queues

A NUMBER of Ryanair passengers missed their flight this week due to more airport queue chaos.

Travellers at Copenhagen Airport became stuck in long queues on Tuesday.

The Ryanair flight was scheduled to have 179 passengers, however 54 didn’t even make it onboard.

When the flight closed for boarding, any passengers who weren’t onboard had their luggage unloaded from hold.

The delays were not due to the new Entry/Exit System (EES) that has been causing delays at other European airports.

Instead, they were due to a water leak.

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A spokesperson for the airport said: “The longer queues at passport control on Tuesday afternoon were caused by an extraordinary operational issue and were not related to the EES system.

“On Tuesday afternoon, an unfortunate water leak occurred in a server room connected to the passport control area in Pier E, one of the airport’s two passport control facilities.

“As a result, all passengers had to pass through passport control in Pier C for the remainder of the day.

“When half of the available passport control capacity is taken out of operation, longer waiting times are unfortunately unavoidable.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this caused our passengers.”

Sun Travel has contacted Ryanair for comment.

This is the latest in a number of incidents of passengers missing their flights in Europe recently.

However, other cases have been caused by long queues at airports due to EES.

For example, back in April, about 100 passengers were left stranded at Milan Linate Airport after their easyJet flight to Manchester left without them.

HEADING to a theme park heaving with school trips in a heatwave is not anyone’s idea of fun.

But I’ve found the perfect shady spot with unique rides and attractions that will keep you cool all summer long.

GreenWood Family Park in between Bangor and Caernarfon in North Wales has just been snapped up by buyer Wood Family Group after going on the market for £1.25m earlier this year.

It doesn’t surprise me – having recently visited, we had a fantastic family day out in the forest.

We were pedalling, paddling and playing in the dappled light beneath the trees in this woodland of wonder, with paths winding here, there and everywhere and something new to discover in every nook and cranny.

It’s green by name and green by nature here, with a rollercoaster powered by people and the UKs first solar-powered water ride among the eco attractions.

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As you arrive, you’re getting a cawr-some glimpse of what’s to come, with a quirky metal giant (cawr in Welsh) greeting you on the path to the ticket office.

It was lovely to hear youngsters chatting away in Welsh and switching between their two native languages with ease.

Despite the gaggles of youngsters, we never had to queue for long for any of the attractions and, because of the clever layout, it felt bustling but not overcrowded.

GreenWood is firmly rooted in its surroundings, with bilingual signage, nods to local legends and a fantastic use of the forest landscape, from a river course low down where water pools to playframes and rides capitalising on slopes and gravity.

That’s how the Green Dragon rollercoaster works – you climb up a gentle hill to enter a funincular carriage next to the start point of the rollercoaster.

As the funicular then descends full of passengers, its weight hoists the empty rollercoaster back up to the top of its track.

Then the funicular passengers exit at the bottom of the slope, use a second path to get back up to the top, climb into the rollercoaster and whizz through the trees at speed. It’s an incredibly clever design – fun and physics combined! 

There’s loads of attractions here that are entirely people-powered.

My boys loved the moon karts, with double and single seaters to pedal around a track.

The Enchanted River Ride is great for all the family as you hop into a flat-bottomed boat to paddle around a course, with dangling ropes to grab along the way for extra propulsion if needed.

The Forest Glider is a 75m snow tubing slope where riders carry their own ring up to the top to set off.

Meanwhile the Solar Splash uses the sun’s energy to power its water chutes, with riders setting off from a 12m tower with views over Snowdonia.

There’s also plenty of play areas for little ones to let off steam – my favourite was the Giant’s Quest, set in one corner of the woodland.

The boys also loved the jumping pillow and the chance to have a go at archery, under the watchful eye of an expert instructor.

We grabbed a bite to eat in the oak-framed WoodBarn cafe, which has a large soft play extending up into its eaves and lots of natural light streaming in through its skylights.

