Originally Posted by
lokijuh
Actually in my experience, only those requiring assistance can use the manned counter. Express card holders (F/J/Frequent Flyers) and APEC card holders are sternly told to use e-passport lane. Nevertheless it is usually quite quick there, if there is a hold up its likely to be in the security clearance before immigration. But still plenty of time for OP.
At the planned time of arrive queues can be horrendous - even for the smart gate machines.
Last time I came in about this time, due to the heaving masses I used my express card. The staff were informing passenger they should have used the smart-gates but were still processing them manually.