Stressing the Pax at LHR

[ShamRoc]

Is the Security Team at LHR Term 1 deliberately trying to stress passengers and prevent them flying? Or are they trying to reduce BAA (and retailers) profits?
Frequently there is only one security position open for the hoi polloi. Staff have a dedicated stall as does "Fast Track Business Pax. Both of these are frequently without customers but often up to six security staff lounging about chatting amongst themselves! In the meantime, the queue for the one stall open is stretching into the check-in area. This was the case last evening at 7:30 and it took in excess of 30 mins to reach the head of the queue.
There is little point in complaining to the "jobs worths" who seem to be totally unsupervised and unmanaged. Indeed, complaing could result in 'detention (extra slow bag search)' for questioning their methods.
I am told that Monday mornings around 6 to 6:30am can be very bad with very long queues stretching back into the check-in area.

[Crepello]

I have the opposite complaint about T4. Flew ooh-class recently, smugly approached security Fast Track, was gutted to find a longer queue than for mainstream! :p

[MarkD]

Crepello

I must say every time I have flown T4 I haven't seen a significant FastTrack queue... I had plenty of time to look as I was in the steerage line!

[GwynM]

I've never had a problem at T1, usually going through at 6am for tha day trip to ABZ. Even at other times it's been pretty clear. If there's no-one going through the left hand lane, they always call people over from the other lanes.

Do you mean the international gates?

PS I hate gate 5, but have to go there now my company is saving costs and refusing to give us full fare tickets.

[ShamRoc]

Thanks GwynM. Yes it is the International Gates to which I refer. It is some time since I used Domestic/ROI.
Indeed, the security queue combined with the sometimes very long BMI check-in queue means that arriving for check-in one hour before a flight can mean no spare time, even if you wanted it, for refreshment, shopping etc.
To be fair to BMI they do police the queues very well and will call people forward if it is getting close to cut-off. I guess the numbers is due to the popularity of BMI and the fact that check-in at T1 is for all European Flights, Domestic and International.

[Jerricho]

I do see a major flaw in BMI's "policing" of the queue. We are told to arrive at least an hour before to line up, but have seen people who obviously know this, turn up at the last minute safe in the knowledge they are going to be called form the line. Meanwhile, me and the dozens of other twits who did what they airline asked have stood about for 30 mins. This really boils my p*ss.