THE UK Foreign Office has warned Brits heading abroad to be wary of longer-than-usual airport queues ahead of new travel rules being fully rolled out next month.
The new EES requirement has already resulted in lengthy wait times at airports and are predicted to only get worse across the next few weeks.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is the new travel system replacing the need for a passport stamp by automatically checking when a person enters and exits an EU country.
Non‑EU residents have to register their details on their first visit to a Schengen area country.
This is done using the EES machines at airports and ferry terminals to log their fingerprints, facial images and scan passports.
With lots of Brits are still yet to register, and with an influx of families heading abroad over the upcoming Easter break – it’s anticipated that this will result in delays and queues at the EES machines.
New advice on the government website reads: “Ahead of the Easter holidays, Brits are being advised to be aware of extra border checks – the EU’s Entry Exit System (EES) – and allow additional time at the border when travelling to the EU.”
It added: “EES checks should take only a few minutes per person, although longer waits at border control are possible, including for your journeys back to the UK.”
From April 10, EES will be fully operational with with every participating border crossing using the system.
Previously, there have been reports of delays of up to four hours with Brits lining up in the airport to use the EES machines.
Travel Reporter Alice Penwill queued for three hours through Lanzarote Airport.
Other airports that have seen long delays include Brussels, Lisbon and Prague.
Some passengers could be subject to further delays – especially those heading to Spain as ground staff are planning to strike at 12 airports across the country.
Several Spanish unions are set to begin an indefinite strike too from today.
Walkouts are planned to take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, across three time slots: from 5am to 7am, from 11am to 5pm and from 10pm to midnight.
Other baggage handling staff have planned 24-hour strikes on March 28-29 and April 2-6.
Airports that could be disrupted by these strikes include Madrid-Barajas, Málaga-Costa del Sol, Alicante-Elche, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona-El Prat, Bilbao, Valencia and Bilbao.
It could disrupt also affect airports on popular Spanish islands too, like Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur and Norte, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Ibiza.
Here are Sun Travel’s top tips on how to deal with EES travel chaos…
Here are our top tips on how to ease the travel chaos if you’re caught up in EES delays…
- Sit at the front
First off is quite simple, book a seat at the front of the plane. If you want to get to border control before the rest of the passengers on your flight, then by being at the front, you’ll be able to get off first. - Early flights
When you’re booking, it might ease wait times if you go head out on one of the first flights of the day. There are generally fewer scheduled flights and they experience less disruption. - Anticipate delays
If you are taking a connecting flight, we’d advise to anticipate delays. Of course this varies from airport to airport, but some travellers might find it will take longer to get through because of the EES requirements. Similarly, if someone’s collecting you perhaps give them a bit more time – especially if they’re in one of the pick-up zones that costs money. - Go for a bigger airport
If you can go to a bigger airport and take a longer road transfer, it could be worth it At a larger airport there’s likely to be more EES machines than at one of the smaller ones For example, Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski found there were plenty more of the machines in Spain‘s Alicante Airport than in Austria‘s Salzburg. - Bring entertainment
If you have children, or are generally just bored of queues (and who can blame you?) – think about entertainment It could be worth setting the kids up with an iPad or something that will keep them occupied. Bring a reserve of snacks because standing in line means no access to the airport’s cafes and shops. - Get into the priority lane
For those who are disabled and require assistance make sure to let the airline know in advance as you would usually. After landing, staff should escort you straight through to the front of border control queues. Many major airports offer priority family lanes at passport control for families with young children (usually under 12 years old). - Use the plane facilities
Quite simply, if you are going to be waiting in line for yours, then you want to be comfortable. So before landing, go to the toilet on the plane. If you’re queueing along corridors before heading into border control, then the chances are there won’t be access to toilets
For more on Easter breaks, here are 10 European getaways under £200 per person from beach resorts to cool cities.
And here are 10 of the most affordable English seaside towns for Easter holidays with £1 rides, £2 pints & mega cheap hotels.