Airport Security, Immigration & Border Control

[White Heather]

I was there at 12 today for Belfast flight. Only 2 lanes open in security. Took hour and half
I know people have mentioned short staff but why don't management role their sleeves up and get stuck in

Because they are not trained to operate the equipment of course. You can't just roll up and do the job!
They only have two lanes open because they only have enough staff available to operate those two. At any one time there are staff stood down taking a compulsory break, because they are limited by law as to how long they can operate the x-ray equipment without a break.

 

[White Heather]

Plenty of negative reports in the YEP and Leeds Live today with the usual ignorant comments and 'Tin Pot Airport' in evidence yet again.
Depressing.

 

[The Pole]

Because they are not trained to operate the equipment of course. You can't just roll up and do the job!
They only have two lanes open because they only have enough staff available to operate those two. At any one time there are staff stood down taking a compulsory break, because they are limited by law as to how long they can operate the x-ray equipment without a break.

I know what you are saying.
I can do my staffs job if needed.
Train management for such eventualities!
Customer experience is key.

 

[The Pole]

Plenty of negative reports in the YEP and Leeds Live today with the usual ignorant comments and 'Tin Pot Airport' in evidence yet again.
Depressing.

White Heather
This is exactly the point I am making.
I fully support the airport and have done since a child. Wanting to get in flying for a living or A T C but due to being colour blind I couldn't forfill my dreams.
However the general public will report bad experiences online and to the press!
Maybe LBA need to get the YEP and Look North round the table to get them to support the airport.
When I watch Look North it seems Sheffield is the centre of the universe!

 

[White Heather]

For me, this Governments lack of adequate support of aviation, leading directly to large scale redundancies during Covid, CV coupled with its short notice lifting of restrictions, and it's new regulations which delay recruitment of new staff, AND the huge delays is passport renewals, not to mention it's lack of support for airport infrastructure projects , all seem to be a back door method of reducing the demand for flying by p*****g off people to such a degree that they will just stay home in future.

It wouldn't surprise me at all after this year if passenger numbers in 2023 are down again with demand suppressed. This country's aviation sector is in a real mess right now. Later this month, the number of flights out of LBA increases again and if they don't get a significant number of new recruits out there by then it's only going to get worse. In fact with lots of new staff it's going to take time anyway before the operation runs efficiently. Life must be hell for the supervisors. One staff member goes sick and chances are that an entire security lane gets shut down.

I do not believe that all these problems are just an unfortunate coincidence.

 

[Finger66]

WH trust me on this - think wider travel and hospital sectors too. Aviation is dear to our hearts but the repercussions are far wider reaching across the whole industry. It’s depressing trying to find qualified staff

 

[White Heather]

What's pathetic is the people using the press to claim their holidays have been ruined due to having to queue for security. Not the best start but they got where they were going, alive, and have time abroad to enjoy. Claiming their holiday is ruined is sensationalist nonsense. Since so many people are quoted as saying this by various rags, covering various airports, I can't help but think that these phrases are being put to people by the so called journalists.

There's another item in The Daily Record about Jet2 cancelling their flight home (GLA) due to an outbound medical emergency diversion, resulting in an out of hours crew. They'd had their week or two in Larnaca, but guess what? Their entire holiday ruined by this and because Jet2 didn't whistle up a spare aircraft to fly them home. Lining up a compensation claim no doubt.

We live in troubled times and in a culture of moaning. Drives me nuts.

 

[CM.]

I can’t see how they can claim that their holiday is ruined. In my view all the flights were delayed this morning which suggests to me that the flights were waiting for customers rather than leaving them so I don’t see how their holiday is ruined because of that.

As for the Daily record Jet2 Larnaca article I looked and this flight actually operated but with 2 hours delay. Don’t see how that ruined their holiday either, especially as their holiday was ending. I agree people just love to moan about everything and don’t appreciate that airlines and airports are trying their best.

 

[LBA787]

What's pathetic is the people using the press to claim their holidays have been ruined due to having to queue for security. Not the best start but they got where they were going, alive, and have time abroad to enjoy. Claiming their holiday is ruined is sensationalist nonsense. Since so many people are quoted as saying this by various rags, covering various airports, I can't help but think that these phrases are being put to people by the so called journalists.

There's another item in The Daily Record about Jet2 cancelling their flight home (GLA) due to an outbound medical emergency diversion, resulting in an out of hours crew. They'd had their week or two in Larnaca, but guess what? Their entire holiday ruined by this and because Jet2 didn't whistle up a spare aircraft to fly them home. Lining up a compensation claim no doubt.

We live in troubled times and in a culture of moaning. Drives me nuts.

Couldn’t have put it better!

