New Border technology

[bobley]

Not a good experience yesterday. Having previously registered and having used the egates at Palma/Malaga numerous times - yesterday the egate didn't recognise us.
Sometimes it's taken 30/40 seconds for the technology to recognise the face/fingerprint.
This time, after 5 seconds, the girl told us it didn't recognise us.
After explaining to a young fella what had happened we were directed to manned booth.
The just need to sort the technology out.

Quite often the computer doesn't recognise you but it refers the query to the border force operative in a booth somewhere to give the final approval. I've seen this process take a few seconds (both in the UK and Spain). If the operator needs to go for a comfort break then poss the booth is unmanned briefly???

 

[Disorderly]

So, after my optimistic belief that our NIE status was the reason we’d breezed through Border Control with no need for fingerprints, yesterday on arrival at Palma we were refused entry at the E-Gates and sent back to do the fingerprint thing. Ho hum! It wasn’t busy, or hard, and we were still on the motorway 30 minutes after landing. I feel SO sorry for people caught up in difficult times when machines aren’t functioning properly and there are massive queues and missed flights on the way home. So far

 

[Bootledodger]

What I can't understand is what piece of software can recognise you numerous times over a couple of years...then "loses" you?
Very strange.

 

[car77]

Having been told my registration hadn't worked in April, I queued in the registration line for 40 mins a couple of weeks ago, only to be told I was already registered! Such a waste of time. Daughter and family queued 1 hour to get through manual controks

 

[arturo22]

fast tracked through last week as assistance required passengers in both directions especially homewards as they give gate number as well as no barriers screening

 

[Bootledodger]

Went thru' in minutes (inc queue) on way home yesterday...no issue at e-gate.

 

[Carol]

Quickly through ‘registered’ lane to e gates yesterday - mid afternoon - no queues for EES machines. Various family members come through over last 2 weeks with no problems.

 

[Phoenixtoo]

My understanding is that your wife will be
directed to a Manual Booth. Hope this helps as you cannot be denied entry.

Not true.

 

[Luckyone]

EES entry requirements state if a person has health issues, not being able to be finger scanned, you will be referred to a manual booth for processing. In these circumstances you will not be denied entry for these particular health issues alone. As was the circumstances of this lady I believe.

 

[Phoenixtoo]

 

[Daniel Hatchford]

View attachment 214

The officials who work in Dover, or along the South coast of England, obviously haven’t been informed about this important ( to many) legislation.

 

[Phoenixtoo]

Unfortunately not!

 

[martinchip10]

Quickly through ‘registered’ lane to e gates yesterday - mid afternoon - no queues for EES machines. Various family members come through over last 2 weeks with no problems.

That sounds good news especially if they have a seperate "registered" lane.
We land Monday at 3pm so assumed that as we registered in March in Gran Canaria we could get through quicker than those that have not?

We do have a concern about the return trip and wondered if anyone has any comments on passport control procedures for the return journey. At La Palma airport Brits were put in a seperate queue which was around 400m long and was so slow so had we not had asked to push in around 300m ahead we would have missed our flight back.

Any comments much appreciated.

 

[Carol]

Return is OK - just e gates not a problem unless you happen to hit a busy time. When you arrive - say you have already registered and you will be directed straight to e gates.

 

[martinchip10]

Arrived on Monday around 3pm. Directed to a batch of finger print scanners which said we were already registered so go to the E Gates. Straight through in around 4 minutes. Excellent process, until the creeping death of baggage reclaim.

 

[Phoenixtoo]

All this stuff about getting through security in 5 minutes or 10 minutes is nonsense.
People almost bragging about it on Facebook.
See what the times are on a Saturday between mid July and late August.
It’s all about the timing

 

[martinchip10]

It's it not nonsense. Factually, we were through in 4 minutes. Expetiences will understandably be massively different in the busy summer holidays. This was a comment about about our experience, which was positive, therefore relevant to the thread.

 

[Phoenixtoo]

Think you missed my point.
The timings of getting through security are all to do with the amount of planes landing, day of the week, time and school holidays etc.
People are putting up on here and particularly Facebook almost gloating about how fast they get through.
You were lucky due to timing. Many aren’t.

 

[martinchip10]

Have not missed your point at all. I know how airports work. As I said, the summer holiday period will be totally different. Not gloating at all, simply commenting on our personal experience. It was positive. It's a forum where people comment on their experiences, good and bad. This was my comment based on our experience and certainly not one that suggests it will be the same all year round.

 

[Phoenixtoo]

Calm down now!