British travellers heading home from Europe this summer could face significantly longer airport waits, with Wizz Air warning passengers to arrive up to three hours before departure as new post-Brexit border checks continue to cause disruption.
The budget airline says some travellers have already missed flights due to lengthy passport control queues linked to the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which requires non-EU visitors to register biometric data when entering and leaving the Schengen Area.
Across Europe, airports have confirmed that there have been significant queues, which are getting worse as the busy summer season approaches.
While the European Commission has repeatedly said the EES is working well at a majority of crossing points, many airlines and airports have been struggling because of it.
The system means that travellers from outside the EU – including the UK, since Brexit came into force – need to register biometric information, including fingerprints, when entering many countries in the Schengen Area. That information is then checked again when they leave.
Since October last year, there have been nearly 80 million such entries and exits recorded, with 35,000 refusals of entry noted.
Since mid-April this year, EES is supposed to have been in full effect at all borders of the Schengen free movement zone, including airports – but it hasn’t been straightforward.
There have been lengthy queues at popular tourist destinations, including in Spain, Portugal and France, and Greece has all but suspended the checks for British citizens so as to reduce chaos.
Yvonne Moynihan, Wizz Air’s UK managing director, told the BBC that the impact of EES was “fragmented across Europe” and that, while it is fairly seamless in some places, her airline will continue to advise passengers to prepare for long waits and to arrive three hours early, rather than the standard two.
She also said she’s suggesting that passengers should “bring a portable charger or water” in case they’re stuck in longer-than-average queues, and that they should allow more time if taking connecting flights.
Could this be a summer of travel chaos?
That opinion has been backed up by ACI Europe, a trade body for airports.
It told the BBC that passengers should arrive at airports according to the time set out by their airline, but that the chaos surrounding EES was causing queues of up to three and a half hours.
The body added that, despite the fact that some airports are partially suspending EES in especially busy times, it expects the situation “to deteriorate further” and “become unmanageable” as we enter the summer peak.
The situation comes at the same time that the Iran conflict is causing jet fuel supply issues and causing travellers to be extra cautious, with some waiting until the last minute to book flights due to the ongoing uncertainty.
Moynihan says Wizz Air has seen a trend of late bookings, and insists that passengers “should feel confident booking” their summer holidays, a sentiment shared by other airline bosses, including those of EasyJet and Jet2.
However, the Wizz Air UK boss insisted its suppliers had adapted, no shortages were anticipated, and no cuts to its schedule were expected.
Fares are likely to go up in the future if oil prices remain high. However, Moynihan said in the short term, carriers could save costs in other areas.
British travellers aren’t just facing lengthy queues at airports, but it’s now emerged that one in five Britons are unable to afford a holiday at all this year.
A new survey of 2,000 Britons by SumUp and YouGov has revealed that skyrocketing costs have driven 30% to postpone holidays, and that 9% are cutting the lengths of their trips to save money.
YouGov surveys in other European nations have shown similar results, with France, Germany, Italy and Spain all in the 18%-21% range when it comes to the affordability issue.
Who does the EES apply to, and who’s exempt?
The EES applies to non-EU and Schengen citizens going to Schengen or EU countries for short stays of up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
This includes UK citizens, as well as visa-exempt travellers, regardless of whether they are travelling for tourism or business. It also applies to people who own EU property but don’t have a residence permit.
However, Ireland and Cyprus are exempt from using EES, which means that they will continue with manual passport checks.
Some individuals are exempt from EES, too. This includes citizens of EU and Schengen member states, as well as people with long-term visas or residence permits from these countries, including non-EU nationals.
The exemption also applies to family members of EU nationals who hold a residence card from one of these countries, along with residents with valid Local Border Traffic Permits.
Train and plane crew members on international journeys are exempt too, along with armed forces personnel and their families on Partnership for Peace or NATO business.
There may also be some exemptions for day trips for cruises beginning and ending outside the Schengen area.
Nationals of Andorra, San Marino, Vatican City and Monaco are also excepted from participating in the scheme.