Kids’ meals even have £1 off over the summer, so staples like sausage and chips plus a juice carton are less than £7.

Day tickets start from £21.50 for adults (or anyone over 1m) while anyone under £1m pays from £8.65.

If you’re heading from further afield and want a couple of days at the park, there’s a glamping site with tipis that can accommodate up to six people, with unlimited park access and a communal kitchen to make meals.

Overnight stays for a family of four during the summer holidays cost from £220 midweek and £260 at weekends. 

Park entry this summer is £84.85 for a family of four.

You’ll certainly want to take your clan to GreenWood – I can’t wait to return and check out what the new owners do with this woodland wonder, with the promise of new rides, attractions, play experiences and guest facilities on the cards.

This may help reduce a lot of travel stress – especially for families

Some airports across the UK offer perks to passengers to make the start of their trip less stressful – but they often come at an extra cost.

With holidays already expensive, many people skip the add-ons. However, not everyone realises that travellers at London Luton Airport (LLA) can pre-book a security time slot and potentially avoid the worst of the queues for free.

The Airport explains that this option is called “Prebook Security”. It boasts that this is a “FREE service that allows you to skip the security queues by reserving a 30-minute slot ahead of your arrival.”

The service is currently only available to passengers arriving at security between 3am and 3pm. Travellers can book a 30-minute security slot in advance, then on the day follow the “Prebook Security” signs to the dedicated entry point, where a staff member will be on hand to help.

Airport officials further explain: “You can pre-book this service from 4 days before your arrival, right up until 60 minutes before you arrive at security (subject to availability). Booking this service is completely free, does not require any login or registration and is available to all guests.”

Prebook Security is first-come, first-served. You’ll go through the usual checks and will be processed in the order you arrive, along with other pre-booked passengers. If you use Prebook Security, LLA says they cannot guarantee how long it will take to complete security checks through the Airport Security area.

How does Prebook Security work?

1. Book your appointment slot up to 4 days before your travel date.
2. On arrival at the airport, make your way to the security area and scan your boarding card at one of the signposted “Prebook Security” gates.
3. Upon entry to the security area, head to the left where you’ll find signs for “Prebook Security”. A member of our security team will be waiting to welcome you and scan your QR code.
4. You will then be directed to the front of the line.

Children aged four and under don’t need to be included in your group size. Children aged five and over must be included when booking.

To change or cancel your Prebook Security booking, use the “change” or “cancel” option on your booking confirmation page. You can also do this via the links in your confirmation email.

What information is required to pre-book security?

There’s no need to create an account or log in. Passengers should enter their departure date and flight details (destination, airline and flight number), plus group size. People should also provide a name and email address to receive a confirmation email containing a QR code.

If you need to check-in bags, ensure you allow plenty of time for this. The Airport stresses: “Slots are limited and may book up fast, so we recommend booking up to 4 days before your flight.”

If you are late for your appointment, don’t panic too much. The Airport reassures passengers: “Please make sure to arrive 15 minutes before or after your booking time, the QR code will still be valid.”

You can read all about the Prebook Security Terms and Conditions here. You can also read the FAQ via the Airport website here.

IF YOU are heading away this summer, you might want to check whether you need to expect lengthy queues at your destination.

A major airline boss has called out the destinations you can expect to experience chaos this summer thanks to Europe’s new Entry/Exit System (EES).

According to easyJet boss Kenton Jarvis, the EU’s EES is “a bit of a mess”, highlighting the Canary Islands in particular, according to TTG Media.

Popular destinations in the Canary Islands include Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Lanzarote and La Palma.

He also highlighted that there are issues in Milan Linate Airport, including recently a number of passengers missed their flight due to long queues at border control.

There are some destinations that are handling the new system well though, such as the Greek islands.

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He added: “The EU had a very long time to prepare for something they have not prepared very well.”

Jarvis also explained that planes can only wait so long for passengers, before they need to leave without them.

