Originally Posted by
Tech Guy
I dont understand why the dont install more electronic gates rather than blame staff shortages which has nothing to do with the e gates apart from the one perrson pointing where the end of the monster queue is.
I think you'll find that the e-gates are quite misunderstood. They are still manually overlooked by staff - at most airports you can notice a bunch of immigration officers with a viewpoint over the e-gates. You can even see peoples photos and passports from the e-gates showing up on their screens if you get the right vantage point looking backwards. They are still being approved manually, only in a fashion that allows them to work more efficiently than at individual booths. If you ever get the dreaded red cross at an e-gate it's because the individual at the control station can't be 100% sure of something and wishes to send you to an actual desk.