Smart gates at airports — designed to allow passengers to get out into the arrivals hall as quickly as possible by self-scanning their passports rather than queuing to see an immigration official — may seem like new technology. But the fact is that Australia already has plans to phase them out.
Don’t panic. It’s all good. They will be replaced by even newer tech that promises to make life easier for frequent travellers.
Australian Business Traveller reports that a new system using contactless technology will be trialled in June, 2017, at Canberra Airport, which receives just four international flights a week.
If successful, it will be rolled out across the country. The Australian Government is also looking to do away with those arrival cards that we all hastily fill in as we queue for the current Smart Gate machine.
