The DUB Passport/Immigration Queue Thread

20-05-2017 7:38pm #1

Would anyone know if anything is being done to solve the issues at Terminal one passport control ? Extremely long queues for passengers arriving in the evenings. An hour or more seems to be the new normal now.

There seems to be a real problem with the number of inbound flights after 10 and not having enough passport control staff to cope with the numbers. For some reason Terminal two is not affected and it never takes more than five minutes to get through there. I see in T1 they are scanning the passport through a scanner machine now so I think that is what is also slowing it all down.

I'm kind of surprised Ryanair haven't been on going bonkers about this as it's really affecting their passengers rather than anyone elses. Any of their evening flights arriving later than 10 are going to be caught up in these massive queues. After being caught up in the long queues a couple of times I'd really think twice before I'd book a T1 evening arriving flight again. Regardless of the price I'd now pay the extra to go Aer Lingus through T2 just to avoid that.

We're not even into the peak summer holiday season so I don't know what it is going to be like come July or august.

I can think of a few ways to improve the system myself - separate the UK \ common travel area arriving passengers like they do at Gatwick where people show their boarding card to confirm they are traveling from the UK. Or loads more of the automatic scanner gates.

Dardania · 20-05-2017 7:47pm

Can't believe this is still going on...very poor service

Is there an airside connection from T1 to T2, so you can use it's passport control queue? Maybe ny following the Dubhub signage?

fullstop · 20-05-2017 7:50pm

It's not much better in terminal 2. Arrived on a morning flight there on Tuesday at 9am and the queue was half way down to the end of the terminal.

Corca Baiscinn · 20-05-2017 7:55pm

Dardania wrote: »

Can't believe this is still going on...very poor service

Is there an airside connection from T1 to T2, so you can use it's passport control queue? Maybe ny following the Dubhub signage?

I travelled into T1 on a late fight on a Bank Hol W/E and I thought that the passport delay was down to a staff shortage. I felt embarrassed for the first impression, all the visitors some with young children, were getting but assumed it was a once off. A few weeks later I saw a post on Boards about the same problem and now today again. As the OP says we're not even at peak holiday season. I haven't seen any publicity outside of Boards whereas sometimes a flight cancellation and delayed passengers makes headlines. Ryanair are vocal enough most of the time but I suppose by the time the passenger is delayed at passport control Ryanair has long since had its money.

Redsoxfan · 20-05-2017 8:03pm

Arrived in T1 on a Tuesday morning at around 9.30. 5 minute wait time for EU passports on digital display on way in. Not even close.

martinsvi · 20-05-2017 8:04pm

I've been stuck in these queues myself lately, I don't understand whatever happened to the self service machines? How come they're working fine across the UK, yet in Dublin it's somehow a problem..

Red Alert · 20-05-2017 8:06pm

I can't imagine moving from Gardai to civilian staff has helped.

theteal · 20-05-2017 8:09pm

I've read about similar issues on here a while ago so I've been expecting trouble on my semi-regular jaunts back.

I've still never had an issue. We've had 3 trips back to Dublin in the last 2 months. All Thursday nights after 10pm. Never more than a couple of minutes each time - thankfully, as I now travel with a baby buggy.

Just lucky?

rizzodun · 20-05-2017 8:10pm

Came in on a late fight from Frankfurt last week, and while the wait wasn't as long an hour, having the guy at the desk ask everyone where they were after travelling from was slowing everything down dramatically, especially as the whole queue was from the one flight, if he did a bit of checking he would've known this, but hearing "Frankfurt" for the 20th consecutive time should have made him realise...

Non-EU passport holders were left waiting the whole time I queued, in 20 minutes not one person had made it through.

Draco · 20-05-2017 8:11pm

The delay seems to be entirely down to the scanning of passports. I do at least 2 flights a month and the difference in queuing times only started after the scanning. They really need to up the staff numbers.

