Security, Immigration & Border Control

[News Guru]

Re: Heathrow Airport Security, Immigration & Border Control

Olympic official complains after waiting 3 hours at Heathrow passport control

An Olympic official has complained after he queued for three hours last week at Heathrow passport control. Airport owner BAA has confirmed that the senior Olympic official made a complaint and said that some passengers had queued for 2.5 hours last Tuesday. A source at the UK Border Agency told The Times a report explaining the delays at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Tuesday night was drafted because 'a senior Olympic bigwig was caught in [the queue] who was not impressed and had made a complaint'.

After this latest incident airport and airline bosses have accuse the border agency of not being able to cope. BAA said immigration does not have enough staff to carry out the checks following the reintroduction of tougher checks after unauthorised relaxation of procedures by Brodie Clark, former head of the UK Border Force.

A Border Agency spokesman said they refuse to compromise security but will aim to keep disruption to a minimum. It said it was inevitable that thorough checks would cause some queuing during peak times.

For more information on this airport news story visit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1swHb3sHP

 

[News Guru]

Re: Heathrow Airport Security, Immigration & Border Control

All Heathrow passport control desks to be manned for Olympics

Extra staff will be deployed at Heathrow Airport to prevent delays to athletes and other visitors arriving for the Olympic Games, Home Secretary Theresa May said yesterday. She told the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee: ‘We will be at peak times manning all of the desks. Those plans are in place.’

Mrs May said that contingency plans had also been drawn up to bring in extra staff if necessary to help with immigration checks. She said the Border Force had been able to cope with extra numbers during the Easter break, adding that not everyone would be arriving in London for the games on the same day.

The Evening Standard reported that lengthy lines built up yesterday at passport control at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. The Immigration Services Union, which represents border officials, called for more than 300 frontier staff to be recruited.

Mrs May has also agreed yesterday to an urgent meeting with UK airlines following fears that airports will reach gridlock this summer because of staff shortages. The British Air Transport Association (BATA) chief executive Simon Buck requested a meeting in a letter to the home secretary, in which the Association also called for increased Border Force staffing.

For more information on this airport news story visit: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-0 ... s-may-says

 

[Aviador]

Re: Heathrow Airport Security, Immigration & Border Control

I understand immigration Border Control staff are being seconded to Heathrow from other airports in the UK.

 

[News Guru]

Re: Heathrow Airport Security, Immigration & Border Control

Border Force tell Heathrow to stop apologising for queues

Heathrow Airport has been told by the Border Force not to hand out leaflets acknowledging ‘very long delays’ at passport control that include details on how to complain to the Home Office, the Telegraph reports. The airport had hoped to defuse tensions with the leaflet, apologising for the problems, saying that people arriving in the country ‘deserved a warmer welcome’ and explaining how to complain to the Home Office.

However In an email obtained by the newspaper, Marc Owen, director of UK Border Agency operations at Heathrow, said: ‘The leaflet... is both inflammatory and likely to increase tensions in arrivals halls. It is also inappropriate in that it is not for you to display how to complain on our behalf. Please refrain from handing out [the leaflets] or I will escalate [the matter] with ministers who are likely to take a very dim view.'

Mr Owen also told BAA to stop passengers taking pictures in the arrivals hall showing the queues. Pictures of lengthy queues have been posted on Twitter and the BBC has posted a video showing the full extent of a queue on its news website.

For more information on this airport news story visit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -warn.html

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Heathrow Airport Security, Immigration & Border Control

Accepting that the emails were not intended to reach the public domain though officials must be pretty naive if they aren't aware of the possibility these days, the tone of the Border Agency man is redolent of a totalitarian state.

Of course it's inconvenient for the Border Agency if their inefficiencies are put into full focus by passengers taking photographs of queues, but those reponsible should get a grip on things.

By 'those responsible' I mean the government for cutting back on staffing and the senior managers of the agency for not at least trying to make a better fist of it, instead of whining that they will tell teacher if the airport owners aren't nicer to them.

