New airport rules to be rolled out next WEEK and it affects 1.5million Brits
NEW travel rules are due to come into force next week impacting British families – but for the better.
From July 8, more children will be able to use eGates at UK airports.
The new rules will allow children aged eight and nine, who are at least 120cm tall to use eGates when accompanied by an adult.
The height restriction is in place as kids need to be able to see and be captured by the biometric screens at the gates.
Under the current rules, children needed to be 10-years-old to use the eGates and prior to 2023, kids needed to be 12-years-old to use them.
This meant families with younger children would have to go in the standard queue to see a border force officer, which usually involves a longer process and wait time.
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The change means that around 1.5million more children can use the gates.
The rule change will impact 13 airports across the UK that currently use eGates, including:
- London Heathrow
- London Gatwick
- London City
- London Luton
- London Stansted
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- East Midlands
- Newcastle
- Cardiff
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
These rules will also impact other travel methods from the UK to Europe such as Eurostar and the Eurotunnel.
It will also affect people travelling from non-Schengen countries in Europe along with the US, Australia and Japan.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp said: “Travel with young children can be stressful for parents.”
“By expanding eGate access, more families can experience a swifter and smoother journey home – freeing up precious time this summer holiday season.”
Karen Dee, Chief Executive of AirportsUK, the trade body for UK airports, said: “This is a welcome development as it will give more families the ability to take advantage of this technology, speeding up the border process and reducing waiting times for many.”
Some airports in Europe are also allowing Brits to use the eGates – here is the full list.
However, Brits are facing problems travelling to Europe this summer because of the new EES rules, so we’ve explained everything you need to know about them.