20-05-2017 8:12pm

Let's put some perspective on this, it's NOT just a Dublin problem I have arrived into Heathrow, JFK, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Orlando among many and had at least an Hour wait to be processed. I don't disagree that queues are long but you have to remember that the people processing the passengers are doing their job, it will always slow up if one or two have issues with people or their IDs.

Yes all booths should be open when known large volumes of passengers are expected that's unforgivable if not done.

martinsvi · 20-05-2017 8:15pm

rizzodun wrote: »

Came in on a late fight from Frankfurt last week, and while the wait wasn't as long an hour, having the guy at the desk ask everyone where they were after travelling from was slowing everything down dramatically, especially as the whole queue was from the one flight, if he did a bit of checking he would've known this, but hearing "Frankfurt" for the 20th consecutive time should have made him realise...

Non-EU passport holders were left waiting the whole time I queued, in 20 minutes not one person had made it through.

Exactly.. like why the hell does it matter where I'm travelling from? EU passport holders are being asked where they live, what they do for a living.. seriously.. it's a pain to watch. AFAIK EU citizens are allowed to move freely and they don't have to explain themselves.

BlinkingLights · 20-05-2017 8:15pm

I waited 38 minutes in CDG in Paris recently.

They would want to be careful they aren't in breech of EU treaties in Dublin. You can't interrogate EU passengers crossing an internal border, Schengen or not. We don't have that on the continent.

martinsvi · 20-05-2017 8:17pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Let's put some perspective on this, it's NOT just a Dublin problem I have arrived into Heathrow, JFK, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Orlando among many and had at least an Hour wait to be processed. I don't disagree that queues are long but you have to remember that the people processing the passengers are doing their job, it will always slow up if one or two have issues with people or their IDs.

Yes all booths should be open when known large volumes of passengers are expected that's unforgivable if not done.

when I've been stuck there's barely 1/2 of the booths opened, queues all the way up the stairs in T1

ED E · 20-05-2017 8:51pm

Draco wrote: »

The delay seems to be entirely down to the scanning of passports. I do at least 2 flights a month and the difference in queuing times only started after the scanning. They really need to up the staff numbers.

Are they scanning them? Came back through T1 8wks ago, flashed my passport card and through, no delay. Far side always scan it (inside the EU).

Einstein A. Gogo · 20-05-2017 9:03pm

The problem is that they insist on checking all passports from the UK which is totally unnecessary given it's the common travel area and passports are rarely checked in the UK for arrivals from Ireland. If they took this out of the equation it'd greatly speed up passport control in Dublin. Simples!

micosoft · 20-05-2017 9:26pm

Dublin Airport does not segregate passengers enough to let those coming from UK straight through. Most UK airports have a channel that segregates those coming from Ireland.

In any case, I've seen the response from the Airport and the Gardai which is pure fiction - the boothes are not all open when there is queuing. More frustratingly is the idea that they are sometimes overwhelmed when arrivals are entirely predictable.

IMHO we need:
1. Decent Fast pass electronic gate for holders of Credit Card Passports/BioMetric.
2. Civilian or dedicated immigration officers - we don't need expensive Gardai checking a picture and a passport (with an electronic Y/N). Have a second screening where questions need to be asked.

The Rape of Lucretia · 20-05-2017 9:36pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't disagree that queues are long but you have to remember that the people processing the passengers are doing their job, it will always slow up if one or two have issues with people or their IDs.

It is bad. Those who are there are doing their job alright. Its that there arent enough is the problem.
Late in the evening, its almost like they are shutting up for the day and surprised that there are still planes landing. Bad scheduling, management, or industrial relations.

Mind you, all French airport are cack for passport queues these days, including the obligatory passport check to board. To be fair to Dublin, far worse than Dublin.

john boye · 20-05-2017 9:36pm

The checks seem to have become more stringent this year (and consequently more time consuming) ever since the EI People smuggling controversy. Don't know if it's related but they use to just glance at your passport and wave you through

Spanish Eyes · 20-05-2017 9:53pm

Inefficient management. Pay them overtime or whatever is required, get it sorted.

