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European entry system (EES) date finally confirmed
There has been talk of the new European entry system, which uses biometric data, including fingerprints, for many years. Sadly it looks like it will definitely come into service this winter on 10 November. The queues for non EU citizens are already way too long at many European airports and this will definitely not help.
Luckily, it is being introduced in the winter, but many airports and ports have asked for it to be delayed. These pleas have been ignored which doesn’t bode well. The main problem will be the time it takes to process people as it will now be similar to the US. When you enter the EU for the first time after 10 November, you will need to have your biometrics taken, including fingerprints, and we all know how long that will take (those machines never read my fingerprints properly). You will have to go through the process again once every three years.
The only good news for regular travellers is your passport won’t be filling up with EU stamps anymore. EES will apply in 29 European countries, including Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Cyprus and Ireland are excluded and will continue to stamp passports, although Irish passport holders – as EU citizens – will be exempt from EES. That’s good news for all those that are savvy enough to save up to £1000pp starting their US trips from Dublin.
Bangkok removes Fast Track immigration for First and Business class
I visited Bangkok earlier this year and used the Fast-track immigration, and frankly, it was a mess. It was poorly signposted, the airport employee taking me to immigration did not know where it was, and it took around 30 minutes or longer to get through. Thailand introduced biometrics not that long ago, and the new system is incredibly slow. However, if that was Fast Track, I dread to think what regular immigration was like as the queue looked hellish. Unlike the old vouchers, until recently, you just showed your first or business class boarding pass (although no one looked at mine, which may have been part of the issue).
Now, to make the experience even worse, US website Loyalty Lobby is reporting that they have abandoned Fast Track altogether. The only fast track lanes are now for the elderly (over 70), disabled, and pregnant travellers. There is also a Diplomats/Officials lane reserved for holders of the APEC Business Travel Card and special Thai Visa holders.
So far the airport authority has yet to confirm if the change is temporary.
Qatar Airways buys 25% stake in Airlink and wants to align loyalty programs
Qatar Airways has acquired a 25 percent stake in Southern Africa’s independent regional carrier, Airlink. Although BA has a codeshare agreement with them, these are only for add-ons from BA flights, which is no use if you want to earn Avios by using the old redemption trick of redeeming to Johannesburg (which has more availability) and then getting a cash flight to Cape Town. This new announcement is likely to give an option to earn Avios on short-haul stand-alone flights with Air Link.
Airlink flies to more than 45 destinations in 15 African countries, including Durban (DUR), Port Elizabeth (PLZ), and Skukuza (SZK), as well as the Namibian cities of Windhoek (WDH) and Walvis Bay (WVB).
In the press statement, Qatar stated, “The partnership between Qatar Airways and Airlink seeks to align both carriers’ loyalty programs – Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks.” Qatar does not currently allow redemptions or earning on Airlink, so I think this is highly likely to change in the near future. It does allow redemptions on Rwandair which the airline is in the process of buying a 49% stake in.
On the announcement, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “Our investment in Airlink further demonstrates how integral we see Africa being to our business’ future. This partnership not only demonstrates our confidence in Airlink, as a company that is resilient, agile, financially robust and governed on sound principles, but also in Africa as a whole, showing huge potential that I am delighted we are able to help start realising.”
5 comments
Fast track at BKK has now apparently been reinstated.
Clearly, British citizens will not need an ETIAS/EES to visit to, or travel via Ireland, as the Common Travel Area (CTA) already facilitates this.
Additionally, although an ETIAS is an extra burden when travelling, it is worth remembering that the UK is also developing its own electronic entry system for non-CTA passport holders.
Airports of Thailand and Thailand Immigration have both received a lot of complaints in recent days. They’ve now reversed their decision and are once again allowing Business & First class passengers arriving in Bangkok to use the priority channels.
After the back track a few days ago, loyalty lobby state, ” First and business class passengers are encouraged to use passport control Zones 1 and 3 upon arrival, which have priority lanes offered by Immigration Division 2 to make traveling more convenient.”
Sadly if you work construction, good luck with fingerprinting, just try your phone for example after a days work, guess what it does not work.
I used the over 70’s fast track earlier this year, worked like clockwork.
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