 Poster: A snowHead
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| pfreet wrote: |
| I don't think anyone knows what the "point" of all this is. |
The point is to secure the borders of the EU electronically, without the need for human immigration staff to check returning travellers who’ve already passed security before. Once it’s operational, returning visitors will just go through the eGates and be ID’d via biometrics, rather than have to be checked by a human immigration officer (or an inhuman one, if you’re unlucky).
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 14-03-26 16:26; edited 3 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| LaForet wrote: |
Not that the reporting isn’t useful - just that perhaps the thread title should be changed to ‘Airport Delay Feedback’ ? |
Although if we still had EU passports there’d be no delays for us passing through border control.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| LaForet wrote: |
Not that the reporting isn’t useful - just that perhaps the thread title should be changed to ‘Airport Delay Feedback’ ? |
Although if we still had EU passports there’d be no delays for us passing through border control. |
Not really true as we were never in Schengen so still subject to border checks.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Dav wrote: |
| Not really true as we were never in Schengen so still subject to border checks. |
Sure, those border checks when entering at GVA, for example, would be satisfied by following the signs for EU passport-holders who are directed through the e-gates. The e-gates which never have a queue of any kind that I've seen, when I've been stuck in the Rest of The World queue for 60+ minutes.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Not directly skiing related, but there are a couple of news reports of Ryanair leaving passengers in Tours and Lanzarote because they failed to get through EES border control despite arriving at the airport in plenty of time.
Not the airline's fault, so any flight-only passengers presumably just have to make alternative arrangements. Perhaps worth paying a bit extra for a tour operator holiday until things sort themselves out.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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EES wasn't in operation at GVA this morning. 40 minutes from joining the queue at 10:02 local to entering the luggage hall
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Not sure if this has already been posted (just on our way down to the Alps) but a Eurotunnel employee told me this morning that the EES control won't be live until September now.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Sun 29-03-26 16:04; edited 2 times in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| NoDosh wrote: |
| EES wasn't in operation at GVA this morning. 40 minutes from joining the queue at 10:02 local to entering the luggage hall |
Same in the afternoon to my considerable surprise. 2.10 on the tarmac, 2.40 in the queue, 3.40 in our transfer car.
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Back from Innsbruck yesterday, nothing on the way in, just the normal passport control. Exit however seems to be gearing up, a new area has been put in at passport control, myself and wife went through "as normal" my friend had his finger prints and photo taken.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@snowdave, flying to Geneva this week on Friday morning so hopefully the separate queue is up and running. Is it obvious where to go if they are doing the separate pre registered queue?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@MCL, We returned 2 weeks ago and had to be very firm with the tensa barrier guardian at GVA that insisted we went through the fingerprint set up again. (I’ve now done it 4 times in various airports)
Showing a paper copy of our biometric data that was submitted for our long stay visa let us skip the screens eventually.
I’m back in the UK for a few days and on Thursday they were going through the fingerprint set up again at GVA departure which was taking a long time.
Back into GVA on Tuesday morning so will update if a new queue system has been installed.
I have noticed the lack of flights from the middle east has made a very obvious difference.
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I don't think there will be a separate Q for those who have already been biometric'd. Too many muppets don't have a clue what they have done in the past.
Everyone will be face scanned each entry.
Likewise no weeding out of those with residence cards or long stay visas who don't need EES screening.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
I’m back in the UK for a few days and on Thursday they were going through the fingerprint set up again at GVA departure which was taking a long time.
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Even when EES is working they will still be doing biometric checks at departure. How else would they know it's you leaving the country. The stamping of passports will hopefully stop.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Just come through Frankfurt, non EU folk were being directed to the machines before the passport checks. There seemed to be a long queue at the non EU booths. No queue at the e gates. Oddly in Frankfurt the gates are EU/EEA/Swiss only (nothing to do with Schengen) whereas in Munich various nationalities eg Korea, Japan, Singapore can use them but not UK. Bavaria, as ever, does its own thing 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| MCL wrote: |
| @snowdave, flying to Geneva this week on Friday morning so hopefully the separate queue is up and running. Is it obvious where to go if they are doing the separate pre registered queue? |
Initially I overheard someone ask the guy manning the "start" of the long queue, who was checking what passport people had and directing them the right way.
We were directed down the EU line, but at the end just next to the e-gates there was a second tensa queue for EU citizens who couldn't use e-gates (families with young kids etc.) which is where we were then sent, so we went through the "EU but not e-gate" line. This second queue was also manned at its start, and is the point where my (pre-registered) mate on the flight behind was told "non, you must join the non-EU line". All these are clearly signed, but they're not signed "pre-registered non-EU".
| colinstone wrote: |
I don't think there will be a separate Q for those who have already been biometric'd. Too many muppets don't have a clue what they have done in the past.
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See above. There was one for a while on Thurs last week.
I was also told on my previous trip a few days before, that in future I didn't need to line up for the machines, I should just come straight to a passport officer. Obviously, coming "straight to a passport officer" is a bit tricky when the queue for the machines also extends to the passport officers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| munich_irish wrote: |
| Oddly in Frankfurt the gates are EU/EEA/Swiss only (nothing to do with Schengen) whereas in Munich various nationalities eg Korea, Japan, Singapore can use them but not UK. Bavaria, as ever, does its own thing |
Yep, just flying out from Munich airport back to UK now. As you say the e-gates there can be used by many nationalities including USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand but not UK biometric passport holders. So after using the pre-registration machine I joined the queue for the passport control which took about 30 minutes.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
I’m back in the UK for a few days and on Thursday they were going through the fingerprint set up again at GVA departure which was taking a long time.
