The DUB Passport/Immigration Queue Thread

LiamaDelta

Inquitus wrote:

I travel extensively with work and have never had an unacceptable Q time at T1, it is infinitely better than the UK airports and I have rarely spent more than 5 mins waiting, if that. I waited for an hour and a half one time at 1 am in Stansted with the family not allowed to use the machines for kids, coming back from the US into T5 at Heathrow often takes far longer as well. There's a fair bit of complaining you can do about Dublin airport, but Passport Control is imho not one of them. Generally it is quicker than pretty much anywhere else I go.

Same here. I've not waited more than 15 mins at passport control or screening in quite a long time.

plodder

There's an article in this week's Fingal Independent about the e-gates being officially launched. Can't find it online but it said something about the scanner being a more "normal" flat bed style, which is certainly an improvment over the previous contraption. Also said the gates will take passport cards.

I flew from Malaga the other day and they had similar looking e-gates with a kind of flat-bed scanner, but they had a staff member on hand showing everyone (including myself) exactly where to put your passport. Probably would have figured it out eventually, but you want these things to be instantly recognisable.

trellheim

I find the booths faster in all cases.

Credit Checker Moose

In Ireland, yes. Elsewhere no.

In the UK using the manned booths means a much longer experience, usually results in an interrogation and examination of every page of the passport.

"Where have you come from?"
"What were you doing there?"
"Why have you been to xxxxx country?"

Use the egates and no issues.

trellheim

In the UK using the manned booths means a much longer experience, usually results in an interrogation and examination of every page of the passport.

Yes. That is because Schengen means they can do it that way - you must carry a passport and they only have to staff a very limited number of booths compared to egates.

Phileas Frog

MuffinsDa wrote: »

As discussed many times before, CTA is fundamentally flawed in the absence of a common visa system.
How would you prove you're a British or Irish citizen?

I was correcting the person before me who said that "you do if you're a non-EU National"... but thanks for the lesson I already knew that.

More passport e-readers in T1 & T2 from Tuesday according to this I.T. article.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/more-passport-e-readers-for-dublin-airport-in-bid-to-cut-delays-1.3920014

Nijmegen

One does have to laugh at the dancing around by different actors. If I could summarise the comments in the article about delays:

Dept Justice: Airport infrastructure means passengers who are CTA and others aren't segregated.

Airport: Govt rules say we have to check CTA passenger documents.

Dept Justice: Anyway, it's not even us it's Dept Transport.

trellheim

Without wishing to tread into this forbidden land I will note that the DAA seem to be using this as a stick to beat the CAR for a charges increase. "we'd love to but we dont have the money" etc


On the subject of the article, will there be extra e-readers or is it just the p-card readers being added to the existing booths

Mebuntu

This question is posed in regard to the comments that DUB’s infrastructure prevents a separate CTA Arrivals. My comments below are about T1 and Piers 1,2,3 only as I have no experience of T2.

What happens with flights from Dublin to, say, Gatwick and Stansted? On arrival two buses are waiting beside the aircraft and passengers are quickly conveyed to an entrance door on the far side of Passport Control. (I’m not overlooking that Gatwick was different prior to the buses being introduced but they still had a unique exit lane at Passport Control for ROI arrivals and you just had to show your Boarding Card as evidence of where your flight originated).

Looking at the aerial view in screen capture below I would like to know why CTA arrivals at Piers 1,2,3 could not be similarly bussed to the area marked with the red X which I think is the point at which passengers exit Passport Control into the corridor towards Baggage Reclaim.

There are people on here who are much more intimately acquainted with the airside infrastructure than I am so I especially look forward to their views.

Beechwoodspark

Lads and ladies

Irish Steve mod said the other day no CTA chat

Beechwoodspark

Irish Steve wrote: »

MOD Note. Some considerable time ago, I posted the following note, as we had spent a lot of time going round in circles.

Nothing has changed to make this subject acceptable in this thread, which is about delays in T1 inbound

As it was some time ago, this serves as a reminder, but ignoring it will provoke an appropriate response.

On the basis of the very comprehensive and appropriate answer just posted by The Veteran, as of now, this thread is ONLY to discuss the issue of long queues at T1.

ANY POSTS ABOUT THE VALIDITY OR OTHERWISE OF THE 2004 IMMIGRATION ACT, OR THE CTA WILL EARN AN INFRACTION OR BAN OR BOTH

Posting this just to remind ppl

Mebuntu

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Posting this just to remind ppl

Thanks for that but there is no warning MOD Note showing in the thread heading that would alert people. This is usual procedure on Boards. My question doesn't question the CTA but merely refers to the airport infrastructure. Sorry if it offends.

trellheim

Mebuntu its impossible to discuss the question without hitting a ban. Sorry. Much as I'd like to, as most here know.