This was the case in Milan, where the plane was held for an hour before eventually leaving.

If they had waited longer, they might have missed their slot for take-off or the crew would then go into working overtime.

He is now advising passengers to arrive at the airport earlier, to allow for the extra time to get through border control.

And Jarvis is also pushing for the grace period for EES to be extended into the winter.

If you are unable to get through border control due to queues, in time for your flight, easyJet will put you on another flight with the airline.

Jarvis added: “It should be a good thing when everyone has been registered because they will be able to use e-gates, but until then it is clunky.”

ANOTHER family missed their flights home and were forced to spend nearly £2,000 due to massive airport queues abroad.

Matthew Wilson, his wife and their son were travelling home to Manchester from Milan back in April.

They were returning to the UK after a nine-night holiday when they got stuck huge passport queues due to the new European entry rules.

Talking to the iPaper, Matthew said that despite easily getting through security, they were then stuck in another queues for 90 minutes, in which they only moved about 10m in that time.

Frustratingly, he family were then told by ground staff that their luggage had been removed from the plane as the flight was going to depart while they still stuck in the queue.

They were then forced to wait three hours before easyJet, who the family were flying with, offered the family a flight back home – but this was six days later than the original flight.

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Rather than waiting, Matthew spent £1,969 on new flights from Barcelona, taxis, food and accommodation.

This was on top of the money they had already paid on the flight they missed which had cost £377.

Not only that, but their travel insurance provider also said they were unable to recuperate his costs.

Matthew said: “It was very stressful – we will think twice before travelling in Europe again.”

The airport operator apologised, adding that EES “requires more complex operations than before and longer processing times”.

Not only that, but it said that on the day the Wilsons were due to fly home (April 12), there were malfunctions at the automatic gates due to issues connecting to the border systems.

This resulted in “particularly long waiting times” as passengers had to be manually checked at passport control.

The Wilsons weren’t the only ones to miss their flight on this day – in fact 100 easyJet passengers were left behind in Milan Linate Airport.

The flight to Manchester had been held for nearly an hour “but it had to then depart due to crew reaching their safety regulated operating hours”, explained easyJet.

There have been warnings over wait times because of EES – and it’s only set to get worse.

Rafael Schvartzman – the vice-president for Europe at the International Air Transport Association (Iata) – warned queue times could stretch to as much as six hours this summer.

Mr Schvartzman said: “What we are seeing is a very hard risk of really challenging times or waiting times, talking about expectations of three, four, five, six hours which is unacceptable.

“We know for a fact there are many cases where people have lost flights or their connectivity.”

Ryanair has released a statement claiming that 16 airports in Europe will create “long queues for UK families” as the school summer holidays loom and airports face their busiest time of year

Ryanair has released a strongly-worded statement claiming that “UK families face hours of extra queues as EU EES chaos continues”, naming 16 airports where “passengers are experiencing significant delays”.

The budget airline called for an emergency extension and flexibility in implementing the Entry/Exit System (EES), warning that without action families heading off on their summer holidays would face long waits. These delays would affect passengers no matter what airline they flew with.

Its statement read: “Ryanair today [July 15] warned millions of UK families travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for lengthy passport queues and airport delays caused by the EU’s failed Entry/Exit System (EES), which continues to create disruption months after its introduction.

“With schools now breaking for summer and passenger volumes reaching peak levels, the failed EES rollout is going to cause unnecessary delays and long queues for UK families.”

It claimed: “Ryanair has identified a number of recurring EES hotspots where passengers are experiencing significant delays due to slow processing times and excessive passport control queues on both arrivals and departures.”

The statement went on to name airports including both beach and city break destinations. This included family-friendly holiday hotspots such as Lanzarote, Tenerife South, Alicante, and Malaga, alongside destinations including Milan and Verona.