We need tourists more than ever and visitors/business from UK, that has declined recently.

Typical Ireland, don't do anything even if the crisis is staring you in the face until there is an outcry. Leo V will sort it out though!

I don't care about other airports around the world, I care about Dublin Airport and its immigration queues. Totally unacceptable to have to wait an hour to enter your own country!

Gives a very bad impression to everyone arriving, and can be sorted quite simply.... more staff, plan for mass concurrent arrivals. I can see the arrivals board on the app/website, so I am sure the immigration managers can also see this and plan for it? Obviously not.

uck51js9zml2yt · 20-05-2017 9:57pm

Came into T2 on a domestic flight and still had to go through passport control. It's mad Ted!

LXFlyer · 20-05-2017 10:12pm

Einstein A. Gogo wrote: »

The problem is that they insist on checking all passports from the UK which is totally unnecessary given it's the common travel area and passports are rarely checked in the UK for arrivals from Ireland. If they took this out of the equation it'd greatly speed up passport control in Dublin. Simples!

I'm not in any way excusing the delays but just to clarify something.

The common travel area only applies to people born in Ireland and U.K. - everyone else is still obliged to have a passport.

There aren't common Ireland and U.K. visas except for a very small number of people.

wordofwarning · 20-05-2017 11:04pm

rizzodun wrote: »

Came in on a late fight from Frankfurt last week, and while the wait wasn't as long an hour, having the guy at the desk ask everyone where they were after travelling from was slowing everything down dramatically, especially as the whole queue was from the one flight, if he did a bit of checking he would've known this, but hearing "Frankfurt" for the 20th consecutive time should have made him realise...

I had this before. I got asked where I was flying from? How long was I there? Where I am from in Ireland? I got handed back my passport when I said "Dublin obviously". I got told with that attitude, it is clear you are from Dublin

They really know how to pick the crowd working the passport control desks now...

I have flown Dublin to Spain and Germany etc. Where the passport control guys have waved us on. Yet Irish citizens returning home from a weekend in Berlin with an Irish passport need to be asked mind numbing questions from a bureaucrat. I have European friends who all agree that passport control in Dublin is a nightmare between the long queues and the dumb questions

Like why are flights from the UK segregated and immediately bypassed passport control?

The Veteran · 20-05-2017 11:43pm

Do any of the posters on here know what the 'capacity' of an immigration booth is per hour?

Do any of the posters know how many desks\booths there are in the Terminal 1 area that the ryanair flights go into?

Do any of the posters know how many flights\passengers there are at different times of the day?

There are 10 desks\booths - count them. The time posters are referring to can see over twenty flights in an hour. Flights arrive in 'waves' and within that flights can be delayed or early causing congestion. If the infrastructure (supplied by the Port Authority) is not in place - no amount of staff will solve it. The number of arriving passengers in the period referenced, exceeds the processing capacity of the attached immigration desks\booths. The only solution is a bigger Hall; a better laid out Hall and more desks - all of these issues are for the Port Authority.

After that passengers need to understand that they are crossing a border and are subject to controls. Officers don't know who the passengers are - Irish people don't have a radar signal that confirms their nationality; they are in a mixed flow of passengers with people coming from everywhere. Try the recently tightened Schengen exit controls - lots of missed flights I am hearing.

EU Free movement is respected but that does not mean no controls.

If posters want to know what's what, why not ask the immigration service and daa directly. Contact INIS Customer Servixe and ask; also email customer experience@daa.ie and ask.

plodder · 21-05-2017 12:10am

lxflyer wrote: »

I'm not in any way excusing the delays but just to clarify something.

The common travel area only applies to people born in Ireland and U.K. - everyone else is still obliged to have a passport.

There aren't common Ireland and U.K. visas except for a very small number of people.

But, the UK seems to treat it as a true common travel area, with no restrictions. Why do we treat it differently? I think a one hour wait is completely unacceptable, though I have never experienced a delay anywhere near as long as that.

eeguy · 21-05-2017 12:19am

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Inefficient management. Pay them overtime or whatever is required, get it sorted.

