Stuck at Heathrow
by Volker Weber
So, I went through 3 security checks but some unlucky individuals went through more if they were randomly selected. The security line was long, 2-3 hours each. The first line was for checking in luggage, which was your only chance to check in everything and only carry on what was allowed (many people tried cheating this). The second line was the first security check to get into the terminals with x-rays, pat downs, and hand searches into your only plastic bag. This is also where a great deal of goods were thrown away. There was a trashbag on the floor full of cell phones, ipods, cameras, jewelry, razors, notebooks, usb sticks, key fobs, lipstick, some really expensive pens, and many other items that would be hard to throw away.
And it only gets better ...
Comments
"trashbag on the floor full of cell phones, ipods, cameras, jewelry, razors, notebooks, usb sticks, key fobs, lipstick, some really expensive pens, and many other items that would be hard to throw away."
I just cannot believe that this is true. Do they really force you to throw your laptop in the trash?
I couldn't find exact details about this, but isn't it possible to check it in afterwards? Or mail it somehow?
Did they at least increase the allowed amount of luggage to e.g. TWO checked in items?
If anybody knows this, please write it. I'm so mad at our/UK government!
I don't know about the specific case in the UK. However, I am currently doing some contract work for Zurich airport in Switzerland.
A member of the staff told me that they are throwing away high quality products every year because people forget to pick them up from the trays after the x-ray, especially if they are in a hurry. The problem is that since this search takes place after the passport check in no man's land, they can't mail the items to the specific person even if there's an address. Their sole hope is to see the person return and claim the forgotten good. The items that are not claimed back after a year are being destroyed.
Phillip, where do I have to go to claim stuff (back)? I'm sure I can identify a series of items "of mine" which I would love to claim back then!
I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to go to france (e.g. by ship) and then fly from Paris to Boston or wherever you want to go to.
"I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to go to france..." Next time, the terrorists will pick another airport, I am sure ;)
I flew Boston to Heathrow on Thursday morning. I was among the first out of Boston to London on that morning. Security was very long but I was very early so was among the first there. At first, the line was dead slow but after things were sorted out it moved reasonably. I was allowed to take all I normally take, with the exception of a bottle of water for the flight.
Flying back from Heathrow on Monday was impossible. We couldn't get into the terminal building as it was over capacity. I rebooked for Wednesday morning by calling the US number for BA rather than the UK one. It took 15 minutes.
Tuesday night I stayed at the Heathrow Hilton which connects to Terminal 4 via a walkway "tube" that opens directly into the terminal. I arrived in the terminal 3 hours before my flight, and within 40 minutes was inside the secure area with its duty free shopping.
To speed the process, I had borrowed a 2004 Lotusphere briefcase bag from Gab & Tim which fit the dimensions new allowed and managed to just squeeze in my laptop (which is wide format 17" screen, so just fits a padded bag made for the old format 15" pc's more common in 2004). I also took my old sony noise cancelling headphones, a couple AAA batteries, laptop power case w/ UK adapter, along with my borrowed UK cell phone and my reguar US cell phone, keys, wallet, passport, 4 dvd's and two paperback books.
I was subject to a random body scan on the way through security, but that didn't take more than a minute and wasn't unpleasant.
On boarding I was frisked again at the gate -- as was every passenger -- to make sure I'd bought no liquids in the duty free shopping area.
Once the door was closed, our plane was moved to the other side of the airport while the manifest list was sent to the US. It took 20 minutes or so for that to come back approved, and we took off. We landed 30 minutes late having made up time in the air.
Baggage claim was long process in Boston. One of four carosels was roped off and could not be used. Passengers from another flight were detained there, and I heard announcements of food being brought in and cell phones being charged a few at a time at the front of the room. It sounded like a long day for those DC bound passengers. That left 75% capacity on the baggage system at a time when baggage checked had doubled due to the stricter carry on rules. It took about 90 minutes.
My youngest brother was to fly from Edinburgh to London (in reality, Luton) at 19:20 on the dreaded Thursday. I checked both the EasyJet and BAA web sites before driving him 60 miles to the airport. Get to the airport only to find that EasyJet had decided several hours earlier to cancel all flights on Thursday and Friday to any London Airport.
