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Heathrow Warns Staffers Not to 'Abandon' Jobs to Watch England's World Cup Game

Jessica Puckett
Jessica Puckett
Contributor
July 11, 2018
•
2 min read
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Heathrow Warns Staffers Not to 'Abandon' Jobs to Watch England's World Cup Game
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The FIFA World Cup is inching its way toward the final championship game.

And England's team, which is in the semifinals of the tournament for the first time in 28 years, is seeing a new level of dedication from its fans.

In fact, London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) just sent out a warning to its border officers saying that the desks at airport immigration should not be abandoned during the country's semifinal match against Croatia on Wednesday.

Heathrow's CEO John Holland-Kaye issued the warning to Head of Border Force Paul Lincoln, saying that a "lack of staffing" at the LHR immigration checkpoint during England's July 3 nail-biting game against Colombia that ended in penalty kicks resulted in long lines for travelers trying to get through airport customs. The queue got so long that passengers arriving to LHR Terminal 4 had to wait as long as three hours to make it through the checkpoint.

Holland-Kaye noted that there were 28 immigration officers on duty during the England-Colombia game, but just 11 desks at the checkpoint were staffed — about half the typical number.

"Please can I have your written assurance that we will not see a repeat of these events in any terminal on Wednesday evening," Holland-Kaye asked the border force.

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He continued to say that when the hours-long wait set in at immigration during the July 3 World Cup game, it became a "serious health and safety hazard" because it causes arriving passengers to be held on their planes until the lines recede.

The UK's Home Office also noted that the slow down in passenger processing on July 3 was also partially caused by a problem with the computer system that checks visas.

The winning team in Wednesday's England-Croatia match will advance to play France in the championship game on Sunday.

H/T: ITV News

Featured image by AFP/Getty Images

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.