Gives a very bad impression to everyone arriving, and can be sorted quite simply.... more staff, plan for mass concurrent arrivals. I can see the arrivals board on the app/website, so I am sure the immigration managers can also see this and plan for it? Obviously not.

There's your problem.

Waves of people coming to passport control. No sense having a full staff level if they're only doing 10 minutes of work, then 20 minutes of hanging around waiting for the next wave.
If that was the case, people would be giving out even more.

IMO they need a separate queue for the automated passport scanners and more of them. Put 20 scanners in. Pain in the hole when you see people ahead not using the scanners and just waiting for the guy in the window.

Doltanian · 21-05-2017 12:23am

There should be three channels, Irish and UK passports, EU and Foreign. Priority should be given to Irish and UK as per the CTA, let the rest wait as is done in most other airports around the world.

Stephen15 · 21-05-2017 12:26am

I was in Italy there recently and had to queue for about an hour and a half as passport control didn't have a scanning machine and had to type in information manually. Riddiculous

Dingle_berry · 21-05-2017 12:51am

Landed in T1 Dublin twice last month, one morning weekday, one late weekend. Both times queued for booth to have card scanned and to be questioned. The biometric scanners were gated off and not being used at all.
Yet entering Australia as a visitor with an e visa I could use the biometric scanners and never had to speak to an official. No queuing.

Blue House Bear · 21-05-2017 2:23am

Just what I want. Queue to get back into my own country!!!! DAA blame GNIB. They do nothing!

Atlantic Dawn · 21-05-2017 2:31am

If only the scheduling of planes would be known weeks/months in advance of how many planes would arrive at x time, if only. Keystone cops again, joke of a place.

eeguy · 21-05-2017 3:08am

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

If only the scheduling of planes would be known weeks/months in advance of how many planes would arrive at x time, if only. Keystone cops again, joke of a place.

Again, they know. But they can't schedule their workforce around the intermittent arrival of airplanes.

Chris_5339762 · 21-05-2017 8:37am

Those biometric scanners are in the wrong place anyway. You have to join the entire main queue to get at them, because the building isn't set up to provide them a seperate queue. In my experience they always take longer in Dublin.

Noxegon · 21-05-2017 9:22am

I do a Dublin to Singapore round trip every eight weeks.

The longest wait I've ever had for immigration in Singapore was fifteen minutes, and it's usually no more than five. I've not had a single trip where my bag hasn't been waiting for me on the carousel by the time I get there.

In Dublin it's wildly unpredictable; sometimes it can be five minutes but I've also waited an hour. No matter the length however there's generally an additional delay in the baggage hall before delivery starts.

Just a thought.

LXFlyer · 21-05-2017 11:04am

plodder wrote: »

But, the UK seems to treat it as a true common travel area, with no restrictions. Why do we treat it differently? I think a one hour wait is completely unacceptable, though I have never experienced a delay anywhere near as long as that.

UK border force do random spot checks on arriving aircraft from Ireland. I've experienced full passport and ID checks from time to time.

The Irish government have decided that every arriving air passenger gets checked.

Different jurisdictions have different rules, whether we like it or not. I've not seen any desire to change that policy on the part of the Irish authorities.

The Rape of Lucretia · 21-05-2017 3:09pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Keystone cops again, joke of a place.

It does have that sense to it alright. Late in the evenings, there is a distinct impression, of "Jesus ! Passengers ! Where did they come from ? Crikey, we better get someone on duty here. One or two maybe. I know we have 10 lanes, but surely these people are in no hurry at this time of night, and wont mind half an hour in line. What with planes landing at this airport anyway? I never thought this was part of the job."

The Rape of Lucretia · 21-05-2017 3:13pm

eeguy wrote: »

Again, they know. But they can't schedule their workforce around the intermittent arrival of airplanes.

