Passport checks

[Dawdler]

Recently I was boarding a flight at Tenerife Rena Sofia airport. In my experience, the passport check there is slightly unusual as the border control cabin is at the departure gate immediately prior to entering the ramp. The official border controller checked my passport, as was usual. I took one pace to hand in my boarding card and the airline service operator wanted to check my passport again, (I had slipped it in my pocket). I took it out and went to hand it to him, he refused to look at it until I opened it at the correct page and give it to him in that condition. He clearly retained nothing of the information contained therein as he scrutinised it for what seemed less than a nano-second.

My question is what is the point of this excercise? He could not have read any of my details and I have to admit that my passport photo does not look a great deal like me as because it had to be taken of me without my spectacles as the computer was unable to determine what my eyes looked like when I am wearing them (always). My impression was that he had some little power over me and "By God" was he going to excercise it!

When I got to Birmingham I thought I had the opportunity to side step the long queues at immigration as my passport was equipped with a chip. Alas none of the passport readers were working. As a consequence, a long queue developed as there were only three immigration desks available to deal with over five hundred people ( another two aircraft landed to supplement our passengers numbers). By the way, the escalator down into the Immigration Hall had been switched off "To reduce conjestion".

Before leaving I had taken the opportunity (as encouraged by the airline) to check in on line. Only to be told at the check in desk that I had wasted my time as self check in is not recognised at TFS.

So we check in on line, get a new passport with a chip in it, both of which it seems are useless. The airports slow things down by not having their equipment working and insisting on having two passport checks within three feet of each other.

- Why do we fly?

[Load Toad]

If it really gets up your nose - why not walk next time?

[Skipness One Echo]

On a slightly different yet not unrelated note, why do the UK Border Agency do Passport checks on arrival into Belfast City from er...Gatwick. I thought Belfast was still part of the UK?

[west lakes]

There does not seem to be any consistency, on a recent visit to Jamaica we had passports scrutinised on departure as well as arrival!

[Load Toad]

Maybe, here's a thought, it is because it is a pretty good form of ID.

[scotbill]

Very droll, Load Toad.

The truth is that that the massive security industry in aviation - which has given power to all sort of jobsworths for the first time in their lives - has now made flying such an unpleasant experience that many of us will do our utmost to avoid it. (Haven't even used my annual concession fare from my employer).
As a consequence our roads are more crowded and train fares within the UK are more expensive than air tickets. Can we really justify forcing 80 year old pensioners to remove shoes, belts, jackets etc at well known terrorist hotspots like the Outer Hebrides while none of that nonsense goes on on trains, buses and ferries?
At a time when so many airlines are struggling - what part did this bureaucracy play in the demise of those that are gone?

[caaardiff]

Aviation security requires airport handling staff to ensure the same person boards a flight as the one that checks in. Simple.
Whether the agent in TFS gave a quick glance or not, you don't know what information he may or may not have actually seen.
Where i work, there was actually a situation whereby the person trying to board the flight was a completely different person that checked in. Luckily the agent on check-in was the same person boarding the flight. The person that checked in was male, the person who tried to board was female! Out of nearly a hundred passengers on the flight, the agent remembered the person and raised the alarm immediately without question.

Also remember that as a boarding agent, its not easy having passports and boarding cards thrown at you (I'm not saying this was you) and trying to juggle everything in quick time. One pair of hands each human being has. Trying dealing with your average family of adults and kids and having 4 or more passport thrown at you.
It makes life easier if each passener has their own passport held open ready at the photo page, and then hands over the (correct) boarding pass for the agent to inspect. Makes life easier for everyone.

