Is the machine unreliable? \”Smart gate\” malfunction at Australian airport causes queues for customs clearance and the airport is blocked

Queue at Melbourne Airport. (Photo/\”Herald Sun\”)

[Comprehensive report compiled by Australia Network Han Shenyi on April 29] On April 29, it was once claimed that it only takes 20 seconds to The software of Australia\’s \”Smart Gate\” electronic immigration system for self-service customs clearance has malfunctioned, causing terminals at major international airports in Australia to be paralyzed. Travelers entering and exiting the country faced severe delays as customs staff were forced to conduct manual checks on incoming and outgoing passengers. It is understood that passengers at major airports across Australia, including Sydney and Melbourne, have been affected by this failure.

In fact, at Australian airports, in addition to weather changes and other reasons, passenger flight delays caused by problems at the airport are nothing new. Not only are there technical failures, Employee strikes are also very common…

\”Smart door\” self-service clearance system crashes? Long queues for customs clearance at major airports across Macao

Queue at Sydney Airport. (Photo/\”Herald Sun\”)

According to reports from the Herald Sun and SBS, it is reported that the delay in passport inspection of passengers is due to the \”smart door\” \”SystemCaused by nationwide glitches in software. The Australian Border Force (ABF) confirmed on the same day that these nationwide failures were being adjusted. A spokesman said: \”The Australian Department of Immigration is continuing to work hard to bring all systems back online to ensure system integrity and ensure that any ongoing issues are resolved.\”

The spokesperson also said that although some airports in Australia have increased staff to reduce delays, ABF still encourages passengers to arrive at the airport early to allow more time.

It is understood that from 6 to 7 a.m. on the 29th, the entry and exit systems of major Australian airports began to malfunction, and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane airports began to There was a long queue.

A person named Lisa Passengers at McLean (@lisaslounge) complained on social media \”Twitter\”: \”After a 17-hour overnight flight from Dallas, this is not what we need! The electronic customs machine is broken, here It was so hot that people got cranky and aggressive, but @SydneyAirport seemed to have all their hands on deck and we got through customs without a hitch. Then we were faced with taxi queues and rush hour traffic jams. ”

Elena, a passenger at Melbourne Airport, said that the passengers were overcrowded and she had to queue for more than an hour before being cleared by ABF staff. She said: \”I only have half an hour to transfer here, but I only advanced two meters in the queue.\”

Another at Melbourne Airport Passenger Michele Williams also said on Twitter that hundreds of people were queuing up to wait for manual inspection. \”Melbourne Airport is in chaos, the customs clearance machine is out of order, and hundreds of people are waiting to pass.\”

On that day, in order to appease the emotions of passengers queuing up, Harbor City (Harbor City) Airport employees also distributed bottled water to passengers present, a hint that delays may continue.

Brisbane Airport staff said that flight delays will mainly affect incoming passengers, warning that passengers may miss their connections. Perth Airport was also affected by the machine failure, but a spokesperson for the airport said the failure did not cause major delays.

It is understood that the “smart door” system was first launched in 2007 andIt will be used at airports across the country starting from 2018. The \”smart door\” uses facial recognition and electronic passport technology to automatically conduct identity checks on passengers passing through customs, claiming to shorten customs clearance time to 20 seconds. This system is currently used at 10 airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Gold Coast, Cairns, Darwin and Avalon.

As ​​Australia\’s major airports fell into chaos, the Australian Border Force had to deploy many additional staff to help passengers reduce delays.

That afternoon, an ABF spokesperson said: “Some IT systems of the Australian Border Force and the Department of Home Affairs have now resumed operation. These systems had previously Affected by power outages. ”

In Australia, there was a passenger delay caused by equipment failure at the airport not long ago. According to the \”Herald Sun\” report, on February 15 this year, due to a technical failure of the \”smart door\”, Melbourne Airport staff had to manually check the passports of passengers.

Battery equipment failure once cost Sydney the title of best airport

Speaking of equipment failures at airports, in addition to customs clearance systems, Australian airports have also experienced battery system failures causing delays. According to reports from ANZ and ABC, on the morning of March 29 this year, smoke was detected in the air traffic control tower of Sydney Airport. After firefighters evacuated the staff in the tower, Sydney Airport was completely grounded and all passengers were stranded at the airport.

According to an investigation by the fire agency, the smoke found in the air traffic control tower was caused by the overheating of the computer battery system. At about 11:40 that day, about 20 tower workersThe crew was evacuated, and firefighters from the Australian Aviation Services Agency (ASA) and the New South Wales Fire and Rescue Service quickly went to the scene of the incident. The airport has been completely grounded and no aircraft is allowed to take off or land.

A spokesman for Sydney Airport said at the time: \”Domestic flights (in Australia) will face delays of up to 60 minutes, and international flights will face delays of 80 minutes.\”

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While airlines were notifying passengers of flight delays, hundreds of people were still stranded on the tarmac waiting for the plane to take off. At that time, a passenger planning to fly to Los Angeles said: \”I saw the fire truck through the window of the plane. Virgin decided to use the detention time to refuel the plane and accelerate it once it was able to take off. Many passengers in the cabin I am already feeling irritable and my children are crying.” Regarding the reasons for the evacuation, New South Wales Fire Rescue Director Jonas (Bryce). Jonas said: \”The smoke was caused by the computer backup battery system overheating and spreading through the air conditioner, triggering the fire alarm. A technician is already working to solve the problem.\”

Sydney Airport has dropped one spot in a global airport ranking released by Skytrax, losing the title of Australia\’s best airport due to flight delays caused by a battery system failure.