I dont buy that at all. If they are there available to work, they should be in the booths, whether passengers are passing through or not. Planes land from what 7am to 11pm ?. Thats two shifts, and easily planned with breaks etc. One full team on duty with a rota for breaks etc to average out the manning at any one time. Its pretty simple really. Its not as if they are trying to schedule staff to work for 15 mins, be off for 20, back for another 5 mins, off for 5 mins, back on for 30 mins. Just two shifts of 8 hours, like the rest of the world manages.

Avada · 21-05-2017 5:07pm

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

I dont buy that at all. If they are there available to work, they should be in the booths, whether passengers are passing through or not. Planes land from what 7am to 11pm ?. Thats two shifts, and easily planned with breaks etc. One full team on duty with a rota for breaks etc to average out the manning at any one time. Its pretty simple really. Its not as if they are trying to schedule staff to work for 15 mins, be off for 20, back for another 5 mins, off for 5 mins, back on for 30 mins. Just two shifts of 8 hours, like the rest of the world manages.

To clarify, Immigration are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, flights land outside of 7am - 11pm, lots of them.

The recent hiring of (a large amount of) new staff should help, but the Immigration hall in T1 is still way to small and badly laid out to solve the problem completely, 10 booths is not enough, even with the soon to be installed e-gates.

LXFlyer · 21-05-2017 5:39pm

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

I dont buy that at all. If they are there available to work, they should be in the booths, whether passengers are passing through or not. Planes land from what 7am to 11pm ?. Thats two shifts, and easily planned with breaks etc. One full team on duty with a rota for breaks etc to average out the manning at any one time. Its pretty simple really. Its not as if they are trying to schedule staff to work for 15 mins, be off for 20, back for another 5 mins, off for 5 mins, back on for 30 mins. Just two shifts of 8 hours, like the rest of the world manages.

While again, I'm not defending the waiting time - clearly something needs to be done, either in terms of the size of the immigration hall for piers 1 and 2, or in terms of immigration staffing.

But your analysis is a tad simplistic. What happens when you get several passengers that have not got the right documentation? The staff then have to take them away to interrogate them. They don't just sit in booths all day.

If you get several potentially inadmissible people, that's going to create staffing problems.

Fred Swanson · 21-05-2017 7:10pm

This post has been deleted.

plodder · 21-05-2017 10:03pm

lxflyer wrote: »

While again, I'm not defending the waiting time - clearly something needs to be done, either in terms of the size of the immigration hall for piers 1 and 2, or in terms of immigration staffing.

But your analysis is a tad simplistic. What happens when you get several passengers that have not got the right documentation? The staff then have to take them away to interrogate them. They don't just sit in booths all day.

If you get several potentially inadmissible people, that's going to create staffing problems.

What I would expect would be the front line staff continue doing the initial check, but you have a smaller number of staff who take over when people arrive without the right documentation, and if several arrive at the same time, then they just have to wait longer to be processed.

The Veteran · 21-05-2017 10:08pm

breathn wrote: »

Are Irish passport holders coming from EU countries into Ireland compelled to answer those questions if we have free movement?

Read the legislation - the short answer is yes.

It has to be understood that officers don't know who is coming up to them or what their nationality is etc. By the way the majority of false documents are detected in the EU queues not the non-EU queue. Also, the majority of lost or stolen documents (several per day) which is what the scanning is about are Irish documents or other EU. The EU queues are not "squeaking clean". That's before you get into any of the security element. And for the record - EU Free Movement is not absolute, a Member State has a right to deny entry is certain circumstances.

As others have said the main T1 immigration area is too small, poorly laid out and not at all well planned in terms of how passengers enter.

10 booths would mean the absolute maximum that come through in an hour is 3,000 assuming everyone is from the EU; properly documented etc. Allowing for a percentage of non EU pax; the passengers who fumble for documents etc but before any dodgy passengers and the real hourly limit is about 2,500. Tonight between 11 and 12 there will be over 3,500 scheduled to arrive. Look at the arrival times closer and you will see most will arrive in about 35-40 minutes. The arrival times are scheduled by airlines; the Terminal is planned and built by the daa; delays are caused by various factors but ultimately none of it is controlled by the people in the booths that a number want to point the finger at.