[farci]

When I got to Birmingham I thought I had the opportunity to side step the long queues at immigration as my passport was equipped with a chip. Alas none of the passport readers were working.This might have something to do with it!:O
Security breach caused by new biometric technology at Manchester Airport | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1357913/Security-breach-caused-new-biometric-technology-Manchester-Airport.html)

[Load Toad]

People checking ID isn't a problem to me and it doesn't take long. What really grates is the security checks and searches which vary from place to place, which fanny around sometimes asking me to remove shoes, belt, lap top - and then sometimes they don't. Sometimes they don't like me carrying a lighter or nail clippers and sometimes they don't care. Sometimes they search for liquids and sometimes they don't even like my lip balm. Sometimes they have me going back through the machines and waving their magic wands around trying to find my loose change. Sometimes the people in front are well prepared to be patted down and felt up and sometimes they haven't a clue and the numpties cause a delay. Sometimes I find that there is one or two security areas open when to cope with volume they need 10 open.

That's the pain in the jacksie - not checking my ID.

[MidlandDeltic]

On a slightly different yet not unrelated note, why do the UK Border Agency do Passport checks on arrival into Belfast City from er...Gatwick. I thought Belfast was still part of the UK?

Indeed it is. However, just to upset the Unionists, the introduction of electronic border controls proposed in 2008 in the UK would have excluded NI, due to the uncontrolled border with the Republic (the UK wanted to re-introduce border controls, but the Republic didn't). There has been much gnashing of teeth and wailing on the Unionist side that NI residents may need a passport or other documentation to travel to Great Britain in the future. Not sure what the current state of lay is as both governments have now changed, but the practicalities of controlling the border on this island were not part of the thinking process - look at the road between Monaghan and Cavan (both in the Republic) to see why. And don't even suggest alterations to the border - that was last tried in 1923, and failed

MD

[A2QFI]

For perfectly legitimate reasons, I have 2 valid current UK Passports. Nobody has ever queried this, at the Border Agency checkpoints and I frequently exit the country on one passport and enter on the other and the same at the destination, just to exercise the sytem you understabd! Makes me wonder how much the computers really know.

[Aksai Oiler]

It is not uncommon to have two or even three UK passports. I am also in this category, however; several years ago when I was renewing my second passport I was issued a one year passport. When I quiered this; the passport office came back and told me that i have not two passports, but five !! When I sent them back all the so called three passorts which had all been cancelled and complained to my MP about the usefulness of a one year passport; I finally got a letter of apology and a new second passport at their expense (as they had to ship to me via a diplomatic bag). Last year when I renewed my second passport again; they once again quieried the number of passports I had. This time I had all the cancelled ones with me. :ugh:

[Skipness One Echo]

Arrived back from the channel islands with my passport for revenue protection purposes only into a busy airport and all I needed to get into the UK from the large hall where I freely mingled with international arrivals was a wee bit of paper with my name. i.e. the boarding card which they barely glanced at. The one that without scanned you could happily knock up on a laptop.

There was *nothing* to prevent a rendezvous with anyone else, giving him/her my document and entering through the arrivals hall with my passport. Big airport, lots of cameras but nothing to stop me in real time making a swap.

Is it REALLY that slack?

PS Journos if you're reading it's Gatwick South. Have a go. What a joke.

[Shack37]

Before leaving I had taken the opportunity (as encouraged by the airline) to check in on line. Only to be told at the check in desk that I had wasted my time as self check in is not recognised at TFS.


Must be something to do with your flight originating in the UK. I fly from Bilbao to TFS and back regularly and always check-in online. Never been questioned at the check-in desk, just show self printed boarding pass, leave my baggage and go to departures. When boarding I always show my passport opened at the ID page as a matter of courtesy and to avoid lost time embarking.

[WHBM]

When boarding I always show my passport opened at the ID page as a matter of courtesy and to avoid lost time embarking.
I am reminded of the young, fit, twenty-something oik from a Stansted handling agent boarding a Ryanair flight there, giving a loud bollocking to the frail, arthritic, seventy-something old lady because she had handed her BP and passport in a shaky manner to him without having it opened at the photo page to suit him (which he had barked unintelligibly over the PA at the start of the process).

In many customer-facing businesses he would be out on his ear that afternoon for such behaviour. Why does aviation tolerate it ?