Airport security / border control - what's going on here?

B0bbyEwing

Had this twice on this recent trip & wondered if it's luck of the draw or something else.

I know this is going to sound daft as this only happened at the start of the week & then yesterday but I can't remember if the first time was in the UK or once we landed in Poland. The second time was obviously Poland.

Basically got to security, wife & I get to be processed at the same time & I see her sail on through. I'm still being processed. Fingerprint, more fingerprint, more fingerprint. Stand there & wait a while & eventually let through. Wife wasn't required to provide any fingerprints whatsoever.

As we came to leave Poland it was even worse. I was about to ask if there was a problem. Once again we got processed at the same time & once again I see my wife sail on through.

3 people in the 'booth' thing to my side were processed in the time it took me to be processed.

Fingerprints. A bit of monitor moving, talking to his buddy. More monitor moving. Some click click clicking. Photograph. More fingerprints. Some looking confused. Some talking to his buddy again. More monitor moving. Some other guy comes in to their 'station' & now 3 of them are looking at the monitor. Long pause. Eventually I'm given the passport back & told ok.

I don't know if they were just slating my ugly mug or what but it went on for ages. Like I say, there were probably about 3 people in one booth to the side of me processed in the time it took for them to process me.

In the build up & wait to it, you people watch. I'd seen one take as long as I did the first time round but didn't see anyone taking anywhere near as long as it took me the second time round.

Obviously I'm not asking anyone here what they were talking about but what can take so long with that part? Just found it weird that my wife was through quickly both times & I took a while both times with the second one being exceptionally long.

Woodstok2000

If you have a marker on your file, or unusual travel patterns that can cause it, but there will be other reasons too.

TELLIT01

Do you have a very physical/manual job where your fingers are rubbed a lot? If so, it's possible that they were having trouble getting usable fingerprints.

eskbanker

Airport security / border control - what's going on here?

Basically got to security, wife & I get to be processed at the same time & I see her sail on through

Just to be clear, in case you ever need to follow up in any way, it appears that your issue was with passport control (run by national immigration forces) rather than security (run by airport staff).

B0bbyEwing

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82125757#Comment_82125757

Only unusual in that my passport is 4 years old and only has 1 other flight recorded on it (as in UK to destination & then back to UK). Before this the last time I flew would've been 20yrs ago.

Curious on the other reasons. Never been in trouble with the law.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82125827#Comment_82125827

Yes I do, however I wear gloves for absolutely any kind of lifting/handling. Even if that lifting/handling is of light or soft materials.

TELLIT01

I can't answer the question, but we went to Turkey 3 times with a friend of ours. She was pulled out each time by security at Dalaman airport. We have no idea why.

FlorayG

One of my friends used to get this frequently visiting USA because his name is the same as an English person wanted by the FBI. As he was at the time a frequent flyer on business it got to the stage where sometimes someone at passport control would say "oh, it's you again"😆 and just let him through