irishguy28

On this I agree.

However, having invested in installing so many e-passport readers, it simply does not make any sense to never have them in use. They need just one (or two?) staff to oversee a bank of these gates, so even if they take longer than most "manual" checks, opening a bank of 8 or 10 will, in fact, speed things up for everyone because not all arriving pax will therefore have to stand in line for a manual check...

Allowing passengers to "self-check" by opening X number of egates would have the same effect on processing times of opening Y (where Y is a number equal to or less than X) additional manual lines. (It could even be faster. If you've ever got stuck in a line behind someone who, for whatever reason, needs a 10-minute conversation with the border officer; compare this to someone rejected at an e-gate; someone will arrive and spirit them away for further processing).

AJCNL

I experienced the wonderful 2 step system departing NZ and entering Australia this year. Far better than the e-gates at AMS or in the UK. By splitting the process in to two, first document processing and then biometric recognition it frees up the entry gates from problem cases.

johan rebel

Many years ago, in the days before Schengen, e-tickets and other such modern inventions, I boarded a flight at AMS in the company of a girl who, as it turned out, had not checked in. She said she simply forgot. Given her talents in that respect I believed her. The issue was quickly sorted out by a gate agent, but I did wonder how she got past immigrations without a boarding card. She replied that she hadn't presented her documents at immigrations, she never did. Now she was young, pretty and had long naturally blonde hair, but even then I had my doubts, which I expressed. She therefore promised me a demonstration at the next opportunity, which presented itself when we arrived back at AMS a few weeks later.

Holding her Dutch passport aloft in one hand she marched right past the queue of waiting passengers and, without slackening her pace, right past the KMar booth, not forgetting to give the officer on duty a dazzling smile. He just smiled back. I was right behind her, and just as blond back in those days, but something must have been wrong with my smile, because I was curtly summoned over for a thorough inspection of my document as well as a criminal record check.

The obvious conclusion? Life just ain't fair. I guess I've gotten used to it and learned to accept my fate, which is why I was one of the first to sign up for Privium.

Johan

irishguy28

2 years ago I was on a flight from RTM to London that was delayed for over an hour by the presence - on board - of a lady who not only hadn't checked in, but didn't even have a ticket for the flight.

However, not only did she take a seat in the business class cabin - forcing its genuine occupant who boarded later to sit elsewhere - she was finally allowed to travel.

How did she manage it? I do not know. She had some form of printed boarding pass, but it had been refused at the gate scan (she was right in front of me at the boarding gate, and was taken aside, but still somewhow managed to get onboard).

And blonde hair was not a factor in this case!!!

GUWonder

I agree. My point was that if they would just revert to handling EU/EEA+ passport users (and even many visa waiver passport users) like they used to do say a decade or two ago, then things would be far faster than they are with all this additional front and back end technology dependency done for reasons motivated less by improving passenger experience than by paranoia about passengers.

Henry III

Automated e-gates are a wonderful thing in theory and, IME, generally speed things up when 'competent' travellers are involved (i.e. frequent flyers, those with IQs over 75 and/or ages under 60). But the machines simply can't cope with the vast numbers of different "user errors" that occur.

For example - and I'm in no way here trying to compare AMS with GLA - they installed passport e-readers at GLA well over a year ago but, until very recently, I've never seen them in use ...

... recently, I was returning from a short trip to Spain and, for purely scientific reasons (), I travelled on Jet2.com. On arriving back at GLA, I saw the e-readers in use and staff directing folks to use them (bear in mind, the majority of passengers on this flight were Glaswegian pensioners/alcoholics returning from their once-a-year trip to the same hotel in a compound/resort somewhere on the Costa del Sol). I was about number 20 in line ... and I was the first to successfully get through the e-gate!!!

It's amazing how many different ways these eejits could insert their passport into the scanner (closed, upside-down, open at page 23 ...); one guy, after finally working out the correct way to insert his passport, then turned back to his wife to proudly proclaim, "See, Doll! I've done it" ... just as the machine was scanning his face for an ID match!

So, rather than travel-class or FFP-based fast lanes, maybe we should have an IQ-based system?

--Henry

irishguy28

The same thing happens at AMS, trust me...

The e-gates are sometimes in use for departing passengers in either Departures 2 or 3 and many times I've seen all the passengers "trapped" in their pens, unable to get their passports read...

ajs123

well, this happens to me rather often. The readers in Frankfurt usually play the following game with me: I insert my passport (correct page, correct side,e tc) and then I am asked to move my passport a bit to the left, then to the right, again to the left and back to the right....
Yesterday at LHR the scanning procedure just did not want to end claiming that scanning is in process, I had to wait while half a dozen pax went through...
But then there are days when it goes without any problem. Go figure ...

johan rebel

I'm pretty sure I qualify on the first and last counts, and probably also on the second, albeit marginally, so perhaps they could provide me with a personal e-gate?

Johan

mfkne

From my experience the reliability is greatly improved if you push down on the passport while it is in the reader.

snowdroyd

In Spain we invest millions in new airports (and high speed rail) then fail to open them!
Here in Murcia we have a fully functional international airport, it has been completed about four years now but politics, incompetence and maybe competition have kept it shut. But it will open some day, maybe mañana !!

mfkne

To get back on topic a bit, there are yet again reports of wait times of 45 minutes and more at passport control this morning. Apparently 3 booths are staffed, of course the eGates are out of order.

irishguy28

I am looking forward to my first taste of central non-Schengen security tomorrow morning.

I fully plan on enjoying the experience, and asking if I can go through it a second time.

ajs123

The same awaits me tomorrow afternoon! ^ Please report how to fully enjoy this new experience

mfkne

Well, what do you know:

So now KMar needs to adjust to the new security setup. Errm, right. Because they now sit somewhere else. Right.


Source: http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2...chiphol__.html