T5 - Conformance ( a rant)

[Rainboe]

Where's Rainboe when you need him?

I'd happily join the thread, but I don't know what 'conformance' means! Need someone intelligent to explain.

Where's Draper when you need him?

[GroundedSLF]

Conformance is simply the fact that BA require you (at T5) to have completed all your "bits" and be through security at least 35 minutes before your flight departure time - if you arrive at security with less time than this, you are not allowed to proceed through security. The below is taken from the BA website:
Going through security

Please allow yourself plenty of time to go through airport security checks.

Please note - if you are travelling from London Heathrow Terminal 5 you must pass through check-in and security at least 35 minutes before your flight departs.

Increased security at most airports means that the screening of hand baggage and body checks can take longer, particularly at busy times.

Boarding the aircraft

• Please have your boarding pass and passport (plus any other travel documents like visas etc.) readily available when boarding at the gate.
• You will need to show your boarding pass to the cabin crew when you board the aircraft.
• If you arrive at the boarding gate after the gate has closed you will not be able to board the flight.

Please note - if you are travelling from London Heathrow Terminal 5 you must be at the boarding gate at least 20 minutes before your flight departs.

[Skipness One Echo]

For the avoidance of doubt, it's the joining the queue part where you get your boarding card checked and your photo taken if flying domestically. Once past that point you are OK. There are actually no gate rooms at Heathrow so the 20 minute cut off at the gate is a guide rather than a real cut off. I suspect arriving at -19 you'd be fine. Not so in presenting your boarding card at security.

[Munnyspinner]

S1e,

Duff info again. It is, or must be, the checking of your boarding pass - the actual act must be started by -35. The joining of a Q would seem to be reasonable but, as I found to my cost, a minute or so delay means the difference between flying and not flying. Having to wait for some dunderhead to complete the process of retreiving his boarding card and showing it to security counts for nothing, apparently.

I would remind you of the T&C from BA " pass THROUGH" security. I'm prepared to accept this means the spanish ladies with the G4 uniforms that work for BA not BAA. If you haven't presented yourself and relevant documentation by -35 get your self quickly to T1 for the next BMI flight!

The reason that -35 is the key number is that BA assume 15 to get to the gate. Technically, and this was the reason given to me if you can't clear security , you can't then get to the gate by -20 and thus you will have failed the boarding procedure. I know you are correct, but its just not logical. The fact I could get from security to gate in 7 mins flat was irrelevant becuase I was 2 minutes late at security. Even allowing me 13 minutes to make the journey I would still have made the gate by -20. You just don't get a chance!

[Skipness One Echo]

I MEANT JOINING THE QUEUE for security. The queue for the machine, the queue to get friskded. That would be the queue after you have the boarding pass check, when you join the queue for security. OK arguably wasn't 100% clear but for the avoidance of doubt, once your past the man checking boarding cards and in the queue to be screened you have made compliance.

[Munnyspinner]

So what happens if it then takes more than 15 minutes to PASS through the Queue? You're busted and you need to be escorted out? Seems pretty arbitrary to me!