Advisory: Crown Service Strike

Can you possibly get back to us with a narrative on what it's like when all of hell's clowns and dancers are on parade?

will do.  i'm supposed to be working at 5:30 that evening,  i really hope i can make it

Rivers I really hope the queues won't have built up by then you might be lucky arriving so early.

Nose transpondia does have a way with words  I too choked on my tea. x


Hope everyone gets through ok love pads x

pads, that's what i'm hoping.  but, they're predicting the immigration halls to be full by 7:00 am.   

Good luck Rivers. Maybe someone will come to their senses before this all blows up.

In case this dandy tidbit of news hasn't reached the other side of the pond...

If you are arriving in the UK next Wednesday, 30 Nov, you can expect all of hell's clowns and dancers to be rampant at the major ports.  It's possible that the knock-on effect could extend to Thursday/Friday.

They will be bringing in guvvies from the Post Office and what-not to do landing interviews and grant or refuse LTE.

Bring water, maybe a blanket, etc etc etc...

Perfect! My parents arrive in the UK on Wednesday. I know at Heathrow I usually wait around an hour in the non-EU line on a normal day. I can't imagine what it will be like when they're striking

I just wanted to thank you so much, Transpondia, for posting this!

I knew about the strike, but didn't think about the long delays at Heathrow. I didn't want my elderly parents sitting on a plane for 12 hours after a 9-hour flight, so we have spoken to BA and got them moved onto today's flight! I'm so relieved I was bored and decided to visit this site, otherwise I'd feel terrible that my parents were stuck on a plane at Heathrow on Wednesday.

Looks like Delta cancelled my flight tomorrow... Now flying out on Wednesday.  I'll let everyone know what the aftermath is like on Thursday

I think that would sound a better day to travel rivers best of luck to you .


Love pads x

I'm flying into a non-London UK airport, from the continent, early Wednesday evening.  I'm sort of regretting that one of those clowns-and-dealers is my ex, who will be strikebreaking, but who will likely be gone by the time we arrive....

I'm a UKC.  My USC husband will be with me.  He gets nervous at immigration even at the best of times.  We're going through the EU line together, unless Transpondia wants to advise me otherwise....

I'm a UKC.  My USC husband will be with me.  He gets nervous at immigration even at the best of times.  We're going through the EU line together, unless Transpondia wants to advise me otherwise....

What airport?

I'm flying into a non-London UK airport, from the continent, early Wednesday evening.  I'm sort of regretting that one of those clowns-and-dealers is my ex, who will be strikebreaking, but who will likely be gone by the time we arrive....

I'm a UKC.  My USC husband will be with me.  He gets nervous at immigration even at the best of times.  We're going through the EU line together, unless Transpondia wants to advise me otherwise....

I always go through the EU line with my husband, and when going back to the US, he goes through the US citizen line with me. I've never had an issue.

Narrative of coming into a Scottish airport around 6pm on strike day.

tl;dr: boring.

So basically, my USC husband (on an FLR M visa) and I came in from the continent.  I was going to bring him through the EU line anyway, but then the UKBA website said one of the helpful things would be not to have families in different queues, so that solved it.

Our flight was clearly the only one landing at that time, and it was a smallish cityhopper-type plane, so no more than 75 people.  All the desks were manned so there was virtually no queue.  There were 4 or so police officers hanging out together behind the desks, which was slightly unsettling simply because everything else appeared perfectly normal.  They just aren't usually there.

It seemed kind of obvious who was actually UKBA and who was a guvvie drafted in for the day, though I didn't confirm any of my suspicions.

So DH and I went up to an EU desk, and we were politely sent to one of the non-EU desks because the guy didn't have the stamp for DH's passport.  It wasn't a problem that we had gone there, but we did have to go elsewhere.  We went to the other desk, where my passport was scanned and handed back, and DH's passport and ID card (residency permit) were also scanned.  The guy asked whether DH had an older passport with previous visas in it - which he does, but didn't have it with him - I guess he asked because the passport was new and empty - and stamped the passport and wrote the ID card number beneath it, which he explained wasn't a secret code, but just so they know you're a resident.  And no, we won't send you to Guantanamo Bay.

{??}

Then we went home and gave the cat her present, namely continental kitty treats.

So really, a non-issue for us!

Then we went home and gave the cat her present, namely continental kitty treats.

I'm happy that your cat got their treats because (to them) that is more important than anything else. Today seemed to go much better than feared and am glad that you got through with minimal fuss!!!

Oh yes, we bought the cat two guilt presents and eventually she forgave us for abandoning her.  We think. 

Definitely better than expected.  Another friend of mine accidentally booked himself on the wrong day and ended up flying into London City at 720am, then getting a train back to Scotland, which was the only way he could feed his own cats (as I have the spare keys and his wife works in London), and he said it was a breeze as well.

So I guess we can all be reassured that the borders remained secure, and all the cats were eventually fed....

very relieved to hear that all the cats got there dinner lol x