Summer travel chaos looms as Europe readies new biometric checks at borders
With summer approaching, European travelers are bracing themselves for potentially disastrous experiences at airports and land border crossings. The introduction of a new entry-exit system (EES) has already led to delays and long queues at many airports, with officials warning that things could get even worse.
The EES, which aims to streamline border controls for foreign visitors, is set to become mandatory from April 10th for most British holidaymakers heading to Europe. However, travel industry leaders are sounding the alarm over the system's potential impact on summer air travel. Airports Council International (ACI) Europe has reported delays of up to three hours at some airports, with Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy among the worst affected.
The situation is particularly concerning for July and August, when the number of travelers is expected to double. Officials are warning that queues could reach up to five hours, causing a "disastrous" experience for passengers and potentially leading to missed connecting flights.
Industry leaders are calling on the European Commission to relax the biometric controls for foreign visitors if needed, citing the need to avoid long delays at passport control. The UK travel association Abta has urged EU officials to ensure that all member states and border authorities have contingency measures in place to manage the system's impact.
ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec is warning of a "safety hazard" caused by overcrowded queues, while also expressing frustration that more has not been done to address the issue. "We're especially concerned for July and August," he said. "We could see queues of up to five hours... That creates a disastrous passenger experience and makes us very nervous."
The situation is further complicated by technical issues with some self-service kiosks, which have failed to function reliably at several airports. In Lisbon, queues reached seven hours just before the new year, prompting Portuguese authorities to suspend the system.
Eurotunnel and Eurostar have reported smoother experiences so far, but officials are urging caution as they await further guidance from French authorities on when the EES will be fully operational.
With summer approaching, European travelers are bracing themselves for potentially disastrous experiences at airports and land border crossings. The introduction of a new entry-exit system (EES) has already led to delays and long queues at many airports, with officials warning that things could get even worse.
The EES, which aims to streamline border controls for foreign visitors, is set to become mandatory from April 10th for most British holidaymakers heading to Europe. However, travel industry leaders are sounding the alarm over the system's potential impact on summer air travel. Airports Council International (ACI) Europe has reported delays of up to three hours at some airports, with Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy among the worst affected.
The situation is particularly concerning for July and August, when the number of travelers is expected to double. Officials are warning that queues could reach up to five hours, causing a "disastrous" experience for passengers and potentially leading to missed connecting flights.
Industry leaders are calling on the European Commission to relax the biometric controls for foreign visitors if needed, citing the need to avoid long delays at passport control. The UK travel association Abta has urged EU officials to ensure that all member states and border authorities have contingency measures in place to manage the system's impact.
ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec is warning of a "safety hazard" caused by overcrowded queues, while also expressing frustration that more has not been done to address the issue. "We're especially concerned for July and August," he said. "We could see queues of up to five hours... That creates a disastrous passenger experience and makes us very nervous."
The situation is further complicated by technical issues with some self-service kiosks, which have failed to function reliably at several airports. In Lisbon, queues reached seven hours just before the new year, prompting Portuguese authorities to suspend the system.
Eurotunnel and Eurostar have reported smoother experiences so far, but officials are urging caution as they await further guidance from French authorities on when the EES will be fully operational.
️... new biometric checks at borders? Like, I get it, security and all that, but can't we just sort out some tech issues or something? 
This EES system is supposed to streamline things, but it's causing delays and queues at airports already. And now they're gonna make it mandatory for British holidaymakers? That's just great timing... I'm sure the last thing people want to do on their vacation is stand in line for hours waiting to go through some new 'security' system 
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I hope they sort this out before July and August come around... five hours in queue is just ridiculous. Can't we just have some normal airport experiences for once? 
my friend just got back from europe last year and it was so easy to get through customs now they're gonna make us wait 5 hours?!?! that's so not worth it 
i was planning on visiting europa this summer but now im not sure if its even worth the hassle... and what about people with disabilities or young kids who cant handle long lines? 
did u hear about the problems in lisbon tho?? 7 hour queues are crazy! 
Just kidding, but seriously, have they thought of the people who just wanna get to their vacation spot already? 
Summer air travel is gonna be a real challenge, especially with all these new checks in place. Let's hope they relax the rules a bit and don't make us wait five hours at the border 
. I hope the EU officials take Olivier Jankovec's words seriously and do something to help ease up on these biometric checks, like maybe giving them a bit more time to adjust or having some sort of safety net in place 
. We need to make summer travel enjoyable for everyone, not just stressful 
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. And don't even get me started on the queues of up to five hours... who thought that was a good idea? 
... and then I realized I need to book my summer flights ASAP because of this whole biometric mess 
... but have you guys ever noticed how some coffee shops in major airports are actually really good? Like, I swear the one at JFK is on point 
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... and what's up with airport food anyway? You'd think it would be all overpriced and gross, but nope! Some places like that one in Heathrow do a decent breakfast 
... oh wait, summer travel chaos 
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. I'm all for making things safer at borders, but not at the cost of our sanity (and our connections)!!! 
I've got a friend who's planning to go to Spain in July and is totally stressing out over this 
. Eurotunnel and Eurostar are one thing, but the rest of us need some backup plans, pronto! 
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I just want to be able to book my flights and know that I'll have a smooth journey, not spend hours stressing about it 
and be prepared for long lines and delayed flights 
according to ACI Europe, delays of up to 3 hours are normal at some airports now... and that's just the beginning! 
. france and spain are already reporting major issues with biometric checks, while portugal is still dealing with the aftermath of their own system failure 
. maybe we'll just have to stick to our summer holidays on the beach, haha! 
5 hour queues? That's just crazy!