Originally Posted by
simonsmith
I understand this, however is any one able to explain why is it seemingly not possible to update the system once you have been manually checked? My old and new passports have never worked at E-gates and I have been manually checked hundreds of times . I know this is because they are looking for someone else . Surely once I have been checked and associated with my passport the system could learn that I am not if interest ?
This exactly,... and that the manual checking doesn't appear to be doing anything extra that the eGate couldn't do. The agent will usually just ask me where I've arrived from (unless I start the conversation, then sometimes they don't even ask anything), scan my passport, take a half second glance at me, then send me on my way. Which suggests the agent's system already knows I'm not the person they're looking for, so why doesn't the eGate system have this information?
Originally Posted by
cauchy
At Stansted this weekend, tried to go straight to the desks and skip the e-gates, and the airport official threatened me with armed police for this! It seemed a bit extreme, so I didn't take the airport official up on this offer.
Border Force later confirmed that the "attempt the e-gates first" is an airport rather than Border Force policy. Not sure why the airport can dictate things like this - luckily will be able to avoid Stansted for the foreseeable future.
I've had this at LHR T5 as well, although not recently, I think maybe last summer, a Heathrow staff yelled similar threats at me (that I'll be arrested by police and taken for questioning) if I don't try the eGates first.