Anyone else find passport machine never works?

[amandacarnet]

I have a passport that is chipped, I should in Europe be able to go through the automatic passport gate. But it never works for me. I always have to end up queuing to see an actual person. Anyone else?

DS

He eventually ended up with a new passport, as we twigged that his squint surgery played havoc with the facial recognition.

It doesn't like it that my picture doesn't have glasses, but I wear glasses regularly. If I take my glasses off I can't see the instructions too well! 🤓

@Fudgenugget that was me too!! Had to take my glasses off then couldn't see the instructions. Took about 3 attempts before I got through, more by luck than judgement.

Me too and then I got shouted at for not following the instructions I couldn't see.

I've only used one once and I got stuck between the two gates and had to be saved, because once I had my glasses off I couldn't see where I was supposed to be looking.

DHs works everywhere except Manchester which we always fly from. Every time we land there they make him try the machines and every time it doesn't work!

The machine just continually shows me arrows to move my passport about, until finally I give up. No idea what the issue is.

Never worked for me, in the 20+ times I've tried.

Worked fine today, twice. But had to take off my glasses in the U.K. (not the other end)

You're dodgy 😉😉

No!
They’re awful. They never work.
We once got spent 2 hours at Stanstead passport control getting through the blasted things. Hundreds of people all having trouble

Oh yes I read some people are on a dodgy list and so machines won't work for them! Can't see why it would be for me though.

Stansted's passport control is actual hell on earth.

We have a police control thing here in Cyprus; your passport is scanned just after security and any warrants flash up.

The computer thinks about it for ages and ages trying to figure out if my face matches the passport picture.
I get the impression it times out after X seconds if it can't confirm your face.
A lot of the time I have to go see a real human.

Passports are valid for 10 years. The chips in them are only guaranteed for 5 years, so a large number won’t work on the gates after this time. Nothing to do with facial recognition. It’s the chip that’s at fault.

Same name one as a dodgy person maybe?! 🤣

Mine always works... but I've found most of the time when they don't work; it's because people (DP, his parents, random strangers) aren't looking at the camera, but randomly at the column.

Another glasses wearer here and 9 times out of 10, I end up having to go to the separate queue to see a human. Said human then tells me to remove my glasses as I don't looj like my passport photo with them on. No shit Sherlock. 🙄

My DH always gets rejected by the machines. Every single time. It's become a family joke. No idea why. We just agree beforehand that he'll catch up with us at the baggage carousel.