Australian international airports have embraced SmartGates, the automated kiosks where incoming passengers are checked against their e-passports.
Michael Gebicki took to The Sydney Morning Herald to express his frustration over the “royal shemozzle.”
“Before the introduction of the latest Generation3 SmartGate technology, the process was much quicker. Slide your passport into the reader, answer a couple of questions, out pops a ticket, which you then insert into the facial recognition scanner at the gate. Bingo, the doors open and you’re released into the baggage collection area…” Gebicki wrote.
“With the Gen3 SmartGates it’s still a two-step process, only more cumbersome.”
Nowadays, after the initial step at the SmartGate kiosk, the traveller answers a few questions and their image is captured. All being well, they receive a printed ticket – or not if they’re deemed ineligible. Ticket holders then proceed to the SmartGate for another photo session. If the identification is positive, it’s open sesame and the traveller passes through to the baggage collection area.
Some are asking: what’s the purpose of the second scan?
A Border Force spokesperson responded: “The SmartGate upgrade provides an improved experience for travellers entering Australia. The overall ‘cycle time’ for travellers through the kiosk and gate has been reduced.”
The consensus of the user experience however, has been less than impressive with the confused general public only stalled further.
Source: Traveller – Sydney Morning Herald.
