I think I read that ALL of the inspection booths are being manned, usually a fair percentage are non operational. .....that could make a huge difference....There are probably more people available to help those whose passports never seem work properly at the e-gates (often me).

It’s also been reported far more BF staff have turned up than expected. When I arrived at LHR there were the usual 3-4 BF staff plus a soldier or two on each desk.

Agreed, however I prefer the term "not being used". The last thing the BF want is the e-gates making them redundant, so they always seem to have a lot out of action and having worked for one of the suppliers at Heathrow, the data suggested gates were simply not being used rather than being 'non-operational'. If I recall correctly, the BF liked to have staff at the gates to help out and without enough 'helpful' staff, the gates were not left to intelligent people to work them out, but were instead taken out of action.

Having travelled hundreds if not thousands of times through Dubai e-gates, there were almost never any staff to help you out at e-gates - just staff to redirect you to another gate when it wouldnt read your card and you looked helpless. And those staff were admin staff, not immigration officers so cheaper and in more plentiful supply.

Agree this doesn't look good for the border force strike cause! The rail workers are not looking too strong either with the quality of rail operation between strikes!!

Assuming that you actually mean quantity rather than quality, National Rail would appear not to agree with you:

Industrial Action on National Rail

I’ve flown into about 25 different airports this year as SLF. America continues to baffle me in terms of how they treat everyone as a terrorist. I flew through MIA in the summer - 10 people ahead of me in the queue as I was one of the first people to get off the plane. Still a 15 minute wait.

As a consequence of Brexit, Schengen border staff are asking far more questions and again, treating people like vermin.

Passengers don’t deserve to be treated with such disdain. Border staff worldwide need to realise they are the entry point to a country - give people a good first impression. Stop this “harsh environment” bollocks.

The best border staff I’ve cross across in the world are in Ireland, hands down. Very pleasant and will even ask how your day was and wave you through.

Likewise in brazil...Rio de Janeiro

In fairness, UKBA were treating arrivals like "vermin" since Teresa May's days at the Home Office when the Daily Mail (or similar rag) did an expose on the light touch checks they were doing at the border. Since then they've been interrogating families as though they were illegal until proven otherwise. They are probably one of the biggest wastes of public money where savings could be found easily.

Curiously since Brexit the delays entering the EU seem very small, limited to getting the passport stamped. No hassle, not stupid questions about where are going / have been none of which I feel, as a UK citizen, I should have to answer on entry to UK, and when I arrive at Eurotunnel rarely give a "complete" answer to - but I never lie! (not because I have anything to hide, but because its none of their bl00dy business!

Why should you have to answer to someone to re-enter your own country? From experience this year, Heathrow have definitely been better than most / all.