OT: Automated passport control arrival LGW?
Apr 14, 2010 | 3:00 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver, EK Gold, LH Silver, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 289
OT: Automated passport control arrival LGW?
Is there some sort of eGate at Gatwick for biometric passports?
My wife claims she went thru a passport scanning machine there recently on arrival from Dubai but I never heard of it, not that I use LGW much.
Just interested...
My wife claims she went thru a passport scanning machine there recently on arrival from Dubai but I never heard of it, not that I use LGW much.
Just interested...
Apr 14, 2010 | 3:56 am
#3
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: South East, UK
Programs: BA Gold / GfL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,461
Yes, but when I went through a couple of weeks ago it didn't seem to be working too well. They had a chap showing everyone how to use it, so it can't have been designed very well and that really slowed the flow. So I would suggest you will be quicker joining the normal queue.
Apr 14, 2010 | 5:25 am
#4
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: BA Silver, HHonors Gold, Club Accorhotels Silver
Posts: 360
Yes, last time I went through I headed to the normal gates as it looked quicker. The guy at passport control helpfully pointed out I have a chip in my passport so could have use the gate, I pointed out if I had I would still have been queueing!
Apr 14, 2010 | 9:25 am
#6
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: BA Silver, HHonors Gold, Club Accorhotels Silver
Posts: 360
You stick your passport into a reader which gets your photo from the chip, then the gate photographs or scans your face and lets you through if they match!
There's a passport control desk at the end to look after multiple electronic gates.
Works fine if you know how to use them, the problem is you'll be queueing behind people who don't!
There's a passport control desk at the end to look after multiple electronic gates.
Works fine if you know how to use them, the problem is you'll be queueing behind people who don't!
Apr 14, 2010 | 12:10 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 160
I've used it a month ago and it work really good and was faster than the normal queue.
1) put your passport on the scanner.
2) look to the screen and wait till it levels itself
3) gate opens
it took about 30sec.
First time I saw the advantage of the bio-passport ^
1) put your passport on the scanner.
2) look to the screen and wait till it levels itself
3) gate opens
it took about 30sec.
First time I saw the advantage of the bio-passport ^