HEATHROW DELAYS

British

this could be a problem

Heathrow Airport passport queues reach 2.5 hours http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45165222

AshvEd

After a long flight this is not what we expect. Get it fixed UK.

Sealord

Terminal five at Heathrow is truly the worst place on the planet. I only go thru there as a last resort. I only fly on BA because it is in the One World system where my ‘miles’ live. I almost missed a Tauck trip because of BA 27 May of last year. We arrived in Stockholm three days late after getting new tickets on SAS. BA did absolutely nothing for us, and actually ordered us out of the airport. They had guards on the elevators so you could not get up to the ticketing area.
Then they cancelled our return flight because we “missed” the flight to Stockholm, which they cancelled.

joycesw

Just had a horrible experience at Heathrow at the end of May. We had an hour and twenty minutes to make a connection to Edinburgh ( times arranged by BA), and that short period of time was almost laughable. First, only 1 immigration official was working and then what appeared to be a Duggar-like family ( in size) had only filled out one immigration form! Yikes! When about 20 of us, in the same situation, raised the issues with officials, we were all whisked away to another counter to make other arrangements as there was no way we would make our flight. It was compounded by the fact the the only 2 remaining flights were fully booked. That is where we “ pulled rank” and noted that our business class tickets should put us at the top of the stand-by list. It did, however, we still had to go,through the line at immigration ( again, pulled rank and went to find the original guy who moved us to the front of the line...it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, folks!). Then it was security, always comprehensive at Heathrow, an hour of sitting in front of the help desk in the lounge, and a score on the only two seats available 10 minutes before departure ( not to mention a few update calls to the Tauck driver service in Edinburgh). We really did need that generous pour of single malt they pour upon checkin at the Shelbourne! Over two months later, and we are still waiting for some sort of a rebate for the flight...for the return, Dublin to LHR and LHR to SFO, we had a 2-hour turnaround at Heathrow which everyone assured us would be plenty as we went through immigration in Dublin. Well, the connector flight was delayed and we only made the outgoing flight because a frequent traveler on the same route gave us some insider tips on how to negotiate Heathrow to avoid the long lines! All in all, it was one of the more stressful flight experiences we have had...well, except that time I got 12 AM and 12 PM confused on a flight to Vietnam! On a positive note, with only a 10minute notice, our luggage arrived in Edinburgh with us! That was a great surprise as our luggage has been delayed three other times leaving Heathrow! It is now on our “avoid at all cost” airport list!

AlanS

It was Amsterdam not Heathrow, but it really makes our short Blue Danube connections even more miraculous!! : )

BKMD

I was in Heathrow twice in the last 3 weeks for a transfer between terminals 3 and 5. No unusual delays.

Sealord

BKMD wrote:

I was in Heathrow twice in the last 3 weeks for a transfer between terminals 3 and 5. No unusual delays.

How unusual. Are you a member of the Royal Family?

Sealord

I used to fly out of Heathrow as AA aircrew, Air India aircrew, Saudia aircrew, Overseas National aircrew, and they treated us as if we were terrorists. It’s easier to get into that place as a passenger than it is to get in if you are going to fly the plane. They have been on my four letter word list since the early ‘80s. I have often wondered if the Indians learned their bureaucracy from the British or the other way around. (;-). Short example: When I worked as a Captain for Air India, if I (deadheaded) entered the country as a passenger, I had to get a visa. What?

BKMD

Sealord wrote:

How unusual. Are you a member of the Royal Family?

Funny.

The Royal Limo wasn't there for me, so I had to take the shuttle bus. That was the longest part of my transfer. It was a LONG ride in a crowded bus.