Fingerprinting at Heathrow Terminal 5

British Airways passengers using Heathrow's high-tech new Terminal 5, due to open in March, will have to undergo advanced security measures, including those taking domestic flights. Passengers flying from Heathrow to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester or Newcastle will be photographed and fingerprinted as part of the increased security at the hub. The enhanced procedures will make sure that the passengers presenting themselves at the gate are the same people who checked in.

The extra measures are due to the design of the new terminal which is, in effect, one giant departure lounge. Without the measures, international passengers changing flights could conceivably swap boarding passes with a domestic passenger and, with fake identification, enter the UK without passing through immigration.