

18,331 posts

235 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
The talk of such ridiculous delays helps the cause of the unions, because it increases publicity. But I fully agree that they wouldn't let it take so long.

Suspect we'll have quite a few chancers entering the country via LHR that day though in case the rules get relaxed...

Oh, and everyone where we work has been told to cancel all plans, work etc next Weds. We can't strike, see!

0a

24,159 posts

225 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
I hear from my sister (a teacher) that almost no one she knows is going on strike. It's the union saying 12 hours in this case. I suspect it's because support for the strike is a lot less than they say it is.

If they say 12 hours wait and 50% of passengers don't turn up, even a zero participation rate has disrupted 50% of passengers.

Remember the actual numbers who voted to strike are tiny (a very low typical turnout), only the BBC and the like talk of an overwhelming majority support for industrial action.


Randy Winkman

22,750 posts

220 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
0a said:
Remember the actual numbers who voted to strike are tiny (a very low typical turnout), only the BBC and the like talk of an overwhelming majority support for industrial action.
I've not heard them say that.

davepoth

29,395 posts

230 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
I think the "12 hours" claim is coming from the government, to stop people who don't really need to come on the 30th from coming. By reducing demand that day they'll make the unions look even worse when everything carries on as normal.

Changedmyname

12,549 posts

212 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Why does anyone want flight delays, when you can have them on the motorways.
But seriously why pay that much money when there is so much here to DRIVE to.

Targarama

14,791 posts

314 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
Changedmyname said:
Why does anyone want flight delays, when you can have them on the motorways.
But seriously why pay that much money when there is so much here to DRIVE to.
Have you been drinking? There is a world outside Wales. How do people from the USA and China get here to see these things? How do I get to Tokyo for business meetings next week?

LHRFlightman

2,263 posts

201 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
12 hours is quite realistic. 30000 pax turn up before 0900 and with only 30% of ukba staff on shift you have gridlock.
Then more aircraft pitch up but you can't open the aircraft doors as the arrivals hall is full. So you have to leave them on the plane. Pax due to leave on that aircraft can't go as its full of arriving pax.
Them more aircraft pitch up. They can't park as by now all the stands are full. So they park in taxiways. Shortly after that the airport is gridlocked.

Its going to be st at work next week. frown

carreauchompeur

18,331 posts

235 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
LHRFlightman said:
12 hours is quite realistic. 30000 pax turn up before 0900 and with only 30% of ukba staff on shift you have gridlock.
Then more aircraft pitch up but you can't open the aircraft doors as the arrivals hall is full. So you have to leave them on the plane. Pax due to leave on that aircraft can't go as its full of arriving pax.
Them more aircraft pitch up. They can't park as by now all the stands are full. So they park in taxiways. Shortly after that the airport is gridlocked.

Its going to be st at work next week. frown
Scary!

rs1952

Original Poster:

5,247 posts

290 months

Friday 25th November 2011
quotequote all
LHRFlightman said:
12 hours is quite realistic. 30000 pax turn up before 0900 and with only 30% of ukba staff on shift you have gridlock.
Then more aircraft pitch up but you can't open the aircraft doors as the arrivals hall is full. So you have to leave them on the plane. Pax due to leave on that aircraft can't go as its full of arriving pax.
Them more aircraft pitch up. They can't park as by now all the stands are full. So they park in taxiways. Shortly after that the airport is gridlocked.

Its going to be st at work next week. frown
I presume you mean "realistic" from the point of view of calculating how many people you can get through a pinch point (ie the Border desk) if X number of people are arriving and Y number of people can be processed per minute/ hour/ pick a time interval you like.

"Realistic" can mean something else entirely in these circumstances. It might mean what happens about a family with a couple of kids coming in on an overnight flight, kids squawking that they want their breakfast; it might mean what happens to frail elderly people who can't stand up for all that long, it might mean what happens to a bolshie chav who has been waiting 6 hours for a fag and these barstewards are just making him wait much longer for his fix. It might mean people waiting on the arrivals side to pick up their loved ones, it might mean the absolute chaos caused to legitimate businesses (like car parks, for instance, also in limbo because they've got cars coming in but none going out to free up space.

Etc etc

As I said at the top, if that lot starts to kick off what is going to happen? All these people stand meekly in a queue for 12 hours, or they start to kick up about it? If things get anywhere near as bad as the government have been hinting, there's going to be some major civil disobedience to deal with.


Jackleman

974 posts

197 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
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Perhaps border control should be role like the army and (I think the police) that cannot strike?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

bob1179

14,140 posts

240 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
quotequote all
You've got to love the UK. It is wonderful that the government can let the possibility of this sort of thing happening.

From what I understand only forty odd per cent of people turned out to vote and of that forty percent, eighty per cent voted for strike action.

So there is no majority wishing to strike, yet these mindless socialist morons continue to peruse this line of action, threatening massive disruption to legitimate businesses, travellers and hard working people. They are making our precarious financial situation worse, which as they are public sector workers, will only affect them further.

I am flying back into UK on Friday morning and I hope I do not get caught in the tail end of this.

I read somewhere that the country is no longer divided by class, but whether a person works in the private or public sector. This is becoming more readily apparent as we sink deeper into our financial mess.

knight

5,235 posts

310 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
quotequote all
LHRFlightman said:
12 hours is quite realistic. 30000 pax turn up before 0900 and with only 30% of ukba staff on shift you have gridlock.
Then more aircraft pitch up but you can't open the aircraft doors as the arrivals hall is full. So you have to leave them on the plane. Pax due to leave on that aircraft can't go as its full of arriving pax.
Them more aircraft pitch up. They can't park as by now all the stands are full. So they park in taxiways. Shortly after that the airport is gridlocked.

Its going to be st at work next week. frown
Glad I finish my working week (at LHR) at 7am wednesday! smile

madala

5,063 posts

229 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
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....just let everyone through without a check.....they have been doing it for years under Labour.....

gtdc

4,259 posts

314 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
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Just get the staff from the airside cafes to do the passport checks. They can't be any worse.

F i F

48,962 posts

282 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
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Well LHR T5 yesterday evening around 5pm ish was an utter shambles.

Only one IRIS machine working.

All the E-passport machines out of use for training purposes, presumably so that the pricks can go on strike next week.

A few desks manned in the section for UK and EU passports, queuing out of the immigration hall and to the door.

About ten desks manned on the section normally used for all other passports, about 3 people wanting to be cleared. The rest of them sat around twiddling thumbs and various other BA staff trying to look busy handling queues that were non existent and studiously avoiding the UK/EU queues that were milling about.

Absolutely no effort to open up new lanes which is what they normally do when such as the IRIS queue builds up, but no, nothing, just stood around like dummies.

Go on fking strike, you utter spasticated useless mongtts, your current pension offer WILL be withdrawn.

AndrewW-G

11,968 posts

248 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
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Sounds like the perfect time to slip through with something naughty in the bottom of your suitcase hehe

obob

4,193 posts

225 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
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madala said:
....just let everyone through without a check.....they have been doing it for months under Teresa May.....
EFA

Matt80M

1,140 posts

203 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
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I've just had to take an extra day off work and move my flight to Tuesday. Whilst I don't mind having an extra days holiday, the extra expense is a PITA. Emirates are cancelling all flights on 30th.

carreauchompeur

18,331 posts

235 months

Saturday 26th November 2011
quotequote all
Flip, that sounds quite serious if Emirates are abandoning LHR for the day! I am expecting a long day at work supporting whichever union wishes to walk out, or alternatively dealing with general crusty mayhem!