Lack of e-gates adds to EES ‘shambles’ in France

To the Editor,

We have been to and fro between Nice and London on two separate visits this year with British Airways. We saw no sign of any PARAFE e-gates in use on the French side – they appear to be kept closed.

We have an apartment in Nice and travel there about four times a year from London. We saw the gates installed about four years ago, I think, but in all that time we have used them only once, upon arrival.

My husband has an Irish passport and so far I have always been able to use the EU lanes with my British one, thus saving a great deal of time.

We left Nice yesterday where there were big queues to check in (BA was operating three flights to London within 40 minutes), followed by even bigger queues for passport control (no e-gates in operation) and only one booth open for non-EU passengers.

This whole affair has been shambolic. It is difficult to believe the astonishing mess the EU has made of it.

Everyone seems to be able to use the gates at Heathrow, Gatwick, etc. with no problems, and fingerprinting and photos are standard in Far Eastern countries, so why on earth has it been unable to deliver, even after years of delays?

I despair, and wonder whether it will ever work effectively at all, especially with another layer due to be introduced later this year.

We are travelling back in early September, so it will be interesting to see if there is any improvement.

A.M., by email

To the Editor,

It is all very well for the boss of Wizz Air to tell passengers to arrive three hours before their flight to give themselves more time for EES registration, but there is an obvious flaw.

Most airlines do not open check-in until two hours before a flight. As EES checks are not carried out until after check-in, arriving early serves no purpose.

Maybe if the airlines opened check-in earlier, it would be good advice. 

M.C., by email

What has your experience been with PARAFE e-gates since the introduction of the EES? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com