Word has it that a large number of tour operators flew into Luton on Sunday morning, from Vilnius with Wizz and then waited + waited to be allowed off the plane, and then joined a 90 minute wait for immigration, all told nearly 2 hours from landing to exit.
Methinks that LTN management will be hearing quite a lot more about this !
If this is the case, and I have heard of similar incidents happening before, the airport management are playing a dangerous game...
They need to apply a lot of pressure on UK Borders, to get additional desks open and for them to get that blasted automatic barriers open. UK Borders are not the sole people to be blamed...
The immigration hall is such a depressing place and not exactly the most welcoming entry to the UK. There is regularly chaotic queues, with passengers merging from flights that have arrived on the new pier into the hall with people coming off flights from where the old apron is.
I arrived into Luton about 6 weeks ago from Reus, at around 10.30am, and was chaotic with only two desks open for non EU nationals, and the El Al flight had just arrived along with numerous other easyJet and Ryanair flights. There was only 2-3 Shengen desks open too. We took over 25 mintues to get through (and by the sounds of it we were lucky). I never experienced that sort of queue at other UK airports...
The El Al passengers did not look happy, and I wouldn;t blame them too, when they have been up since about 2-3am getting their flights.
The longest I have experienced else where was on an Emirates flight into Birmingham and queued for 15 minutes, with over 400 passengers arriving just on our flight and a number of other Low Cost airline flights arriving at the same time
I queried with the officer why the new automated system was not open, and his answer was to the effect thats its hardly ever open as they don't have the staff to work it as well as the normal desks. I would call that a catch 22 situation!
Wizzair and other airlines are not going to care who is to blame for the queues, whether it be UK Borders or the airport management. With an airport down the road having a lot of spare capacity and eager to boost their passengers numbers back up, LTN need to keep their airlines and passengers using the airport happy!
Then to add to that a 40 min bus ride the other week, to get from Parkway to the Terminal at 5.45am!
I just feel the experience of using the airport in general, is going down hill big time! I like to remain loyal to LTN, but more than happy to swap my allegiance to airports up the M6 (BHX) and M1 (EMA) from Northampton.
Airport management must be aware of these issues, but just turn their back on the problems.