This culture is toxic and it really gets to me personally from time to time.

Some may notice I post quite infrequently on here, it’s because I have to take myself away from it all for periods otherwise it genuinely gets to me.

I clock the same lunatics posting derogatory comments on the YEP or LeedsLive time and time again, those are the same galba tripe talking fools who put the boot in over the terminal replacement.

Boils my piss the state of this so called great country…

 

[ls27]

This is all been brought about by the new world order, who do not want us to travel but stay at home and be controlled. Hence groups like galpa are trying to put people off in another way. People go down with the 'common cold' etc

 

[jw2k]

Any reports on what the situation was like today getting through security? Was Friday morning a bit of a one off, or can we expect queues out of the door at 5am to be a regular sight from now on?

 

[White Heather]

Someone who is now mid air to Spain posted that the airport staff were
' working their butts off' to get people away on time with no trouble or moaning, and she offered her thanks for their hard work.

Shame we don't see more like that.

 

[Aviador]

Because they are not trained to operate the equipment of course. You can't just roll up and do the job!
They only have two lanes open because they only have enough staff available to operate those two. At any one time there are staff stood down taking a compulsory break, because they are limited by law as to how long they can operate the x-ray equipment without a break.

Ah not exactly. It's not a case of "you've had your 20 minutes on the scanner off you pop for a cuppa now". A scanner operator logs onto the scanner machine and the scanner advises them to log off after 20 minutes. Staff are then supposed to offer up the position to another operator. They then move position to carry out a different role such as operating the body scanners or checking boarding cards etc.

The job is intense. You are constantly tested by automation where real images of guns, IEDs and knives etc are implemented into passenger bags. Not to mention regular covert tests with people coming through with inert versions of the real things carried on their person and in their belongings. During the course of a twenty minute stint you would usually see around two tests, sometimes less sometimes more. I can't emphasis enough how intense this job is.

 

[White Heather]

Ah not exactly. It's not a case of "you've had your 20 minutes on the scanner off you pop for a cuppa now". A scanner operator logs onto the scanner machine and the scanner advises them to log off after 20 minutes. Staff are then supposed to offer up the position to another operator. They then move position to carry out a different role such as operating the body scanners or checking boarding cards etc.

The job is intense. You are constantly tested by automation where real images of guns, IEDs and knives etc are implemented into passenger bags. Not to mention regular covert tests with people coming through with inert versions of the real things carried on their person and in their belongings. During the course of a twenty minute stint you would usually see around two tests, sometimes less sometimes more. I can't emphasis enough how intense this job is.

Thanks Aviador. I don't doubt it. I was just saying what was said a year or two back when the Security supervisor gave a talk to the Consultative Committee.

 

[White Heather]

Any reports on what the situation was like today getting through security? Was Friday morning a bit of a one off, or can we expect queues out of the door at 5am to be a regular sight from now on?

 

[gcoabc1]

Ah not exactly. It's not a case of "you've had your 20 minutes on the scanner off you pop for a cuppa now". A scanner operator logs onto the scanner machine and the scanner advises them to log off after 20 minutes. Staff are then supposed to offer up the position to another operator. They then move position to carry out a different role such as operating the body scanners or checking boarding cards etc.

The job is intense. You are constantly tested by automation where real images of guns, IEDs and knives etc are implemented into passenger bags. Not to mention regular covert tests with people coming through with inert versions of the real things carried on their person and in their belongings. During the course of a twenty minute stint you would usually see around two tests, sometimes less sometimes more. I can't emphasis enough how intense this job is.

I fully endorse what you say having done security there for 7 months back in 2003. It's tough and requires full concentration without totally losing the human touch when necessary, if you do the job consciencously. Don't forget you needed to be fully switched on for 0300 most mornings.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

The thing is most of the security stuff can be done now with technology and very advanced technology - such as Amsterdam now doesn't require anyone to remove any electronics or liquids. The machine detects them and then if somethings not quite right it pushes them onto the "check please" lane for security.

The trouble in this country is lack of investment in such technology.

Likewise you can have body scanners instead of manually searching someone and body patting them.

 

[tonysmith]

Got to the airport at 03:30 this morning for flight to dublin took 75 minutes to get through security
Flight was delayed by 30 minutes

 

[LBA4EVER]

Big delays at MAN and BHX this morning again with queues extending out the terminal.

 

[paully]

Friend of mine was on the early Faro from Leeds and said although he was in the Fasttrack queue, it took them 2 hours through security. Due to people on nearly closing flights being pushed to the front of the queue..The only way they are going to start to solve this labour shortage, in the short term, is to limit the number of flights both per hour and per day until all the airports catch up......Which I don`t think is anytime soon..