Huge summer holiday boost for families as new airport eGate rules to be introduced for 1.5million kids
NEW rules being rolled out this summer will make it much easier for families with young kids to get through the airport.
Airport eGates will be lowering the age of passengers who can use them from 12 to eight.
Confirmed by the Home Office, kids will need to be at least 120cm (3ft11) to be able to use them, as they require them to be able to see the biometric screens.
Currently, only families with kids aged 10 and over can use them – any younger and they have to go in the standard (usually much longer) queue.
It is expected to help as many as an extra 1.5million children use the eGates.
This will affect 13 airports across the UK that currently use eGates. These are:
- London Heathrow
- London Gatwick
- London City
- London Luton
- London Stansted
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- East Midlands
- Newcastle
- Cardiff
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
The new rules will also affect a number of non-British residents including those from the US, Australia and Japan, along with non-Schengen countries in Europe.
Chief executive of AirportsUK Karen Dee said she welcomed the change, saying: “It will give more families the ability to take advantage of this technology, speeding up the border process and reducing waiting times for many.”
“Airports work very hard with border authorities to ensure the UK’s front door is both secure and welcoming, with those coming home and visiting enjoying a smooth experience.”
Brits are currently facing problems travelling via Europe, however, as new EES rules are resulting in massive queues, some even missing their flights.
Requiring biometric checks, only Greece has currently paused the new rules for Brits.