You misspelled kamikaze
Why do I suspect they would not have reacted kindly to you just asking them what the second or third duplicative check was supposed to accomplish? In the US or Europe I would 100% do that and expect the officers to have an answer or else demand to speak with a supervisor before complying.
So, you would delay boarding just to get an answer to satisfy your curiosity? Regardless of the answer, you still would be subject to the check. Indeed, why risk being detained and missing the flight?
Contrary to the Algerian legend that Algeria conquered its independence from France 64years ago, time to re-establish the truth: Algeria was EXPELLED from France in 1962 and France has never been the better for it.
Haha! Now you see what I had to deal with every day while living in Algiers, Algeria for 3 years. Keep in mind, this is the same city that has 500,000 police officers for a city of approximately 3 million people!
Also, you should try checking in for a flight in Algeria! There are LITERALLY 11 different security checks BEFORE you step foot on the plane. 11, you read that right. And one of those is the “currency check” to make sure you aren’t taking Euros or Dollars outside the country.
It is a total government employment thing. Those with the government jobs, which is huge percentage, are not trusted and it is exceptionally corrupt. Half the time I’d be asked for a bribe to get my baggage or by the Immigration Officer. So gross.
Air Algerie, which I’ve taken dozens and dozens of times is by far the worst airline I have ever encountered in all my years of travel. The government would prefer their employees take Air France regardless of where their employees were going, with me at flying North to Paris first even if you were heading south in Africa. That’s how bad the airline is!
This was the worst and longest 3 years of my life, living in Algeria. I can find no redeeming qualities of the country, people, airline, culture, or ANYTHING related to the country. It’s a rotten, horrible, depressing place. So gross.
Just out of curiosity: did you work in oil & gas, speak limited or no French (no Arabic), spent your free time with other Western expats and all your holidays outside the country?
I lived there for five years - albeit as part of the diplomatic community and found it pleasant and hospitable. The people were kind, the food good and the country worth visiting. I lived there from 1990-1985 so but exactly recent and wonder how things may have changed.
This usually happens when there are unnecessarily employees and not enough actual jobs. So why not everyone acts like they are doing something important.
On my last Qatar flight to the US, my boarding pass and passport were checked 5 times in less than that distance at the gate. So Qatar has Algeria beat for security theater.
When the price of labor is low, the number of employees (especially in government jobs) goes up.
HA! Reminds me of WAW departures in 1989.
Document check at Passport Control (understandable), gate (also makes sense), at the bus door, at the foot of the air stairs (by two armed soldiers), and at the top of the stairs.
I recently flew from ISB to DOH, and there are seemingly endless passport/boarding pass checks at the Islamabad airport. The first was is to enter the airport. The second one is of course check-in/baggage drop off. Then one to enter the immigration line. Then of course actual immigration. Then another one to enter the gate area. And then, bizarrely, one AFTER scanning the boarding pass to walk on to the jet bridge. At least they're thorough I guess?
My record is seven checks between entering the terminal and boarding the aircraft. That prize belongs to Nouakchott, in Mauritania.
I did this flight last year and that was not my experience... Scanned through as normal and then walked onto the plane, no additional jet bridge checks. YMMV in that part of the world.
Passport checks from one country to the next, I understand, even if a bit quirky. But how about a three police passport check on the jetway from FRA to KEF arrival on LH. There are no checkpoints for arrival from EU country to EEC country. To make matters worse, it was midnite and -5C. And the police were bundled up in their parks, while passengers, at best were just in sweaters.
“government workers performing tasks to justify their jobs." is the vibe I got in the whole country. It's that and "security theater". 3 or 4 document checks is not uncommon in that area of the world. The exact same thing happened in Egypt when I flew Egypt Air. I had this happen multiple times in Europe during COVID (everyone was in theater back then.
I was hoping this plane goes to MGM (Montgomery, AL - I had to look it up).
I have a sudden urge to shop for second-rate vintage furniture at a mini mall. Amazing.
"...it felt a bit like a furniture store.."
That's exactly what I thought when I saw the picture.
Reminds me of the idiotic and useless gate agents at CDG. One checks the passport around thirty minutes before the flight and the second checks the visa during boarding.
In April we transited through Algiers to Niamey, Niger and a week later to Tripoli. Both were on Air Algeria. The first time was a disorganized mess as nobody knew at the airport knew anything about where to go and we were misdirected to a closed area. With this in mind we had our travel agent arrange an escort from arrival to departure. This worked fine.
They are communicating via telepathy where the first scans and transmits the data to the second, who analyses and sends a decision to the third, who allows you to proceed or return. In some cases an infinite loop may be started, and may require you to run off of the jet bridge to save yourself.