 Poster: A snowHead
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| Markymark29 wrote: |
@sasha320, as was mine, I know it'll never happen, however if ET continue to take bookings based on timings they can't honour surely they need to do something, or like me folks will vote with their feet?
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Tbh I’ve never seen the Eurotunnel timings as cast in stone - turn up +/- 2 hours of your crossing time and that’s your 4 hour window really. I appreciate that it isn’t exactly like that but that’s how I would treat it.
I also think that pretty much all the delays are caused by either one-off mechanical / breakdown / engineering issues with the trains / infrastructure - which no one can do much about OR
Delays are due to the difficulty in managing the flow of travellers by trying to harmonise flow between UK and French passport controls, two customs agencies and the Eurotunnel operation.
My point being that 4 out of the 5 entities mentioned above couldn’t care less about efficiency, harmonisation or traveller delays and believe that their agenda is superior to anything else, I wonder how anybody gets through the tunnel at all.
I think you’re better off persuading the Border Agency to overman the passport controls and pay a premium for this.
The fact is that Border Controls are pretty administrative; terrorists and foreign agents have far more elegant ways of getting into the UK than trying to sneak through passport control with inadequate documents, fake moustaches and sunglasses. So all the border drama at UK airports etc. is IMO a waste of time.
(The one exception to this is the security screening measures for weapons and explosives but they generally don’t cause much delay on the Eurotunnel unlike at airports).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Just out of interest, how do you identify a registration plate of a car based in London or Home Counties?
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Well where they were first registered L for London, G for Kent etc. However as the cars get older they tend to move about so I have a London registered car. Company cars also through the scheme out. It is not very reliable. It might be fun sometime just to test what percentage of cars in say Worcester have a V registration plate. No doubt worthy of a Darwin award.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@rjs, we’ve been swabbed for explosives before and it caused no delay whatsoever. I just meant that it isn’t a reason for delays. Someone just walked along the line of cars wiping the door handles.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Gordyjh, Coming back last weekend it was causing delays, as the French customs swabbed one car, walked back to hut to check swab, walked back to move cone for car to go, replaced cone, swabbed next car etc. Took forever!
The UK side tend to stop 10 cars and test in a batch - plus they only seem to do this randomly.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Boris wrote: |
| The UK side tend to stop 10 cars and test in a batch - plus they only seem to do this randomly. |
It's frustrating to be pulled over for a random check at Folkestone (never had it done at Calais), but I've always been on the same train as I would have been if not called in for a security check so I try to sit there and stay calm (which can be a challenge when you just want to get on with the journey).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We use it all the time and generally find it good, occasionally use Flexiplus if we know its going to be very busy. Last Sunday however was horrid, mainly thanks to passport control, a two hour wait in the holding area, but as we were 2 hours early we absorbed the time and ended up only about 40 minutes later than planned in the UK. The annoying thing was that there were five trains an hour, running on time, it was just the check in/passport area. (btw there was no one in the French passport desk...all down to UK)
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Best way to beat the queues at Calais - tow a caravan or drive a motorhome!
Each time we've come back with Caravan, we've been sent through the bus lane and bypassed the queues. Think there is concern that hanging around in queues could see migrants trying to sneak in!
Mind you think this will change as the building works going on in Calais looks like they are formalising and securing the waiting areas for cars and lorries
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@rob@rar, yes, it's a bug if you're wanting a bacon sandwich too.
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FAQ
