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Old Jun 27, 2008 | 12:54 am
  #15  
San Gottardo
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Originally Posted by hch
Well, for most EU destinations it should be a thing of the past again soon
Actually, not really.

Whilst border controls will go away with Schengen, the ID check at the aircraft entrance will stay for many destinations. There are certain countries that require a photo ID to be shown when you board, irrespective of destination (e.g., France). There are other countries which require all pax to show photo ID to be shown when you board on a flight to that country (e.g., UK). It's not an "immigration" check, as they don't check for visas and the like. They only want to make sure you are the person whose name is on the ticket.

ZRH immigration checks actually work very smoothly, I've never waited for more than 30 seconds. The great advantage of Schengen will be the arrival into France. At CDG Terminal 2B (Swiss) and 2F (Air France) immigration is constantly understaffed and one has to wait ages behind a slow-moving queue of pax all waiting to pass by the one immigration officer.
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