Australian airport employees go on strike and take sick leave, causing delays to passengers and causing misery

Of course, human factors are also a major \”killer\” causing flight delays, and the frequent \”strike\” movements at Australian airports often cause headaches for passengers.

According to reports from Nine News, Australia and New Zealand Network, several airport strikes last year caused many flights to be delayed for a long time, and some flights were even cancelled. First, on February 16, 2018, staff at Australia\’s major airports held a strike because they were dissatisfied with the assigned flights and the treatment provided.

It was attended by staff from Sydney International Terminal, Qantas staff at Melbourne Domestic Airport and staff from Brisbane and Adelaide Airports. A massive strike movement. The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) expressed support for these employees, saying, “Airports and airlines are making billions of dollars in profits, while employees in the supply chain are struggling below the poverty line.”

On October 2 of that year, the five major airports in Australia held another general strike. Baggage handlers, check-in agents and security staff at five major airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth left their jobs to participate in a public demonstration led by TWU, calling on the federal government to \”enforce Demand that airports and airlines be held accountable for workers’ wage and treatment standards.” It is reported that this general strike has caused many flight delays, and some have even been cancelled.

In addition to strikes, Australian airport employees’ requests for leave have also caused chaos at the airport. Also in October 2018, despite the peak holiday travel season, two air traffic controllers at Sydney Airport called in sick, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at the airport. At the same time, at least 26 international flights at Sydney Airport were canceled, affecting passengers on many airlines.

The list of Australia\’s top 10 most delayed airports is released: Sydney has an average of 7 delays per hour

Looking at the above reasons, whether it is technical faults or human factors, they have led to various degrees of delays, cancellations, and even service \”paralysis\” of flights at Australian airports… Although the flights were delayed , delays, and cancellations are unpredictable, but an Australian website selected the top ten airports in Australia most prone to flight delays in 2018, and provided suggestions for passengers to make travel choices to avoid \”traveling\”.

Finder.com.au website has compiled a set of rankings based on the aviation data of major airports in 2017: Australia’s Sunshine Coast Airport ranked in 2017 The data that nearly 1/3 of domestic flights are delayed every year \”tops the list\”. Of all the capital city airports in Australia, Hobart Airport in Tasmania has the most delayed flights., 27% of the 17,994 flights failed to take off as planned. Gold Coast Airport and Launceston Airport in Tasmania ranked third and fourth respectively, with flight delay rates of about 24%.

Sydney Airport, one of Australia\’s largest international airports, ranked fifth, with an average of 113 flight delays per day in 2017. In other words, Almost 7 delays per hour. Of the 21,600 flights canceled across Australia last year, a quarter were from Sydney.

Melbourne Airport ranked ninth with a flight delay rate of 18%.

Top ten airports in Australia most likely to be delayed (flight delay rate in 2017)

1. Sunshine Coast Airport 30.9%

2. Hobart Airport 26.7%

3. Gold Coast Airport 24.4%

4. Launceston Airport 23.7%

5. Sydney Airport 19.7%

6. Albury Airport 19.6%

7. Rockhampton Airport 19.5%

8. Dubbo Airport 19.4%

9. Melbourne Airport 18.1%

10. Mackay Airport 17.6%

(Australia and New Zealand quoted data from Finder.com.au website)

What should passengers do if they encounter an emergency at an Australian airport?

As ​​the number of Chinese tourists coming to Australia continues to rise, faced with the constant situation at Australian airports, once passengers are stranded, or flights are delayed, Cancel waiting for “annoying” situations and do it in advanceGood preparation is necessary.

1. Purchase an aviation delay insurance in advance. In the event of a flight delay, the travel liability insurance provided by airlines and travel agencies is still limited in its ability to pay compensation. Many passengers have wasted time due to delays and cannot make up for it. In fact, you may wish to purchase an aviation delay insurance before traveling. .

2. If your flight is canceled, you can apply for a refund or endorsement to the airline. It is quite troublesome for passengers who usually want to refund or endorse their tickets. Especially when the passengers buy \”special discount tickets\”, they may not be able to refund or endorse their tickets. But when the flight is cancelled, no matter what price you purchased the ticket, you can request a refund from the airline or transfer it to another flight.

3. Understand flight information in advance and make timely adjustments. When encountering special situations such as Australian airport malfunction information or strikes, the relevant airport official websites and social media platforms will generally release information as soon as possible. Passengers taking flights on the same day can consult the airport or airline for relevant information in advance. If there is any If there are any changes, you can make timely adjustments to your itinerary.

4. If you are really unfortunate enough to learn about flight delays or encounter long queues after arriving at the airport, some \”material\” equipment is also necessary. Water bottles, blankets, snacks and other items can help passengers alleviate the pain caused by the long wait. Fatigue and discomfort.