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I went through Heathrow twice last year March/May as a transit point to other destinations, 1 checked in bag. I'm an experienced air-traveler & willing to overlook occasional mishaps as part of a trip and don't express anger or impatience at airport employees who have to thanklessly deal with the public.
Leg #1: somebody at one of the several security/passport control checks apparently didn't take my face photo ( at least that is what I gleaned from eavesdropping on security personnel who weren't forthcoming on why my delay) so at the flight gate I was held up, as was the departing plane since my luggage had already beeen loaded on to it. I was standing outside the final security barrier for at least 25 minutes just being told "it will just be a few more minutes". Apparently they couldn't get in touch with someone who should've taken my pic for the security network - I had already gone through all the previous passport/security/customs stations that had taken more than 30 minutes iirc, without any problems. They were having problems getting hold of anyone in charge who could okay me & allow me, & the waiting plane, to depart.
Let me just add here that the security check points for carry-on items, wallets & belts etc, were absolutely mobbed & hundreds of passengers are herded into very long lines leading to a dozen or so rather slow moving bottlenecks. And this was in March, the off-season.
Back near my departure gate... I seem to recall at some point they told me they had taken my bag off the plane in case I couldn't board, this is after 20 minutes of waiting right next to the plane, ready to board. Someone finally showed up, looked at my passport & the security computer terminal & after 10 seconds handed back my passport, pointed to the plane gangway and said "Okay".
Leg #2 May 2022: during this massively crowded transit stop, while putting all my carry-ons, belt, wallet, laptop, etc., in the tray on the conveyer belt & going into the x-ray "bubble" - hands above my head, nothing in my pockets... they had to do it again, and a third time & then asked me to wait on the side. I was confused & also concerned about all my belongings on the conveyer belt surrounded by lots of people. But I was calm & polite, they talked to someone who came over who was obviously a superior officer who then approached me and asked "Do you have a problem raising your hands?"
This confused me & I merely said I did it 3 times. She ignored this, asked if I would mind a physical examination and said follow these officers. I asked if I could get my belonging off the belt & she said don't worry someone would take care of them. I went with 2 young uniforms to the end of the massive checkpoint area, the door to our room was locked. What followed was about a 20 minute comedy routine of these guys trying to find out who had the key to the room & then trying to contact him only to find he was on a break.
I was in transit between flights to get back to the US, I had assumed that 90 minutes between flights on the same airline would be fine. By the time the fellow came off his tea break & handed over the keys, I got a quick twice-over from the guards, nice guys really, and was let go about 2 minutes after we got into the room. They disappeared immediately but I couldn't remember which of the dozen or so mobbed security lines had my belongings. The previous situ had focused all my attention at the time, not what line I was in.
So I'm walking around by myself... remember - the security guys just vanished after the exam, I'm checking out each of the dozen or so checkpoint belt areas when I see my carry-on bag & lap-top just sitting in cartons at the end of a crowded queue. My wallet, passport, etc had been jammed into my carry-on at the beginning of what I thought would be just a quick, routine annoyance. But they had been sitting out in the open in cartons for over 30 minutes while hundreds if not thousands of people walked by to travel far away without any more security checks (like for stolen bags!)
So at this point I'm getting angry but not trying to create a situation, plus I only have 15 minutes to make my flight. While gathering my stuff, putting away my laptop I see the original officer who pulled me out & I said "You told me someone would look after carry-ons but it's been sitting out in the open for over 30 minutes."
She lied and said they "just put it out" with a weary voice. I left it at that to catch my connection.
As it turned out my connection was in a different terminal that I had the take the train link to and at that terminal it was way at the far end, I ended up running my 70yo self as fast & as much as I could. I had gotten up in Madrid at 3:30am to grab this flight with an strikingly low first-class trans-atlantic fare that I got with FF points. I missed the flight by 15 minutes, they booked me on a flight 3 hours later, not in first-class but business was more than fine.
And I paid the extra British fees/taxes that they charge for this ineptitude.
Lesson is: Heathrow has way too much transit/travel volume for the inadequate amount of security personnel employed & not enough carry-on/x-ray exam queues to handle the tens of thousands passing through their laborious process, even during off-season when the crush is less than summer.
I'm hoping to make a first visit to the UK in the next year or so.
If I can, would I do better flying into Gatwick, or is it not much better?
I'm hoping to make a first visit to the UK in the next year or so.
