Travellers to be charged £5 to not face long passport control queues

Travellers wanting to enter Britain are to be charged, if they want to get through passport control quicker.

The fee, which has been reported to range between £5-£20, is to be introduce in order to attempt to cut queues in British airports.

Officials have said that they are working with some airports to introduce the scheme. However the introduction, could mean that people not willing to pay, could face even longer waiting times, due to passport control staff being moved to the more premium scheme, and not being replaced in the usual scheme.

The introduction of this new charge will be an additional fee, on top of already existing time-saving services, such as priority check-in and priority boarding.

Last month, it was reported that Edinburgh Airport would be using the system.

Speaking on behalf of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, a spokesman said: “This is a ridiculous idea that exposes just how understaffed our boarders are. What happens if everyone opts to pay £5? We’re back to square one.

“Instead of gimmicks like this, the government needs to properly invest in staff to work at ports and airports because the shortages are there for all to see.”

Chairman of the ISU, Mark Gribbin, said: “There are simply not enough staff. Our members are working hours on end under oppressive, often hostile conditions.

“Managers are under severe pressure to contain queues, creating still more pressure for frontline staff. It’s only a matter of time before [there is] serious public disorder and, who knows, even mass breach of the border.”

Published 01 Sep 2016

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