Heathrow offering travellers VIP 'queue-jumping' immigration service

[joebloggs]

As the immigration chaos at Heathrow shows no sign of abating, news of a VIP service that allows you to jump the hefty queues for £1,800 has emerged.


http://travel.aol.co.uk/2012/05/07/h...ation-service/

[lastlid]

As the immigration chaos at Heathrow shows no sign of abating, news of a VIP service that allows you to jump the hefty queues for £1,800 has emerged.

Nancy Dell'Olio alluded to this on Have I Got News for You the other night....

[lastlid]

He believes there are two ways to fix the crisis: firstly to employ more immigration staff, and secondly to consider a policy of 'risk-based checks'.

In effect, this would mean not carrying out checks on 'low-risk' travellers like British children returning from a school trip, for example.

He told the Mirror: : "I think we are wasting staff on unnecessary activity and low-risk activity – such low-level checks should be at the discretion of frontline officers."

Wonder who they would consider high risk?

[joebloggs]

those from Africa and Arab countries

[Jamesey]

Why is this even deemed to be newsworthy?

It would surprise me if there was not some kind of bypass system for the wealthy, celebrities, heads of state, etc.

[joebloggs]

Why is this even deemed to be newsworthy?

i think its newsworthy if you just had to queue for hours at immigration at Heathrow and to find out people paying £1,800 and are taken by limousine from the aircraft to a VIP suite, where that can sip Champagne while their passports are checked and their luggage is brought to them

not everything should be for sale or have a price, what happened to fair play in British society and queuing

[lastlid]

i think its newsworthy if you just had to queue for hours at immigration at Heathrow and to find out people paying £1,800 and are taken by limousine from the aircraft to a VIP suite, where that can sip Champagne while their passports are checked and their luggage is brought to them

not everything should be for sale or have a price, what happened to fair play in British society and queuing

I bet Becks uses it....

[andy222]

Money talks.
{But it cant sing and dance and it cant walk}.

[bod]

It's not just London they have a problem with, we came back from the Philippines two weeks ago with a friend of my wifes who has a Filipino passport, we arrived at Manchester and we went through the Bio passport line, still had to queue though! Our friend took over 90 minutes to get through the non EU line! I thought she had been stopped or refused entry it was that long! They only had 2 people checking passports! Utter shambles!

[joebloggs]

It's not just London they have a problem with, we came back from the Philippines two weeks ago with a friend of my wifes who has a Filipino passport, we arrived at Manchester and we went through the Bio passport line, still had to queue though! Our friend took over 90 minutes to get through the non EU line! I thought she had been stopped or refused entry it was that long! They only had 2 people checking passports! Utter shambles!

bio machine was out of order at Manchester airport last week, its probably depends on what time you arrive at Manchester, i went in the non euro queue because my misses was using her Filipino passport, we arrived at about 7:20am hardly anyone there, like i posted b4 only a 10 min wait.

[bod]

bio machine was out of order at Manchester airport last week, its probably depends on what time you arrive at Manchester, i went in the non euro queue because my misses was using her Filipino passport, we arrived at about 7:20am hardly anyone there, like i posted b4 only a 10 min wait.

Think you can bring your wife with you in the UK passport line! Well thats what I used to do before mine got her British Passport.
We landed at 7.30 am on the 25th, its only the second time I have been able to use the BIO machine, in maybe 20 times into manchester!