Anyone know how dfds out of Newcastle is? Heading to ijmuden next week for a blast to the Alps.

Tried to book DFDS last week for next. Every single ferry was completely full. I would expect dockside queuing at ijmuiden on the way out and on return to newcastle. I’d probably look at booking dinner slots if dining onboard. Beware the dockside breathalysers at Ijmuiden.

Yeah food booked and thanks to Scotland’s drink driving laws am very wary of drinks and driving.

Anyone gone through Heathrow T5 in the last few days? Flying out at 21.25 Saturday, just booking taxis and wondering how early to get there…..

I suspect that the traffic on the M25 will have a bigger impact on your journey than Heathrow at the moment.

As an update to Manchester being quiet, it was if you had carry on luggage, apparently checking bags in was in excess of 2 hours.

Leeds/Bradford outbound last week was fine for a 5pm flight. The fast track security queue was longer than the normal one. The terminal building is horrible though, it really does need extending and modernisin, gates 9 & 10 are in a portakabin ffs.

Inbound was okay other than a slightly longer than usual wait for bags, but I guess that’s due to the plane being parked at the other end of the airport from the reclaim area. 3am landing so as we left the early morning rush was just starting.

Gatwick north terminal was fine yesterday, with no problems at bag drop off or security, and we got a table at the ‘Spoons without a problem. Just a pity we were flying with Easyjet and ended up with a 2 hour delay to the flight 🙁

Anyone else having issues checking in bags at Manc? We’re headed out on a 7.45am Easyjet flight on Friday. We could still switch to carry on bags only but I was fearful that this introduces more chance of delay by then being searched at security? Reports earlier were of loads of bags being routed for manual searches.

Reports earlier were of loads of bags being routed for manual searches.

They did seem to be checking more bags than usual in Gatwick, although none of us were selected.

Any one thats been through eurotunnel recently, are they forcing you to do a loop through the car park before driving to PP control, or do they letting you drive straight around the roundabout from the check in gates to PP control?

cb we had hand baggage searched at Manchester, was quick and professional. Hand luggage gives you priority boarding on Easyjet.

Easyjet now telling us to turn up no sooner than two hours before the flight!!

That’s to drop bags and clear security!

Makes me suspicious that they almost know that some people will not make the flights that they are booked on! Maybe they’ve modelled queueing times for a 7.45 flight and getting there 3.5 hours before, as planned, would just result in longer queues?

Maybe they’ve modelled queueing times for a 7.45 flight and getting there 3.5 hours before, as planned, would just result in longer queues

It’s not the only problem but its a big part of it. The services and security are trying to deal with what should be a day’s demand loaded into a few hours and they’re trying to do that with less capacity than normal.

Result being that the system falls over and then the queues get worse.

If everyone turned up “on time” the load would be spread correctly and their chances of handling it would be much better.

DFDS at Newcastle was a breeze. Sitting on ferry now even though it’s not due for departure until 1630.

Long shot but anyone been through Schiphol lately? Seen reports of horrendous queues and wondering how it is for blue sovereignty passport holders?

Just back from a week in Greece flying from Bristol with Easyjet.

Bag drop took all of 5 minutes. I paid extra to “fast track” security to minimize any hanging around and I reckon it took longer to find a space in the car park than it did to get air side. Even without the fast track I think it would have been plain sailing as the queue didn’t look massive. Probably the quickest I’ve ever experienced at any airport. The return leg was equally event free – a minor queue getting through the electronic passport control when we landed in Bristol but that was mainly due to passengers struggling with the digital readers than anything else.

At both ends, our bags were waiting for us when we got to the baggage hall. It sounds like most of the issues are at the major airports, but the few people I’ve spoken to that have flown via one of the smaller airports have had no issues.

Portsmouth to Caen, overnight ferry – no issues. Slightly more to the security checks on the UK side, just as quick as ever on the French side (i.e. super fast). I’ve never been impressed with Dover Calais even before Brexit. No surprise it’s gridlock so easily now = Brexit reality.

I wonder, for Dover Calais, if we moved French passport control back onto the French side would they really keep the ferries from unloading as checks are going so slowly? Same with moving uk checks back into England too.

We’re flying out of Manchester using Easyjet on Sunday morning. Manchester Airport say arrive 3 hrs ahead of take-off, Easyjet say 2. Not sure what to do. We’ve paid for fast-track security which does seem to work.

Apparently a big problem is that the baggage is self check-in and loads of people don’t really understand how to use the system, and there’s no-one there to help. Apparently its straightforward but if you’re not in the frame of mind to do it the whole process slows down.
We have been keeping an eye on the flights take off time and its been conistently 20-30 minutes delayed for the last couple of weeks, which I guess isn’t that bad.

