E-Gate Failures at UK Airports: A Traveler’s Dilemma
Thousands of travellers were forced to queue for hours, with some resulting to sleeping on airport floors, following a nationwide issue that saw e-gates fail in the UK’s largest airports.
The e-gate failure, which began on the evening of Thursday 7 May, has been resolved. However, it has left a lasting impact on travellers, who now view the technology with a sense of caution, having experienced the inconvenience it can cause.
Understanding E-Gates
The UK Government website states that there are more than 270 e-gates at 15 key air and rail ports across the UK to facilitate quicker travel into the UK. Travellers may use e-gates at border force if they have a biometric symbol on the cover of their passport, are aged ten and over (an adult must accompany 10 to 17-year-olds), and are British citizens or nationals of an EU country.
Moreover, nationals of a handful of other admitted countries, including Australia, Canada, and the USA, as well as Registered Traveller Service members, can also use these gates.
Response to the Failure
In an emailed statement, the Home Office explained that eGates at UK airports came back online shortly after midnight. As soon as engineers detected a wider system network issue at 19:44 that evening, a large-scale contingency response was activated within six minutes.
Consequently, it was stated, “At no point was border security compromised, and there is no indication of malicious cyber activity. We apologise to travellers caught in disruption and thank our partners, including airlines, for their cooperation and support.”
Can Travellers Claim Compensation?
Currently, compensation is not available for e-gate failure, as the nationwide issue is considered to be beyond the airline’s control. If delays cause you to miss onward journeys or connections, it is advisable to check the terms and conditions of any travel insurance policies before contacting the airline or associated company to make a compensation case.
For further information on travel disruptions, it is beneficial to consult reputable travel resources or guides that provide insights into compensation and rebooking policies.
