I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration at
Heathrow last night. After a long journey and 20 minutes in a holding
pattern the last thing you want is 15 minutes in a line. But that said I
have to admit I was impressed. There were about 6 lines f or EU
passports with the new uniformed staff on each line, with a few heavies
lurking in case of trouble. Every passport gets scanned and they do
actually look you over to see the picture is you. Plus I liked the no
nonsense approach.

Yes I could have done without the hassle, but it has to be done and they
seem to be doing a good job of it.

--
Edward Cowling "Must Go - Politician to Heckle !!"

Edward Cowling London UK wrote:
I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration
at Heathrow last night. After a long journey and 20 minutes in a
holding pattern the last thing you want is 15 minutes in a line. But
that said I have to admit I was impressed. There were about 6 lines f
or EU passports with the new uniformed staff on each line, with a few
heavies lurking in case of trouble. Every passport gets scanned and
they do actually look you over to see the picture is you. Plus I
liked the no nonsense approach.

Yes I could have done without the hassle, but it has to be done and
they seem to be doing a good job of it.

I don't understand why you need a physical passport. Why can't you just type
in your own name and DOB, and that brings up a picture of you on a computer
screen, or a big red X if you're not allowed in or wanted by the police.

On Sep 15, 11:18 am, "John Rowland"
wrote:
Edward Cowling London UK wrote:

I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration
at Heathrow last night. After a long journey and 20 minutes in a
holding pattern the last thing you want is 15 minutes in a line. But
that said I have to admit I was impressed. There were about 6 lines f
or EU passports with the new uniformed staff on each line, with a few
heavies lurking in case of trouble. Every passport gets scanned and
they do actually look you over to see the picture is you. Plus I
liked the no nonsense approach.

Yes I could have done without the hassle, but it has to be done and
they seem to be doing a good job of it.

I don't understand why you need a physical passport. Why can't you just type
in your own name and DOB, and that brings up a picture of you on a computer
screen, or a big red X if you're not allowed in or wanted by the police.


Computers and networks fail, as does electricity sometimes.

In message , John Rowland
writes
Edward Cowling London UK wrote:
I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration
at Heathrow last night. After a long journey and 20 minutes in a
holding pattern the last thing you want is 15 minutes in a line. But
that said I have to admit I was impressed. There were about 6 lines f
or EU passports with the new uniformed staff on each line, with a few
heavies lurking in case of trouble. Every passport gets scanned and
they do actually look you over to see the picture is you. Plus I
liked the no nonsense approach.

Yes I could have done without the hassle, but it has to be done and
they seem to be doing a good job of it.

I don't understand why you need a physical passport. Why can't you just type
in your own name and DOB, and that brings up a picture of you on a computer
screen, or a big red X if you're not allowed in or wanted by the police.



Do they have that kind of technology if you land in the developing world
? It may have it's faults, but the passport has been the best idea
anyone has come up with so far.

--
Edward Cowling "Must Go - Politician to Heckle !!"

"Edward Cowling London UK" wrote in message
...

I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration at
Heathrow last night. After a long journey and 20 minutes in a holding
pattern the last thing you want is 15 minutes in a line. But that said I
have to admit I was impressed. There were about 6 lines f or EU passports
with the new uniformed staff on each line, with a few heavies lurking in
case of trouble. Every passport gets scanned and they do actually look you
over to see the picture is you. Plus I liked the no nonsense approach.

Yes I could have done without the hassle, but it has to be done and they
seem to be doing a good job of it.


These lines you mention - they must be queues right?

Paul

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:53:19 +0100, Edward Cowling London UK

wrote in :

I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration at
Heathrow last night. After a long journey and 20 minutes in a holding
pattern the last thing you want is 15 minutes in a line. But that said I
have to admit I was impressed. There were about 6 lines f or EU
passports with the new uniformed staff on each line, with a few heavies
lurking in case of trouble. Every passport gets scanned and they do
actually look you over to see the picture is you. Plus I liked the no
nonsense approach.

Now try to do it at T3 midday Saturday as a non-EU/non-Swiss
UK resident. Like I did last Saturday. It took 45 minutes because there's
no Residents' line.

Yes I could have done without the hassle, but it has to be done and they
seem to be doing a good job of it.

They could do with better organising and making the signs up-to-date.
Some signs are covered up, making others ambiguous, or they are covered over
with hand-written signs on paper. Confusion reigned.

--
Ivan Reid, School of Engineering & Design, _____________ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. ] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

In message , Paul Scott
writes

"Edward Cowling London UK" wrote in message
...

I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration at
Heathrow last night. After a long journey and 20 minutes in a holding
pattern the last thing you want is 15 minutes in a line. But that said I
have to admit I was impressed. There were about 6 lines f or EU passports
with the new uniformed staff on each line, with a few heavies lurking in
case of trouble. Every passport gets scanned and they do actually look you
over to see the picture is you. Plus I liked the no nonsense approach.

Yes I could have done without the hassle, but it has to be done and they
seem to be doing a good job of it.


These lines you mention - they must be queues right?

Sorry you're quite right, I was being slipping into Ameriglish :-)

Of course it was queues old chap. Of course the damn colonials have
separate non EU queues and even that is too good for them, what !

Ahh for the days of the Empire :-)

--
Edward Cowling "Must Go - Politician to Heckle !!"

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:53:19 +0100, Edward Cowling London UK
wrote:


I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration at
Heathrow last night.

I had no idea it was changing. It was already the worst form of
immigration "service" I've encountered anywhere in the world. Oh well,
one further reason not to leave the country.

After a long journey and 20 minutes in a holding
pattern the last thing you want is 15 minutes in a line. But that said I
have to admit I was impressed. There were about 6 lines f or EU
passports with the new uniformed staff on each line, with a few heavies
lurking in case of trouble.

Nothing new there then. BAA, air traffic control and immigration all
awful as usual.

Every passport gets scanned and they do
actually look you over to see the picture is you. Plus I liked the no
nonsense approach.

So they're making it *even* worse and time consuming for legitimate
entrants to the country. The UK Immigration Service, IMO, is notable in
managing to create an experience so awful that it makes me as a UK
citizen feel unwelcome in my own country.

Yes I could have done without the hassle, but it has to be done and they
seem to be doing a good job of it.

Everyone who has the right to be in the UK for whatever legitimate
reason is entitled to a no hassle service. It's never been provided
before and it looks like it isn't being done now. I'm not going to open
an immigration debate with you as that's off topic.

--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:53:19 +0100, Edward Cowling London UK
wrote:


I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration at
Heathrow last night.

I had no idea it was changing. It was already the worst form of
immigration "service" I've encountered anywhere in the world. Oh well,
one further reason not to leave the country.

You've never flown to the US then! It's the pits, makes the
UK controls look trivial.

tim

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:08:46 +0100, "tim....."
wrote:


"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:53:19 +0100, Edward Cowling London UK
wrote:


I had my first experience of the new "Uk Border" style of immigration at
Heathrow last night.

I had no idea it was changing. It was already the worst form of
immigration "service" I've encountered anywhere in the world. Oh well,
one further reason not to leave the country.

You've never flown to the US then! It's the pits, makes the
UK controls look trivial.

Yes I have several times. Admittedly not with the current regulations
introduced by Bush. In fact I will never travel to the States while they
insist on treating me as a criminal upon arrival. The US made fatal
errors that Al Qaeda exploited but that is not justification for the
quite ludicrous measures that are now in place.

--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!