Help with the EU ESS: Fingerprinting after age 75
 

I've done the best I can to make sure we can somehow make our way from our June 6:50 am landing to our 9:35 take-off at CDG for our flight to Biarritz, one that usually leaves out of the way-off gate, 2G.
One gets there by way of Guam, and darn it, our layover is only 2 hours and 45 minutes.

I've created gate maps; I've watched videos.
I've seated us perfectly for our plane exit--our seats are in the first AF Business Class grouping of an AF 777-300, front row--which should allow us to vacate behind La Premiere.
Because I am now "Hopalong Cassidy", I even have booked the AF Concierge Service

But now I must deal with the first ESS encounter.
Sigh. As soon as I saw, "Fingerprint", I realize we are dead in the water.
My husband's fingerprints do not read. They did not read in his early 70s and I'm sure they won't read now in his early 80's.

I am currently reading about lotions that can enhance ridges. DOES ANYONE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH ANY OF THESE?

Thank you for any help whatsoever.
AZ

If fingerprints cannot be captured due to injury, medical condition, or age, alternative procedures apply:

• Inform border officers immediately
• Medical documentation may be required
• Facial recognition will be primary verification
• Manual entry verification as backup
• Entry will not be denied due to technical impossibility

From https://euborder.com/ees/biometrics

hetismij2--Thank you, but the problem will be the hoops we shall have to jump, and the time needed to jump those hoops, to get to the biometric alternatives.
We won't have time to dilly-dally. Tick, tick, tick, tick...

We've been blessed that in recent years, our CLEAR process just uses eyes. It's easy and fast. But before then, I'd be all the way through the TSA screening while my husband was still back in the CLEAR line going through all the biometric alternatives.
Global Entry here upgraded, too.

So I want to know if anyone has encountered the fingerprint problem recently and how long it took to get the right people in charge to say, "Let's move this old person on via..." without the time needed to proof a loaf of bread.

And back to my original ALL CAPS question: I really do want to know if anyone has used some of the suggested fixes, such as Ridge Builder; Cornhuskers or technical things like PreScan Pads and Ready Ridge solutions.

I can’t comment on Paris but when I flew into Rome a couple of weeks ago, my fingerprints wouldn’t register. After about 5min of trying I was directed to the manual immigration queue. Not having my fingerprints captured probably only cost me a few minutes. I hope the same will be true when I leave Schengen. I was not alone in having problems.

Thanks, dreamon.

I've just ordered Cornhuskers. I have a vague memory of my father and my grandfather (a coal miner) using that stuff. What the heck, I'm throwing anything at the problem.

Of course, now I'll have to test efficacy by fingerprinting my husband over three weeks. Yeah, I don't think he's gonna love this.

Hope others can chime in with some CDG "no-read" experiences, either solved with lotions/products or SWIFT passport control peeps.

My fingerprints have always been extremely hard to capture due to a skin condition. I've been fingerprinted for several of my different jobs and my initial ones are always rejected. I think it took three tries the last time. However, I have not had trouble at airports where fingerprints were required. I'm sorry not to have concrete, helpful, advice but hope to offer some reassurance.

On the other hand, perhaps your husband and I should join up for a few little minor crimes - nothing too nefarious.

Thank you for the laugh, KT Travel. I'll let my husband know he has another career ahead.

We were early adopters of TSA PreCheck, CLEAR and GLOBAL entry. The registration process was very tedious, mainly because his prints just would not register. For one of them, I remember the registration lady saying after fruitless attempts, "I want you to come back tomorrow at this time. There is one guy on staff who is the best at this." So we drove out to the airport the following day, explained the situation when we checked in, and sure enough, we were escorted to the "fingerprint whisperer." It still took four tries, but he got it done.

Then when we started using the various TSA clearance systems, my husband would be the guy always holding up the entire line because early on, the kiosks relied on the "fingerprints first" scanning. We learned to beg the attendant to go straight to the eye readers for him. Eventually, the scanning systems didn't even bother with fingerprints for us or for anyone else, so lately it's not been an issue.

I do have faith that we will be able to get him registered at CDG through via back-up biometrics, but the speed at which this will happen will be our issue with our tight connection.

It's going to be interesting.

If there is a queue for EES scanning find a real person and explain your situation asap. If you are using airport assistance to get through to your next flight explain it to them and ask for their help.

Good luck.

hetismij2--You read my mind.
I told my husband I'm not going to be able to wait until the 2nd day for my French to kick in, as it usually does when we're on the ground. I'm going to be FRENCH-ready with our AF person (an praying that person shows up), who of course will probably speak English better than I can.