More than 1,000 Border Force officers walked off the job on 19 November, launching a rolling strike that threatens to disrupt travel through the New Year peak. Staff at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Bristol—members of the PCS union—say they have reached breaking point after being offered a 2 % pay rise despite double-digit inflation. Contingency teams of military personnel and retired officers have been drafted in, but they cannot carry out biometric checks on non-UK passports, forcing airports to slow disembarkation and hold aircraft on remote stands.
On the first full day, arriving passengers reported queues of up to two hours at Heathrow’s Terminals 2 and 5, while Gatwick warned of “sporadic bottlenecks” in its South Terminal. Business travellers connecting to time-sensitive onward flights were among the hardest hit, with airlines advising clients to build in at least three hours between international legs.
![Border Force strike triggers two-hour queues at six UK airports as holiday peak looms]()
The strike compounds existing strain on the border as the UK phases in its new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system. Carriers must now verify that many non-visa nationals hold an ETA before boarding, adding another layer of document checks. Travel industry groups fear that prolonged industrial action could dent the UK’s competitiveness just as corporate travel demand rebounds to 92 % of 2019 levels.
Negotiations between PCS and the Home Office resumed on 20 November, but union leaders insist that without a “cost-of-living” settlement and a plan to backfill 1,500 vacancies, further escalation—including walkouts at seaports and fast-parcel hubs—is “highly likely”. Employers with internationally mobile staff should monitor contingency guidance and consider switching to regional UK airports less affected by the dispute.
Travel-risk consultancies also advise enrolling frequent flyers in the Registered Traveller scheme—still operational during the strike—and encouraging use of e-Gates where eligible to bypass manual controls.
On the first full day, arriving passengers reported queues of up to two hours at Heathrow’s Terminals 2 and 5, while Gatwick warned of “sporadic bottlenecks” in its South Terminal. Business travellers connecting to time-sensitive onward flights were among the hardest hit, with airlines advising clients to build in at least three hours between international legs.
The strike compounds existing strain on the border as the UK phases in its new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system. Carriers must now verify that many non-visa nationals hold an ETA before boarding, adding another layer of document checks. Travel industry groups fear that prolonged industrial action could dent the UK’s competitiveness just as corporate travel demand rebounds to 92 % of 2019 levels.
Negotiations between PCS and the Home Office resumed on 20 November, but union leaders insist that without a “cost-of-living” settlement and a plan to backfill 1,500 vacancies, further escalation—including walkouts at seaports and fast-parcel hubs—is “highly likely”. Employers with internationally mobile staff should monitor contingency guidance and consider switching to regional UK airports less affected by the dispute.
Travel-risk consultancies also advise enrolling frequent flyers in the Registered Traveller scheme—still operational during the strike—and encouraging use of e-Gates where eligible to bypass manual controls.
