Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Airline Pilot Forums > Major
LONG delays Heathrow immigration 11/30 >

LONG delays Heathrow immigration 11/30

Search
Notices
Major Legacy, National, and LCC

LONG delays Heathrow immigration 11/30

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-27-2011, 06:24 AM
  #1  
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
 
EWRflyr's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Position: 737 CAPT
Posts: 1,882
Default LONG delays Heathrow immigration 11/30

Heathrow Warns Passengers Face 12-Hour Immigration Wait in Nov. 30 Strike - Bloomberg

Up to 12 hour wait due to a planned strike. In addition, middle managers are refusing to step in as hoped in protest of how the immigration chief was treated.

The airlines have been asked to reduce their passenger load to LHR on the 30th. Some have decided to at least "warn" their passengers of potential delays according to this article:

Airlines take steps to avoid Heathrow ‘gridlock’ - FT.com

However, I don't think the airlines are necessarily giving the full picture of what this could mean to their travels. As an example, the statement on the Continental and United websites "hints" at the potential problem:

Trade Unions in the United Kingdom, including Border Agency workers, are expected to hold a work stoppage on Wednesday, November 30, 2011. We currently do not anticipate any flight cancellations, however customers traveling to and through airports in the UK may experience significant arrival delays, including immigration processing wait times up to several hours. London Heathrow (LHR) is expected to be impacted the most, but delays are possible at all UK airports. Customers planning to travel to or through the UK on November 30, 2011, are encouraged to change their travel plans.
(Underline and emphasis added by me.)

USAirways:

United Kingdom Border Agency workers are planning a strike for November 30, 2011. We expect that all flights in and out of London (LHR and LGW) and Manchester (MAN) will operate as usual, but there may be delays at U.K. Border Agency checkpoints. Please check back for updates.
But kudos to Delta:

A strike by United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) Staff is planned for Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. This industrial action will affect U.K. Border Agency checkpoints and will result in delays (possibly 8 hours or more, especially for non EU passport holders) for passengers on arriving flights into LHR and LGW airports. Delta expects to operate our full schedule into and out of the U.K., although customers should be prepared for delays at U.K. Border Checkpoints.
Emphasis added by Delta.

Yes, it's the airline duty to get passengers safely from ABC to XYZ. Immigration is not the responsibility of air carriers. However, prudent and truthful information would go a long way to easing passenger travel difficulties.
EWRflyr is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Guard Dude
Delta
201720
04-06-2022 06:59 AM
Captain Bligh
Major
4
08-11-2010 08:49 PM
TonyWilliams
Hiring News
2
10-24-2008 05:55 AM
FoxHunter
Cargo
104
06-09-2006 04:56 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



Your Privacy Choices