UK Iris immigration system
Oct 12, 2006, 2:18 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: if it's Thursday, this must be Belgium
Programs: UA 1K MM
Posts: 6,484
UK Iris immigration system
Hi all,
just wanted to tell you an interesting thing I encountered at Heathrow the other day --
whenever I go to the UK for work, I have to stand in line with 100 people at the immigration line. So at the airport the other day, I passed the "Iris pass" office, and I signed up. They take a picture of your eyes with a fairly regular camera, and from then on, you just walk up to this booth at immigration, look into the mirror, and breeze right through. But the interesting thing I thought is that they don't even require you to swipe a special card, or your passport -- it must be that sensitive.
I just found the system very interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_recognition
http://www.iris.gov.uk/
just wanted to tell you an interesting thing I encountered at Heathrow the other day --
whenever I go to the UK for work, I have to stand in line with 100 people at the immigration line. So at the airport the other day, I passed the "Iris pass" office, and I signed up. They take a picture of your eyes with a fairly regular camera, and from then on, you just walk up to this booth at immigration, look into the mirror, and breeze right through. But the interesting thing I thought is that they don't even require you to swipe a special card, or your passport -- it must be that sensitive.
I just found the system very interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_recognition
http://www.iris.gov.uk/
Oct 12, 2006, 1:09 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
As you'd expect, there's a lot of discussion about it on the BA board, where quite a number of us are regular users of it. Try this thread, for example.
Oct 13, 2006, 3:13 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: WD5, UK
Programs: BA, QR, OW loyal.
Posts: 1,415
Originally Posted by TA
Hi all,
just wanted to tell you an interesting thing I encountered at Heathrow the other day --
just wanted to tell you an interesting thing I encountered at Heathrow the other day --
Excellent system, some (over on the BA board..) have experienced problems, it's worked every time for me, even when I'm wearing glasses.
Major problem seems to be that despite publishing opening hours for the signing up offices they can close, or more likely not open, at short notice. The offices seem to use regular immigration officers rather than separate Iris staff. I've seen the two officers that signed me up on the immigration desks and if they are short of staff the Iris office seems to get hit first.
Oct 15, 2006, 12:26 am
#5
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGLfL
Posts: 12,146
Originally Posted by phreegreens
Major problem seems to be that despite publishing opening hours for the signing up offices they can close, or more likely not open, at short notice. The offices seem to use regular immigration officers rather than separate Iris staff. I've seen the two officers that signed me up on the immigration desks and if they are short of staff the Iris office seems to get hit first.