Manchester Airport say arrive 3 hrs ahead of take-off, Easyjet say 2.

Are you sure MAN don’t say “not more than 3 hours” which seems to be the advice from everywhere (and perfectly normal pre ’22).

3 hours was and I think still is the advice for USA flights (possibly Canada too) and even then the instruction was “three hours but not [much] more than three”. 2 hours for other international and 1 for domestic.

Heathrow is fine at the moment. No different to any other summer. As well as working there, I’ve just flown to/from Greece for holiday. No issues either journey. Bag drop/security/passport control all fine.

Did Portsmouth Caen overnight arriving today. It took an hour from driving off the ferry to getting out through French immigration.

Yep an hour from leaving ferry to clearing customs but 30 mins from first car out to us out.
Euro passports went through quick but due to the need for a stamp the doaune were forming their own queue to get our stupid paperwork stamped.
Fortunately euro fast roads work so it’s a few hours to whiteroom after our nice and cheap Airbnb. Nothing tasted nicer than the long white cloud I got out the cool box when the engine turned off.

Two and a bit hour hour queue (if you had children) for passport control coming back into Gatwick NT at 12.30am. The automatic gates looked relatively quick/clear though. Taxi company at Gatwick itself were on strike.

Nothing tasted nicer than the long white cloud I got out the cool box when the engine turned off.

If its making big white clouds when you turn off the engine you may want to see a mechanic before heading home.

Just done Gatwick -> Palma and back, fine both ways, slight delay on flight back. On return went thru passport control in about 3 minutes, if your kids are age 12+ you go to thru the facial recognition gates in next to no time. Sadly my trusty old Samsonite got mangled on the way to baggage reclaim so it s landfill now, but at least I got my stuff back. Great views of channel Isles, the channel and south downs, could clearly see the Downslink as it goes through Henfield and on to Steyning so taking that as a reason to hit it in the morning

Manchester turned out OK last Friday – Easyjet bag drop was 20 minutes, through Fast Track security in another 20.

Just got through security at Manc T3 in 30 mins, everyone’s being well behaved

In Calais, straight through French PP control, 7 mins ave per car at UK PP control. We (me with UK pass, wife German) took 3 mins. No idea why the others were taking so long. Although they did send one car off for special checks.

Durham Tees Valley to/from Amsterdam last week.
No troubles at Tees Valley, even though there TWO planes leaving at the same time!
Amsterdam, despite warning notifications from KLM, breezed through on the way in, no queues at Immigration.
Return looked bad with huge queues, but moved quickly and cleared check-in and security in 50 mins.

No troubles at Tees Valley, even though there TWO planes leaving at the same time

By time do you mean according to your watch or your calendar? I’m willing to believe two planes at Durham tees at the same time on the calendar…

Absolutely breezed though the tunnel this morning. Even got offered an earlier train. Did the slight smug knowing look with the French passport guy as he stamped Mrs and little dd’s passport and hardly gave mine a glance. Onto M20 as I said “Well, that went smoothly…” Over 2 hours just to get to Cobham Services 😂

Super quick departure from Harwich two weeks ago to Hook of Holland (on the same day as Dover meltdown) and lightning fast on Dutch side.

1hr delay from leaving ferry ramp to clearing customs on uk side last night on return plus an additional 15 minute lecture from border control on how she didnt have to let my kids in even though they were born in the UK because they apparently need settled status or a uk passport despite me being British and my wife having settled status ( and living here for 25 years)

Its always nice to be made to feel like an ilkegal immigrant in your own country – thanks Brexit.

Its always nice to be made to feel like an ilkegal immigrant in your own country – thanks Brexit.

I think I’d take it as a compliment.

That and chance my arm at being deported to somewhere nicer, like Myanmar or North Korea.

Just through Fishguard, the only slow element was completely pointless security checks – what’s the point of rub down search on someone you get out of a car if you don’t bother to search the car.

what’s the point of rub down search on someone you get out of a car if you don’t bother to search the car.

Was the security person dressed in a shell suit? Did they greet you with “now then”?

Stanstead on Wednesday (arrived 6am for an 8am flight) was very busy, but efficient.  Had to queue about 15/20 mins for security, but all very smooth.

Worst queues were for Pret a manger.  Cafe Nero much quicker (and better coffee anyway).

Currently 1 hour delay from booked tines at Eurotunnel in Calais. Early arrivals expecting to get on quicker than booked have big waits.

And for the record, passed French passports in 1 minute, UK bit takes 15 mins….

Coming back last week the car in front at Portsmouth triggered the radiation detectors so our line got pushed through quickly, so only 40 minutes from driving off the ferry to being on UK roads.