Passenger believes they are entitled to va Lounge after flight delayed

[SOPOOR]

My parents couldn’t afford that sort of thing in the 70’s, and we were probably towards the comfortable end of middle-class ... people just generally couldn’t afford flights, holidays outside of camping or driving to Nan’s place, restaurants, etc.

We live in such a great time.

When I was growing up. We werent poor nor rich, a family international holiday was a once in a lifetime type of event. Busienss class I doubt we even knew existed

Today, you could be on minimum wage, working full time. Save for a year and do a 4 week europe trip. Even as a 20 yr old!

 

[Forg]

Yeah the better-half and I had a holiday in the UK coupla months ago, we flew J on flat-beds & actually slept & got decent food/drink etc & showers in lounges along the way ... for a cost each which was (inflationarily adjusted) less than my parents paid for the flight to Cairns when I was 12.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Or they could have more staff working? I've hated arriving in BKK/KUL/HKG without fast track. Can take a long time to get through but not because of babies.

P.S. Anyone over 70 can use fast track in BKK. Is that right or fair?

Not always a case of more staff. If weather causes flight delays we’ll into the early hours of the morning you can’t expect immigration staff to get out of bed.

But like being on hold on the telephone (supposedly every minute ‘feels’ like six minutes), long queues at security and immigration are bad enough without having to wait for families with infants or children getting priority. It’s a little unfair.

The elderly? I don’t have a problem with that.

 

[JohnK]

Not always a case of more staff. If weather causes flight delays we’ll into the early hours of the morning you can’t expect immigration staff to get out of bed.

But like being on hold on the telephone (supposedly every minute ‘feels’ like six minutes), long queues at security and immigration are bad enough without having to wait for families with infants or children getting priority. It’s a little unfair.

The elderly? I don’t have a problem with that.

You're talking about exceptional circumstances.

I'm talking about KUL (KLIA/KLIA2) at 10:00pm-11:00pm in the evening with queues 60-70 people deep and the immigration officer going for their 15 minute break. Queue processing was also extremely slow before the break. When queues form it's a lottery which queue is the right one to join.

That's not a good experience and I seriously factor into equation when considering a transit through the airport.

 

[suze2000]

Getting a bit off-topic now, but immigration queues like this are why we see people in the US requesting wheelchairs and assistance then springing up and walking down the plane perfectly fine for the duration of the flight and then getting a wheelchair at the other end - it's a strategy to get them through security quickly. I watched this happen a few times because I transited the US twice in a month in 2016. Meanwhile I stood in the "non-citizen" queue for 90 minutes after an exhausting (full) flight in Y from Australia. I know it took that long because I was texting my husband the whole time while the will to live drained out of me... and I was worried about making my connection to Canada.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Can you use a phone in immigration queue in the US?

 

[harvyk]

Can you use a phone in immigration queue in the US?

Officially no, but I've seen enough people do it without cbp caring.

Just don't start obviously filming the officers and you'll prob be ok. Of course YMMV.

 

[suze2000]

I was texting. Nobody told me off. There are probably so many cameras in those places they could have read my screen over my shoulder if they wanted to. Or flagged me when I reached the immigration officer for queries about what I was doing with my phone. I honestly was a bit surprised not to be told off, but I was dying inside - hadn't seen my husband for three months and the waiting in the queue was the worst, and I was trying to keep a lid on my growing frustration.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I only ask as in CNS recently, one of the immigration staff went right off at a tourist (presumably) just off a Silk flight that decided to text whilst waiting for the passport people. I can sympathise as I too have to wait in line for the piddling two "stampers" (as 4 look on) just because I'm on a charter flight and the passport kiosks don't work (for us), yet when departing CNS, no problem. It's when I get home I'm keen to zip through ... but no such luck, I get to wait while all disable bodies, air crew, idiots who went to the kiosk when not allowed, the next door neighbours dog and such like, all bypass the queue and leave me (and others) in their wake!

PS - my wife would likely count not seeing me for 3 months as a plus!