Christmas chaos at Heathrow as thousands forced to queue at passport control

Furious travellers have hit out at Heathrow over massive queues at passport control following the removal of the red list.

Furious travellers have hit out at Heathrow over massive queues at passport control as people fly to the UK following the removal of the red list.

Travellers claim that there were around 4,000 people queuing at passport control in a pile-up due to yet another e-gate crashing.

People said they waited for hours to get through to the immigration area when the usual time it would take is around six minutes.

Angry travellers said of the “outrageous” parking fees for those who have had to quarantine at Heathrow, saying that they had another £350 on top of the £2,450 bill to isolate in a hotel at the airport.

It comes as quarantine for travellers arriving in England was scrapped at 4am this morning with Health Secretary Sajid Javid announcing in the House of Commons yesterday, December 14, that 11 countries were being removed from the red list.

However, chaos ensued at Britain’s major airports just hours later.

John Grimshaw, who was flying back to the UK from his home in Chicago to attend his mother’s funeral said thousands were queuing to get through passport control and called Heathrow “a joke.”

He told MailOnline: “Just arrived from Chicago. E-gates down again, thousands of people lined up for passport control.”

“What the f***. I paid thousands for a business class ticket and no difference. This place is a joke. I was just told the e-gates were down and were being worked on.”

“I’m where it’s normally six minutes walk to the immigration area and we are stood still. There are probably three to four thousand people here.”

“Ten plus wide body aircraft arrived with 300 plus on each. This is unacceptable for this country’s principal airport” he added.

Others took to social media to express their anger, with one saying “it is adding even more stress to an already stressful situation.”

Gerry Green Tweeted: “Was in Immigration queue in Heathrow today, no social distancing, hot and sweaty, only two humans checking passports.”

“Then six more appear. No riot just comments about tea breaks etc. British humour still exists, despite mushroom treatment.”

And one person wrote online: “Isn’t there a way to better improve the queues and waiting times to check in at Heathrow T2?”

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