Ryanair went on to claim these airports suffered from similar issues, saying: “Months after EES went live, many airports still do not have fully functioning self-service kiosks in place, while border staffing levels and infrastructure remain inadequate to process peak passenger volumes. The result is avoidable delays, longer queues and unnecessary stress for UK passengers travelling during the busiest holiday period of the year.”

The airline gave advice to families heading off on their holidays soon, continuing: “Ryanair is advising UK passengers travelling to and from non-Schengen destinations, or transiting through affected European airports, to allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for extended waits at passport control, where EES checks may require passport scanning, fingerprint capture and facial image verification.”

Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operations officer, said in a statement: “Families heading away for a well-earned summer holiday should be thinking about suitcases, suncream and sangria, not standing in passport queues for hours. The reality is that the EES system isn’t working properly and families are paying the price for a system that does not work months after launch. Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfished border infrastructure.

“We support calls from EU Member States to urgently extend the EES flexibilities. This will give airports and border authorities the time to improve the infrastructure, fix the broken devices and hire more staff so that families can travel through Europe without disruption.”

Full list of airports Ryanair named for ‘significant delays’

1. Lisbon
2. Tenerife South
3. Madrid
4. Lanzarote
5. Alicante
6. Malaga
7. Milan Bergamo
8. Milan Malpensa
9. Verona
10. Paris Beauvais
11. Berlin
12. Cologne
13. Frankfurt Hahn
14. Krakow
15. Budapest

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RYANAIR has warned that holidaymakers flying to airports in 16 popular destinations should expect lengthy queues.

New entry rules have caused difficulty for passengers, with some missing flights and waiting hours in passport queues.

Millions of Brits heading on holiday this summer should expect huge queues in some of Europe‘s most popular airports.

Since the introduction of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) in April, passengers have had to wait hours in passport queues, struggle with broken machines, and even miss flights.

Months later, no self-service kiosks have been installed, meaning border staff have hit capacity and are unable to process high numbers of passengers.

EES is an automated IT system for registering non-EU holidaymakers travelling for a short stay, requiring checks each time they cross the border of Schengen region destinations.

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The move aimed to make border checks more efficient than when standard passport stamps are used, making border crossing easier and faster

Now, however, Europe‘s most popular airline, Ryanair, has asked for EES flexibility to be extended until 2028 to let airports operate efficiently before the full rollout begins.

Chief operations officer at Ryanair, Neal McMahon, said: “We support calls from EU Member States to urgently extend the EES flexibilities.

“This will give airports and border authorities the time to improve the infrastructure, fix the broken devices and hire more staff so that families can travel through Europe without disruption.”

The major airline has pointed out 16 airports that it calls “recurring EES hotspots”, which have consistently flagged excessive delays due to slow processing.

Locations, including Tenerife, Lanzarote, Alicante and Malaga, are all popular destinations for Brits in peak summer holiday season.

Major city break airports, such as Madrid, Krakow, Budapest, Berlin, and Paris Beavouis, have equally been impacted by the changes.

The listed destinations are not the only places impacted by queues – 150 passengers reportedly missed flights from Toulouse, France due to queues of up to 500 people, as well as 50 in a similar case from Athens.

Ryanair bosses have advised travellers to allow extra time on their journey and be prepared for extended waits when EES checks require passport scanning, fingerprint capture and facial image verification.

McMahon continued: “Families heading away for a well-earned summer holiday should be thinking about suitcases, suncream and sangria, not standing in passport queues for hours.

“The reality is that the EES system isn’t working properly and families are paying the price for a system that does not work months after launch. 

“Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfished border infrastructure.”

Looking to hire a car for your summer holiday? Which? has put together a ranking of some of the best and worst car hire firms, including those that have the most hidden fees and the ones likely to keep you waiting at the airport

Hiring a car can be an excellent way to explore somewhere new, but a recent survey by Which? Has revealed that one in eight car hire customers end up paying more than they expected to get on the road.

