Originally Posted by
Ancient Observer
I am no longer a frequent traveller. I came back from Turkey through lhr T3 on Sunday morning, and there was no queue, and there was a surplus of both customs and passport folk.
I guess it is times like Sunday - with zero waiting, that make the averages look good.
The passport lady was pretty, funny, and happy to chat. . That is a first.
(SWMBOs passport is different to mine, and I asked why)
Similar experience for me in T3 at about 2.30pm on the Thursday before Easter; no more than 2-3 minutes to reach the front of the queue, a bit of friendly banter with a good natured passport control officer, then I was on my way.
Is Heathrow really that bad, or are passengers expectations just a bit too high? Most of my recent travelling has been on overnight flights from T3, so early evening check in. The check in areas are gloomy and cramped, and security can be hatchet faced, but I've never been unduly held up by either and I've found that provided I arrive in good time and get the formalities dealt with ASAP it's a reasonably painless process. Considering the age and constraints of the place, it actually works pretty well.