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Even when EES is working they will still be doing biometric checks at departure. How else would they know it's you leaving the country. The stamping of passports will hopefully stop. |
EES will replace stamping.
ETIAS is also to come towards the end of the year, where you pre-register for visa free, similar to registering for ESTA when visiting USA
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Gored wrote: |
| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
I’m back in the UK for a few days and on Thursday they were going through the fingerprint set up again at GVA departure which was taking a long time.
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Even when EES is working they will still be doing biometric checks at departure. How else would they know it's you leaving the country. The stamping of passports will hopefully stop. |
EES will replace stamping.
ETIAS is also to come towards the end of the year, where you pre-register for visa free, similar to registering for ESTA when visiting USA |
Might be an idea if they sort the first mess out before starting another one.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Any tips for going through Geneva EES, as a family can we split up if there’s free terminals?
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@colinstone, And with European destinations (ex Greece and Cyprus) filling up fast with holidaymakers opting not to go via The Gulf the problem is only going to get worse.
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EU’s New EES Could Spark Major Airport Delays this Summer
Airports and airlines across Europe are pressing the European Commission to review the EES before peak summer travel begins.
In a joint statement on February 11, ACI EUROPE, Airlines for Europe (A4E), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned that the current rollout is already causing “significant delays for passengers,” with waits reaching up to two hours at airport border control.
The groups said that the situation could worsen in July and August, when air traffic typically doubles at many European hubs. Without changes, they cautioned that waiting times could reach four hours or more  during the busiest travel days
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Alastair Pink, going well then this phased (never ending) implementation
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| colinstone wrote: |
Likewise no weeding out of those with residence cards or long stay visas who don't need EES screening. |
It seems to depend on the individual airports / countries and possibly how busy they are at any given time. Salzburg Airport has had a separate queue for Brits with residence cards which by-passes the EES kiosks.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Turin all fine in Early firs and out laste monday,
but there aren't many machines, we were an earl flight in - left Gatwick at 6.35, I can see how it could get crowded if 3 or 4 flights come in close together. The machine seem to take a while to "check" once its scanned your passport and paw prints. If the software was quicker at matching that data up and sending you on your way it would reduce queues significantly. On the way home, one of us needed to co into the manual queue which took her ages.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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EES was in operation at Lille International Railway station at the weekend, for Eurostar passengers exiting France on their way to London. No separate EES machine, just the French border guard taking photos with a handheld camera and fingerprints taken at the same time. He was also stamping passports.
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we flew to GVA on 7 March and back on Saturday 14th. No EES in use at all. Just old fashioned (and short this time) queue for passports to be stamped both ways actually very easy going through that airport for once. we were terminal 2 both ways (jet2 flight) although on the way home you go into terminal 2 then bussed back to terminal 1 where the passports were dealt with.
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You know it makes sense.
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I've entered and left the EU several times the past few months but been EES'd for the first time on departure at GVA today. Had photo and prints taken, and passport stamped. But they didn't seem to be doing it to everyone. Queue was moving more slowly than normal, probably took 25 minutes.
I had high hopes that EES would mean that everyone can use the normal e-gates when registered. But I don't see any sign that this is going to happen. I think when EES is fully implemented it might be even slower with bigger queues than the previous/current passport stamping system.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Venice departure on Saturday seemed to be use a booth, then go through an egate and then get your passport stamped.
Glad I've started using my Oirish passport of entering / exiting the EU
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Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone had any recent EES experience on the tunnel? Headed out next Friday, just wondered what it's been like
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| EarthWindandWater wrote: |
| Anyone had any recent EES experience on the tunnel? Headed out next Friday, just wondered what it's been like |
There is no EES in place at the tunnel and no sign of it being implemented anytime soon.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| EarthWindandWater wrote: |
| Anyone had any recent EES experience on the tunnel? Headed out next Friday, just wondered what it's been like |
Returned on Sunday, nothing.
Though French border control did look at our passports for far longer than usual. No other traffic so probably time wasting.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@andmelffion, @BoardieK, thanks, we're early doors so not too worried, just interested!
Safe journeys, everyone
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Doesn't start on eurotunnel till 12th October. It's on the website
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| Doesn't start on eurotunnel till 12th October. It's on the website |
That’s not been updated since the original expected start date of 12th October last year!
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@andmelffion, OK...but I believe its still not happening till later in the year
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Hi, does anyone have recent (last couple of weeks) experience of the queues in Geneva arrivals ? Flying on on Friday 27th at 5pm.... When we went through at end of Jan, it took around 50 minutes to queue and a little more time to get through baggage claim (slow over-sized delivery)... I need to advise my transfer driver what time to pick us up....
Thanks!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Richie_S, yes - see upthread, Thursday evening last week.
| snowdave wrote: |
| Huge queue (at least as long as when it took me over an hour late last year) again last night at Geneva, but those who were pre-registered were sent to a different (much shorter) queue that was about 10 mins. However, a mate on the flight behind was told he couldn’t use that queue, so I’m not sure whether it was a temporary thing. |
Personally I'd allow at least 90mins from landing to landside, and accept that spending an hour in the jazz bar is a possible outcome.
Ski delivery was also slow last week, probably 45mins from disembarking.
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Just departed Dover. No sign of EES or any machines.
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FAQ
