Virgin Atlantic Gives Snacks to Flyers Waiting in LHR Misery
Virgin Atlantic is trying to ease the tension as passengers wait in hours-long lines to have their passports processed at London's Heathrow Airport by supplying water and snacks.
The airline has 23 international flights arrive at LHR each day. The airline says it has seen the number of US passengers increase by 20%. Virgin Atlantic hopes its "Greet and Treat" trolly will extend a "warm welcome" as passengers wait in the two-hour immigration queues, however, passengers are still expressing their frustrations.
The UK Border Force has a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to process at least 95% of passengers visiting from outside the EU through immigration within 45 minutes — only one day in July met this target. So far, the longest wait time non-EU passengers have experienced has been two hours and 38 minutes, according to Virgin Atlantic.
Virgin's Cheif Executive Officer Craig Kreeger said the airline is doing what it can to help its passengers, but ultimately it's up to the UK Border Force to solve this issue.
"We all agree that security and safety at our airports is vital and remains our top priority, but other countries are managing their borders more effectively," Kreeger said in a recent blog post. "At a time when the UK needs to show the world it is open for business, the Government and Border Force need to provide a great first impression, for every visitor, every time."
Heathrow receives nearly 80 million passengers annually, and 94% are internaitonal travalers, according to the airports 2017 statistics. These numbers are only going to increase once Heathrow's third runway is complete, which means if the UK Border Force doesn't figure out a way to speed up this process, these wait times will continue to worsen.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app