UKBA presence on CTA flights landing in LBA

[Ben]

A few days ago we took a flight from DUB to LBA. Upon arrival, to my surprise we found that UKBA Immigration Officers were inspecting the travel documents of all arriving passengers.

We were travelling with Ryanair, so luckily we had in our possession our passports. My wife holds a Singapore passport and a Stamp 4 EUFam residence card, I hold a UK passport and my two children each were travelling on their Irish passports.

I asked the IO if it was usual for them to actively control passengers arriving from within the Common Travel Area. He said yes, they always do. I've never experienced this at any other UK airport though, and I mentioned this to him. He just replied that all airports operate differently.

Luckily we were travelling Ryanair and so had our passports on us. Usually we fly with Aer Lingus and they accept a driver's licence for British / Irish citizens flying within the CTA - and for children under 16 they don't require any ID document at all. This IO specifically asked me for passports for the children - so I wonder what would have happened, were we not to have brought the passports.

Interestingly, the IO at LBA didn't stamp my wife's Singapore passport at all, as is traditional in the UK's working operation of the CTA - if a person is cleared for immigration in one part of the CTA he is cleared for all parts of the CTA (note - Ireland has a different interpretation), but that did leave me wondering why they were screening inbound passengers from Dublin at all, if not for immigration purposes.

It was really quite odd.

[agniukas]

what's an LBA?

[khan24]

what's an LBA?

Leeds Bradford Airport.

[MidnightHawk]

Luckily we were travelling Ryanair and so had our passports on us

As a general rule I think its safer to travel with your passport, even as an EU citizen. Why risk the hassle otherwise?

[Irisheddy]

A few years ago, I was travelling to London. I dodn't bother with my passport. I jus brought my work id. I had no problems in London Heathrow but when I returned home, I had problems at Dublin.

The official wasn't impressed that I only had my work id. he asked to see my boarding pass as well. Then he said I should bring my pasport in future. I think it was only because l have an irish surname and look irish that he let me through

[ca.funke]

The >>CTA<< isn´t worth the paper its regulations are printed on.

See also my >>complaint to the EU<<, which ended with nothing.

It´s safer to consider journeys betwenn UK/IRL/IoM/Guernsey/Jersey as usual, controlled, international travel, including routine passport checks.

The fact that they sometimes don´t occur are more like an occasional gimmick.