The consumer magazine surveyed over 3,600 people who’d hired a car in the past two years, asking a range of questions about their experience with customer service, value for money, ease of car pick-up and drop-off, and clarity around the overall cost.

Shockingly, 13% of participants in the survey ended up paying more than the price that they were quoted, showing that extras aren’t always made clear when customers are booking. These included surcharges for drivers over 70 and extra insurance costs that weren’t in the headline price.

Third from the bottom of the rankings was car hire giant Avis, a fixture at airports and other transport hubs. It has over 50 branches across the UK and thousands more across the world. While Avis scored highly for accurate descriptions, quality vehicles, and quick returns, it only scored two stars out of five for collection speed, and the clarity of its costs and conditions. With an average rental price of £55, it’s also far from being the cheapest option. Avis declined to comment.

Second from the bottom was Dollar, owned by the same parent company as Hertz, which also scored well for having accurate vehicle descriptions, easy-to-find locations, and easy returns. However, it received two-star scores when it came to collection speed and three stars for overall value for money.

When approached for comment, a Hertz spokesperson said: “We welcome feedback and are committed to providing a clear and transparent booking experience for our customers. Key information – including rates, inclusions, rental requirements and additional driver policies – is displayed throughout the reservation process and is available for review before payment.

“All Hertz customers also have access to a no-fee additional driver option through our free Gold+ Rewards loyalty program, which allows members to add a spouse or domestic partner at no additional charge.”

Coming in last in Which?’s survey was Goldcar. 28% of renters told Which? they had received additional charges, some of which weren’t deducted until after they returned home. Nearly a fifth of respondents said they had to queue for 30 minutes or longer to collect their car, also giving them two stars for customer service. One survey respondent said: “The risk of post-contract extras outweighs the cheaper price. Avoid at all costs.”

A spokesperson for Goldcar said: “Goldcar Spain is, of course, disappointed that the alleged experiences have been identified by Which? Travel. With regard to insurance cover, the company offers premium cover to provide a seamless process should damage occur during a customer’s rental. A customer, of course, has the right to choose to buy their cover separately; however, if this is the case, they will be charged for any damages that occur during the rental and will then need to claim the costs back from the chosen provider.

“Whilst the company has not been given the opportunity to see the footage referred to by Which? Travel is committed to investigating any incidents where a customer believes they have received service that does not match expectations for a low-cost brand.

“The company introduced a Code of Ethics for counter sales and a Guide of Good Sales Practices in 2021, both of which are reviewed annually based on customer feedback about their sales experience. If an employee breaches the Code of Ethics, they are immediately warned and penalised economically and if breaches are repeated they can be subject to termination of their contract.”

At the top of the rankings was Autoreisen, a Canary Islands-based car hire company that received five stars across all categories, despite also being the cheapest on average at £16 a day. It was named as a Which? Recommended Provider alongside the UK’s Arnold Clark, and the worldwide brand Alamo.

Arnold Clark was also the only UK rental firm that was awarded five stars for clarity of costs. One satisfied customer said: “There was no time shilly-shallying and no problem hiring in my age group (82). I was in and out in no time and dropped off back at my home.”

Guy Hobbs, head of travel research for Which?, said: “Too often we hear from holidaymakers who have faced poor customer service and unexpected charges that turn a seemingly cheap rental into an expensive one.

“The good news is that some firms show it doesn’t have to be this way. To get the best experience this summer, travellers should choose a reputable provider. Our Which? Recommended Providers are all excellent options, and using a trusted broker such as Zest Car Rental can provide extra reassurance and support if any issues arise.”

Which?’s rankings for best and worst car hire firms for 2026

1. Autoreisen
2. Cicar
3. Arnold Clark
4. Alamon
5. TopCar
6. Centauro
7. Enterprise
8. Sixt
9. Drivalia
10. Europcar
11. Thrifty
12. Budget
13. Hertz
14. Avis
15. Dollar
16. Goldcar

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