In relation to the shift roster, it was available publicly to see in a recent pubicjobs information booklet. As one poster gave a simplistic view but another offered some wisdom; there are officers on duty 24 hours a day. Again look at daa's website tonight - the only downtime will be from approx 1:40 until about 4:15. Allow for carrying out sweeps of the various areas and breaks during the dead period and the notion that there are staff twiddling their thumbs doesn't stack up.

Anyone who wants to know what the statistics are on any front should ask the immigration service directly and also daa.

Fred Swanson · 21-05-2017 10:12pm

This post has been deleted.

Spanish Eyes · 21-05-2017 10:15pm

@ The Veteran.

Understood.

But people arriving are told nothing. Just wait in line and crocodile yourself for an hour, be grand.

Not good enough. We are trying to make out we are a progressive modern country to visit and work in.

The immigration hall in T1 is just abominable. And to add insult to injury you have pink teeshirted DAA officials herding you into lines. It doesn't work. A few times I was near the top of the Q and others from my right just marched past me and were processed.

I didn't get mad, I just shrugged, but it left a bitter taste.

Stephen15 · 21-05-2017 10:15pm

Maybe a better idea would be have an immigration booth at every arrival gate and have a staff member there as soon as a flight arrives.

plodder · 21-05-2017 10:18pm

So, why don't we just let flights from the UK straight in without immigration checks, as they do for flights from here?

It seems like the common travel area only works in one direction.

Spanish Eyes · 21-05-2017 10:21pm

plodder wrote: »

So, why don't we just let flights from the UK straight in without immigration checks, as they do for flights from here?

It seems like the common travel area only works in one direction.

I have often wondered about that myself.

Charles Babbage · 21-05-2017 10:25pm

eeguy wrote: »

Again, they know. But they can't schedule their workforce around the intermittent arrival of airplanes.

Of course they can, the aeroplane arrives at the same time every day.

This is a civil "service" approach to those who pay their salary, neither civil nor providing proper service and nobody held responsible.

LXFlyer · 21-05-2017 10:33pm

plodder wrote: »

So, why don't we just let flights from the UK straight in without immigration checks, as they do for flights from here?

It seems like the common travel area only works in one direction.

Just to correct you - I said already there are checks - UK Border Force do random spot checks on Irish arrivals. I have been on several flights from Dublin into UK airports where there has been a full check of everyone's passport or ID upon disembarkation by UK Border Force officials.

They just have a different policy. That's down to individual states surely?

As for letting people into Ireland without checks from UK flights - remember that the Common Travel Area only applies to Irish and UK born citizens - everyone else needs a passport or visa, and separate UK and Irish visas are needed except for a small number of people.

The Veteran · 21-05-2017 10:33pm

See the earlier posts about the Common Travel Area. It is not an international agreement and there is no shared set of rules. For a start segregating UK arrivals is not likely any time soon in Dublin. There are UK arrivals from Aer Lingus, RyanAir, CityJet, Flybe; and British Airways. Each operate into different Piers. All of there Airlines would have to agree to arrive their passengers into the same area and then agree it with the daa before discussing it with immigration and customs. Then certain passengers would have to segregated and presented to immigration.

The pink tee shirts work for daa - they readily point the finger at immigration not their employer. Trust me when I tell you passengers have regularly been stopped on the Skybridge when there was plenty of room in the hall. It has to be remembered that the "hall" was originally a link corridor that had been extended twice. Immigration halls don't make money for airports so they don't invest in them.

Stephen15 · 21-05-2017 10:38pm

Charles Babbage wrote: »

Of course they can, the aeroplane arrives at the same time every day.

This is a civil "service" approach to those who pay their salary, neither civil nor providing proper service and nobody held responsible.

Privatise it to Group 4 or something.

The DUB Passport/Immigration Queue Thread

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