Sono arrivato mercoledi' sera al T5 verso le 22.15 e solo 3 (!!) corsie al controllo passaporti erano staffate, con conseguenti code kilometriche. Le code delle corsie passaporti extra-UE erano ancora peggiori.
Fortunatamente IRIS (il sistema con lettura dell'iride) aveva circa 12 persone in fila e me la sono cavata in 10 minuti.
Della questione se ne sta interessando anche la stampa.
Heathrow queues continue to anger
Lengthy queues at Heathrow Airport passport control have again been called "unacceptable" by airport owner BAA and prompted MPs to demand an explanation from the immigration minister.
BAA wants the Home Office to "address the problem as a matter of urgency".
The recent queues reportedly meant passengers arriving from outside the EU had to wait up to three hours.
The Border Force said: "We will not compromise border security but we... aim to keep disruption to a minimum."
Delays have been reported over the past month, but the most recent concerned Thursday night.
There were reports of three or four border staff on duty for EU arrivals and three for non-EU arriving passengers, according to the Evening Standard newspaper.
A BAA spokeswoman said: "Immigration waiting times during peak periods at Heathrow recently have been unacceptable and we have called on the Home Office to address the problem as a matter of urgency.
"There isn't a trade-off between strong border security and a good passenger experience - the Home Office should be delivering both."
'Huge damage'
The chairman of the home affairs select committee, Keith Vaz, has asked Immigration Minister Damian Green to appear before the committee to explain the situation.
Mr Vaz said the issue was of "great concern", the paper reported.
"Huge damage is done to our country's reputation," he said.
"The government has a choice either to increase the number of staff at the airports or to restart the suspension of the checks.
"This needs to be done irrespective of the Olympics. This is not an Olympics issue. It is about ensuring that Heathrow is a world-class airport every day of the year."
Responding to the most recent delays, a Border Force spokesman reiterated the response given during similar delays, most recently at Easter: "We will not compromise border security but we always aim to keep disruption to a minimum by using our staff flexibly to meet demand."
Fortunatamente IRIS (il sistema con lettura dell'iride) aveva circa 12 persone in fila e me la sono cavata in 10 minuti.
Della questione se ne sta interessando anche la stampa.
Heathrow queues continue to anger
Lengthy queues at Heathrow Airport passport control have again been called "unacceptable" by airport owner BAA and prompted MPs to demand an explanation from the immigration minister.
BAA wants the Home Office to "address the problem as a matter of urgency".
The recent queues reportedly meant passengers arriving from outside the EU had to wait up to three hours.
The Border Force said: "We will not compromise border security but we... aim to keep disruption to a minimum."
Delays have been reported over the past month, but the most recent concerned Thursday night.
There were reports of three or four border staff on duty for EU arrivals and three for non-EU arriving passengers, according to the Evening Standard newspaper.
A BAA spokeswoman said: "Immigration waiting times during peak periods at Heathrow recently have been unacceptable and we have called on the Home Office to address the problem as a matter of urgency.
"There isn't a trade-off between strong border security and a good passenger experience - the Home Office should be delivering both."
'Huge damage'
The chairman of the home affairs select committee, Keith Vaz, has asked Immigration Minister Damian Green to appear before the committee to explain the situation.
Mr Vaz said the issue was of "great concern", the paper reported.
"Huge damage is done to our country's reputation," he said.
"The government has a choice either to increase the number of staff at the airports or to restart the suspension of the checks.
"This needs to be done irrespective of the Olympics. This is not an Olympics issue. It is about ensuring that Heathrow is a world-class airport every day of the year."
Responding to the most recent delays, a Border Force spokesman reiterated the response given during similar delays, most recently at Easter: "We will not compromise border security but we always aim to keep disruption to a minimum by using our staff flexibly to meet demand."
