Passport control

[WHL]

I think this has already been discussed on the forum, But I was wondering if someone would have an answer, just returned from a trip, and going out and returning to Larnaca we had to use the passport scanning machines, then show the slip with your photo and passport to the person in the passport booth, no big deal, just curious as to why ???

[Kili01]

This stupid practice was reported on very recently by the Cyprus Sunday Mail reporter. In most of the other airports in Europe the new automatic machines are there to scan passports electronically. They are meant to speed up queues and replace the need for a manual check of passports. The one man in a booth is meant to deal with anyone whose passport is rejected for any reason by the machines. At Larnaca in true Cypriot style they have reversed this by making everyone present the machine print out once again to a man, who then takes it and puts it in a drawer. It’s not known what is done with it afterwards. This extra check has the effect of making sure that everyone must join a long queue to pass by the one man! Just keeping him in a job but still not achieving the proper objective of installing the machines in the first place..thats what was reported in the paper. If true makes me chuckle, though I will experience this myself soon when travelling via Larnaca!
Dee

[WHL]

This stupid practice was reported on very recently by the Cyprus Sunday Mail reporter. In most of the other airports in Europe the new automatic machines are there to scan passports electronically. They are meant to speed up queues and replace the need for a manual check of passports. The one man in a booth is meant to deal with anyone whose passport is rejected for any reason by the machines. At Larnaca in true Cypriot style they have reversed this by making everyone present the machine print out once again to a man, who then takes it and puts it in a drawer. It’s not known what is done with it afterwards. This extra check has the effect of making sure that everyone must join a long queue to pass by the one man! Just keeping him in a job but still not achieving the proper objective of installing the machines in the first place..thats what was reported in the paper. If true makes me chuckle, though I will experience this myself soon when travelling via Larnaca!
Dee

There was more than one man, there were several booths ...this was a few hours ago, as I said no big deal, didnt wait much longer, im just curious. .... PS do you ever have a good word to say about Cyprus/Cypriots ?????

[WHL]

A month or two ago, and because I'm a citizen of the EU, I was channelled throught these scanning machines and was through the Police check in a matter of a few short minutes.

Had this facility not been available to me I would have been stuck in a long snaking queue behind a hundred or more mainly Russians, who were taking ages to go through the Police check.

So in my case at least, not such a stupid practice.

Agree HIC, thinking back, he didnt scan the passport just took a look, that the photo looked like me.