My wife tried to buy him a Friday train ticket from Dundee to London while we were returning from the airport. ScotRail refused to accept a 3rd party telephone payment, so we had to divert to Dundee railway station to buy him a ticket.
When I got home, neither the EasyJet nor the BAA web sites were advising that EasyJet had cancelled all flights on Thursday and Friday from EDI to any London Airport. The same was true on Friday morning. For EasyJet, which is a Web-based operation, this is a huge faux pas.
Anyway, he got to London a day late, and then flew from LHR to ORD on Monday. He arrived 4 hours early at Terminal 3, cleared checkin and security in twenty minutes and then spent 5 hours (the flight was delayed) hanging around the airport. The only good news is that his connection from ORD to DSM was also delayed, so he didn't have to sleep at ORD.
Three weeks earlier, my middle brother broke my "if you have time to spare go by air" family record by arriving more than 36 hours (my worst) late at his destination. Weather and related FCC holds resulted in him arriving 47 hours late!
Finally, there is no way I'm going to travel between EDI and the USA via LHR or LGW with luggage in the hold. I have no problem with not carrying gels and fluids on board. I can buy toothpaste, deoderent, etc. at my destination, but the hassle of losing or dealing with the knock on effects of waiting for checked luggage on arrival is one hurdle too many (at RDU, this can delay one by 2-4 hours, as a 777's load of terminating passengers has to pass with all their luggage through a one-machine security checkpoint in order to exit from the airport. Hand baggage only allows one to beat the rush assuming one sprints to the front of the Imigration check). I don't think I'm alone here!
Ragnar, as far as I understood you have to walk back to the x-ray screening to reclaim your goods which is basically only possible as long as your plane hasn't rolled away from the gate. However, you may also try one of the information desks at Zurich airport. ;-)
You guys think this is bad? I dont know what you are complaining about. Last November I experienced a five day wait in airports. Allow me to tell the tale....
The trip home to London was from Chuuk airport (TKK) in the Caroline Islands, South Pacific. This is about as far from home as you can get... The airport is basically a small hut between the palm trees. I cant check my baggage through to London as there are too many airport changes to go on the baggage tag.
I went to the airport Sunday night in torrential rain, temperature about 39C and waited patiently for several hours, you could hear a plane flying over the airport repeatedly. It was eventually announced our plane could not land due to the poor visibility in the rain and was overflying to Guam. At this airport the air conditioning works 8 hours on and 8 hours off (to save energy), so the night in the airport was most unpleasant due to no air con and dripping humidity.
The next day, the flight was cancelled due to a bird hitting the radome on the nose at Kwajalein and they had to wait for a part to be flown in from Honolulu before the plane could take off again. That was another day wasted.
The day after that, the plane landed (with newly fixed radome), but six hours late, which meant I missed my connecting flight from Guam to Manila. The next direct flight from Guam to Manila was three days later. So I spent the night in Guam airport, and managed to get all my onward flights rebooked for a day later so I could get to Manila, but had to fly via Yap and Palau first. Once I was in Manila, with great relief, it was straightforward to get to Singapore and on to London.
So, the homeward journey was Chuuk->Guam->Palau->Yap->Manila->Singapore->London and took from Sunday noon, until Thursday morning. Is that some kind of record? It just about did me in, probably lost half a stone in weight during that trip.
- ironic tag on - Thats nothing at all.
When i was sixteen, i bought an interrail-ticket, from here to there.
I went from Nürnberg to Prag, from Prag to Budapest, then to Wien, to Mailand, Nizza, Paris, London, Edinborough, back to London, Amsterdam, Strassburg and back to Nürnberg, and it took 30 days. ;) - ironic tag off -
I had this wacko notion while walking the dogs this morning. I hought I would share it.
Western inteligence services pickup rumors in Indonesia that terrorists are planning to impregnate fabrics with materials that when wrapped together and dampened can create enough of an explosion to damage ailliners in flight.
The UK declares a code red at Heathrow, under which no clothing may be taken on board and passangers must strip before entering security. As an additional security measure all on-board toilets are sealed...
This is clearly a nonsense, but if you think about it, it is only a small step from the current situation.
You would also have to chain the naked passengers to the seat to prevent them from all running to the back of the plane at the same time. And you would need to make them empty their bowls. :-)
Gerade d'rauf gestoßen: On the Implausibility of the Explosives Plot