If I can, would I do better flying into Gatwick, or is it not much better?
Gatwick is further out of the city. So it might depend on your final destination. I flew into LHR many times, & never had a problem, but this is all over 10 years ago. But when I flew into it on a regular basis, it was fine.
Airline smoking bans came about because of the Flight Attendant unions-otherwise healthy 25 year old women were getting lung diseases that no healthy 25 year old woman should get.
And no, they can’t create an isolated smoking area on a plane. I flew back before the smoking bans and you really didn’t want to be within a few rows of the smoking system because the smoke and stench was not neatly contained in that area.
Wait a minute. They can fly a satellite to Neptune (NEPTUNE!!!) and get high quality images, but they can't isolate a well ventilated smoking section isolated from the rest of the plane??? C'mon!
The "jet set" days are over. Tickets priced for the penniless, and passengers treated as such no matter how much you'd be willing to pay.
Flights on a private jet (the only alternative to this Greyhound Bus junk) is priced for billionaires only. Pfft.
Wait a minute. They can fly a satellite to Neptune (NEPTUNE!!!) and get high quality images, but they can't isolate a well ventilated smoking section isolated from the rest of the plane??? C'mon!
Sure they can. It just isn't cost-effective for the airlines, so it's not gonna happen.
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Originally Posted by Ampleapricots
This is true.
We thought 90 minutes will be plenty for our connections ... almost missed the flight. And it was off season time too.
Having been through Heathrow many times in the past, I would also say that the airport is now less clean then before.
If we travel to Europe again, we will probably look at different airports.
In terms of Heathrow, it depends on which terminal you use.
Terminal 2 (2014) and Terminal 5 (2008) are not that old, and are fairly clean and modern.
As for the other terminals, Terminal 1(1969) was permanently closed in 2015 following the opening of the new Terminal 2.
Terminal 3 is the oldest operational terminal and dates back to 1961, and was last renovated in 2007, so is showing it's age, whilst Terminal 4 dates back to 1986 and it's last major renovation was between 2009-2017.
The longer term plan is to build two passenger hubs around Terminal 2 and Terminal 5, and to totally demolish Terminal 3, with the building of a new terminal and satellite terminals to replace both 3 and 4.
"A new terminal building is to be built to the west of Terminal 5 and the eventual demolition of Terminal 3 to make way for a series of new satellite terminals".
I love flying in an aircraft. Nothing relaxes me in quite the same way, BUT I refuse to fly anywhere with any commercial airlines PERIOD. The completely abusive manner in which we as passengers are treated at the airport before during and after boarding angers me. I will now only ride the train service (or drive) which offers a 100% better experience than the airline as well as the lovely view from my seat or the observation car(s). Food is better also. So it takes 5-6 hours from SF to LA by train and 3 hours min at the terminal for a 1 hour flight. Far less stress (IMO anyway.)
My position is pretty much the same. On a recent trip to Europe the airline involved (1) failed to get the originating plane to our home airport until we missed our connecting flight out of Denver. That caused us to cancel a hotel and lose one day of vacation -- but they awarded us with a credit to fly with them in the future (seriously?). Then (2) on our journey home we could not get to our departure airport due to regional flooding and missed that flight. Because of a long layover, we would have been able to reach Paris in time to catch the 2nd leg of the trip. That is not allowed because we would be considered a no-show, and our tickets would be voided since we missed the first leg. There were no agents at the airport to talk to. After several phone calls (mostly on hold) the flight home had to be cancelled and (oh goody) we got a credit to fly with them in the next eight months. Luckily for us the tickets were refundable -- otherwise we would be out the entire cost. The rescheduling of flights the day before our departure with other airlines cost us over $2500.00 -- well beyond the original ticket prices.
That was just the most recent experience. I got food poisoning on one flight a few years ago. I was once on a flight that landed at the wrong airport. Coming back from Ireland a few years ago we landed in Dallas, but the airport seemed almost unaware that we were coming. The customs and TSA agents were sent off duty while we were standing in their lines...and we missed our final flight connection -- it left the gate early. The airlines should pay us to fly and endure the mistreatment and inhumane handling of passengers.
In Europe we used railroads that were much more reliable and comfortable. Amtrak in the US is a poor comparison to European trains but, at least until recently, Amtrak has been managed by former airline executives so what do you expect?
In order to go trans-oceanic, we need to fly but I won't be doing that for a while.
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