PM the mods or report this post if you wish and discuss it that way with them if you like I suppose.

Mebuntu

Thanks, Trellheim, but I was not aware of any such problems. Usually, on Boards, if there is a contentious item not to be discussed the Mods put a warning note in BOLD in the thread heading to alert posters to the fact.

My question arose following a discussion with a friend who had serious repercussions from being delayed almost an hour recently at Passport Control. I was explaining to him that the view was that airport infrastructure didn’t seem to allow for xxx to be introduced so we looked at Google Earth and couldn’t see what the problem might be. I promised him I’d come on here and ask the experts who know the airside inside out.

Maybe the Mods could transfer it to a separate thread.

L1011

You can't put thread title content in bold.

Just stop already.

trellheim

Can someone answer the question I posed please - i.e the Irish Times announcement - is it extra eGates or readers ,and if so how many, and in which terminal. Also if there's any defined manning hours for eGates , and do INIS plan to move to any kind of Border Force-style SLA adoption and public reporting.

There's a lot of questions still out there worth answering that dont' verge into the forbidden.

Stephen Strange

It's the same physical 10 gates per terminal, with new flatbed style readers fitted.

No idea about plans for SLA's etc. I would imagine that they will be open as much as possible where staffing levels permit.

billy few mates

I walked through the egates in T1 the other day using my passport card and it works perfectly. Id say the whole thing took about ten seconds and I was through.
The only thing I'd say is that there should probably be another sign showing exactly which way to position the card in the reader because the sign on the machine was for a proper passport and suggested portrait orientation whereas the card has to be inserted face up, to the LH corner landscape orientation.
Luckily there was a guy from the DAA telling everyone this but I could imagine there could be some unnecessary delays at busy times as people fumble about with the numerous possible options...
10/10

trellheim

Stephen Strange wrote: »

It's the same physical 10 gates per terminal, with new flatbed style readers fitted.

No idea about plans for SLA's etc. I would imagine that they will be open as much as possible where staffing levels permit.

Thanks for the answer.

LXFlyer

Stephen Strange wrote: »

It's the same physical 10 gates per terminal, with new flatbed style readers fitted.

No idea about plans for SLA's etc. I would imagine that they will be open as much as possible where staffing levels permit.

Sounds like they will at least be an improvement on the previous version - without the “grab” function.

Stephen Strange

LXFlyer wrote: »

Sounds like they will at least be an improvement on the previous version - without the “grab” function.

They're great actually, a real asset. It would be nice of DFA would stop issuing passports with those plastic covers though, as they cause a lot of misreads if they don't sit right!

ongarboy

They also need signs in advance of the passport room in T2 clearly segregating non eu from eu passport holders. Several hundred pax arriving en masse blocks the ground level signs so anyone unfamiliar (is most tourist and transit passengers and plenty of residents) are confused and can inadvertently join the wrong queues. The signs should be gantry like, hanging from ceilings and lit with lines on the floor marking the two queues for at least 50-100 meters before you enter the passport control room.

Stephen Strange

It doesn't help that a lot of the American travellers don't think they're European or Non-European, they're AMERICAN!

trellheim

Came through 300 gates last night of EI from LHR, full to the brim A320 , chocks on about 20:01

Impressions :

20-25 mins to get off plane as EI can not be bothered to put the back stairs up
10 min walk even though a bunch of T2 stands empty
empty document check, 15 seconds through, no baggage,
Cab rank nobody waiting, full of taxis and away immediately

So TBH from last night 95% of my grief was against EI ops

Chris_5339762

Came in not too long ago from Gatwick. Lovely empty pile of stands at T2. Oh no, we were off to the south gates, those awful things with buses needed. Bullied my way off the plane and accelerated through the crowd to make sure I was on the first set of buses. It worked.

Tenger

Not sure if you want applause for that tale......

Irish Steve

I have just deleted a number of posts, the reason I put in our log was

trolling, or abuse, or off topic, take your pick.

To avoid stronger actions, stay on topic, and don't throw abuse at people. The posters know who they are, take this as an official warning.

Noxegon

Tonight I got through T1 passport control in about ten seconds at 11:00pm.

I was told not to use the e-Gates with a passport card. Last weekend I used them without issue. Still having teething problems?

Stephen Strange

Noxegon wrote: »

Tonight I got through T1 passport control in about ten seconds at 11:00pm.

I was told not to use the e-Gates with a passport card. Last weekend I used them without issue. Still having teething problems?

Nope, that's an issue with the customer service staff. They're working fine.