As always it's the troops on the ground who have to bear the fury of the customers, whilst those being paid the big money hide away behind their computer keyboards safely out of the sight of Joe Public (who pay their inflated salaries by the way).

 

[Aviador]

Response to the Government's consultation on landing cards

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

“We welcome the Home Office’s proposal to remove landing cards for non-EEA passengers. The change will streamline the border experience for millions of Heathrow passengers – showing them that Britain is open for business – whilst using 21st century biometric technology to keep Britain’s borders secure. We will continue to invest in our passengers’ overall experience at Heathrow and work alongside Government to ensure that the UK’s border is one of the most secure and welcoming in the world.”

Information on the Home Office's consultation is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/home-offices-immigration-statistics-arrivals-data

Heathrow Press Release

 

[Jerry]

Airlines have warned of unacceptable delays at the UK Border at Heathrow for non EEA visitors .
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/lon...-passengers-at-heathrow-airport-a3909731.html

From a selfish point of view hopefully the UK and EU part will be quick on Friday! Though my train ticket home is flexible!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Airlines have warned of unacceptable delays at the UK Border at Heathrow for non EEA visitors .
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/lon...-passengers-at-heathrow-airport-a3909731.html

From a selfish point of view hopefully the UK and EU part will be quick on Friday! Though my train ticket home is flexible!

Where are you going, Jerry?

As for Heathrow, the government talks about deploying 200 additional Border Force staff this summer. This means that they are robbing Peter to pay Paul as they can only come from other ports of entry whether air, sea or rail leaving them with fewer staff.

 

[Jerry]

Where are you going, Jerry?

As for Heathrow, the government talks about deploying 200 additional Border Force staff this summer. This means that they are robbing Peter to pay Paul as they can only come from other ports of entry whether air, sea or rail leaving them with fewer staff.

Returning from Madrid with BA.

Yes i can't see them getting them from anywhere else. It's the same old same old London comes first for resources in everything.

 

[KARFA]

From a selfish point of view hopefully the UK and EU part will be quick on Friday! Though my train ticket home is flexible!

Rarely have I had any significant queuing at the T5 e-passport gates. The only times there do seem to be issues are in the evening after 2130 if there are a few services coming in late as the gates start to get turned off - BF don't seem to make any allowance for late arriving flights!

You could even take the airside bus to T3 or T2 and exit the border there for some variety - obviously this works if you have carry on bags only.

 

[Jerry]

Rarely have I had any significant queuing at the T5 e-passport gates. The only times there do seem to be issues are in the evening after 2130 if there are a few services coming in late as the gates start to get turned off - BF don't seem to make any allowance for late arriving flights!

You could even take the airside bus to T3 or T2 and exit the border there for some variety.

On average how long eyes it take it you to get through?

 

[KARFA]

On average how long eyes it take it you to get through?

Few minutes. Rarely have more than a handful of people in front of me. It can depend on what of day you arrive, but more often than not the e-passport gates are quick and not much queuing.

If you arrive in to a T5A gate (most likely for MAD, but a B/C/remote gate is always possible) and don't have to wait for checked bags then I would say probably 5 minutes, and no more than 10 minutes at most, from stepping off the plane to getting land side.

Arriving in to B or C will involve waiting for the transit to T5A or if you get the lift to -4 you can take the underground walkways instead - if you have just missed a transit from B that certainly would be quikcer than waiting for the next one.

 

[Jerry]

Few minutes. Rarely have more than a handful of people in front of me. It can depend on what of day you arrive, but more often than not the e-passport gates are quick and not much queuing.

Thanks for the info. As long as my flight arrives ontime then i should have plenty of time to catch my bus to reading!

 

[Silvercity]

On the radio, its being reported of egate failure across the UK, with passengers waiting several hours to pass through border control. LHR, LGW are particularly badly affected.


BBC