Anyone have any thoughts on the new security screening set up at Melbourne International terminal (T2)? I've experienced it I think 4 times now and it is an absolute schemozzle.
For those not familiar, they have set up where there are six stations in an arc where people unload their stuff into trays, that feed into the scanner and then the trays (in theory) feed into a tray return scheme after people have removed their stuff. There is a sensor to check if the trays are empty before they drop into the return chute. Everything, including rollaboards and backpacks must go into trays. They also seem to be quite strict (at least when I was there) that they won't let anything share a tray with a laptop. As a result it is not uncommon to use multiple trays (once I used 4 trays - backpack in one, laptop in another, wheelaboard in one, LAGS and a small shopping bag in another).
What happens is that your first tray will fire off, but if you are at the front, then trays from people behind you go through behind your first tray, eventually you might find a space to send you second tray. And wait again for your third tray. By then, you first tray has probably reached the sensor before the return chute, but because your stuff is still in it and you are still waiting for tray number 3 to go, everything starts to build up behind, eventually reaching gridlock. So you then can't put tray no 3 on the line, because it's not moving and you can't go and get tray no 1 because you're waiting to put tray 3 on the line.
This happened to me on my second last trip, and I broke the golden rule - don't suggest something to security - I said "it's probably my tray at the other end waiting to be collected, and therefore holding everything up" - and I was told quite sternly not to too question the system (sure enough my tray was there holding everything up). On my trip on Monday, this was happening on the adjacent conveyor which was basically at gridlock for the whole 10 mins I was waiting, unloading etc. Nothing was moving and they were directing everyone to the adjacent conveyor. Then ours went to gridlock as well, but I was through be then, and moved the offending tray off the conveyor so other trays could keep moving.
Also the system seems to run out of trays really easily, such that myself and the two people in front of me had to wait about 2-3 mins before unloading simply because no trays were coming back.
What a complete stuff up! I've seen similar systems in AKL and LHR work quite well, but they do allow you to put LAGS and other things in the large trays beside the laptop, and seem to have more sensible people managing it.
For those not familiar, they have set up where there are six stations in an arc where people unload their stuff into trays, that feed into the scanner and then the trays (in theory) feed into a tray return scheme after people have removed their stuff. There is a sensor to check if the trays are empty before they drop into the return chute. Everything, including rollaboards and backpacks must go into trays. They also seem to be quite strict (at least when I was there) that they won't let anything share a tray with a laptop. As a result it is not uncommon to use multiple trays (once I used 4 trays - backpack in one, laptop in another, wheelaboard in one, LAGS and a small shopping bag in another).
What happens is that your first tray will fire off, but if you are at the front, then trays from people behind you go through behind your first tray, eventually you might find a space to send you second tray. And wait again for your third tray. By then, you first tray has probably reached the sensor before the return chute, but because your stuff is still in it and you are still waiting for tray number 3 to go, everything starts to build up behind, eventually reaching gridlock. So you then can't put tray no 3 on the line, because it's not moving and you can't go and get tray no 1 because you're waiting to put tray 3 on the line.
This happened to me on my second last trip, and I broke the golden rule - don't suggest something to security - I said "it's probably my tray at the other end waiting to be collected, and therefore holding everything up" - and I was told quite sternly not to too question the system (sure enough my tray was there holding everything up). On my trip on Monday, this was happening on the adjacent conveyor which was basically at gridlock for the whole 10 mins I was waiting, unloading etc. Nothing was moving and they were directing everyone to the adjacent conveyor. Then ours went to gridlock as well, but I was through be then, and moved the offending tray off the conveyor so other trays could keep moving.
Also the system seems to run out of trays really easily, such that myself and the two people in front of me had to wait about 2-3 mins before unloading simply because no trays were coming back.
What a complete stuff up! I've seen similar systems in AKL and LHR work quite well, but they do allow you to put LAGS and other things in the large trays beside the laptop, and seem to have more sensible people managing it.
