On Tuesday evening we landed at London City Airport just as the UK’s border-control system was going into meltdown. As we – me and editor Josh Fehnert – got to the now-kaput e-gates, the immigration staff were still in the midst of working out what the hell had just happened. A passenger waiting in front of us helpfully called out, “Have you tried turning it off and on?” Realising that it was going to take more than that simple procedure, laptops arrived and the staff began manually entering arrivals’ details into the database. Fortunately, we were through with only a modest delay.Meanwhile over at Heathrow, a far busier airport, a colleague’s flight had touched down on time. She was then told that she would have to sit tight as too many people were stuck in the immigration queue – she would end up sitting there for three hours. Once she finally exited the terminal, the train services to London had ended for the night and it was a bun fight for the taxis – families with children, people fainting. She told me that people who couldn’t afford a £70 (€81) cab ride were bedding down in the airport.I promise that I had nothing to do with any of this, so why did I look around at the people waiting patiently at London City Airport and feel like apologising? Perhaps explain that it isn’t always like this. But, actually, UK airport arrivals often are like this. Rail strikes that knock out the Tube or a shortage of ground crew that leaves you lingering on a plane waiting for the air-bridge to be connected are too often people’s first impressions of the UK. I have a feeling that quite a few who landed here on Tuesday evening have been left thinking that we need some help.Back at the airport, however, the mood was good; nobody was losing it. Families with children were guided to the front of the line and the official who allowed me back into the UK was humorous and couldn’t resist the urge to apologise. She clearly has the same trait as me.