EasyJet condemns ‘unacceptable’ EES border queues as hundreds miss flight to UK

Border control chaos linked to the new Entry/Exit System (EES) has left hundreds of passengers stranded at European airports, with the latest issue affecting passengers returning to the UK from Milan. 

A flight from Milan’s Linate airport to Manchester on Sunday morning (April 12) left with only 34 passengers on board – and more than 100 stranded at the airport – after the majority of travellers spent hours stuck in queues.

Passengers told UK media outlets how they had to pay upwards of £1,600 for alternate flights, or spend nearly 20 hours at the airport waiting for new seats on flights going to London as opposed to the northern city.

Intense heat from the mass of passengers waiting led some people to be sick and others to pass out, with limited assistance from airport staff.

Flight operator easyJet slammed the situation as ‘unacceptable’ and laid the blame at the feet of the airport. 

However, passengers also highlighted a lack of support from the airline, including a lack of refund or assistance. 

It is the latest in a string of EES-related travel issues, including passengers in Spain who missed flights due to similar issues. 

Passengers incorrectly registered for return flight

Passengers were all the more frustrated by the debacle as they adhered to airline advice and arrived with plenty of time, some more than three hours before the scheduled departure and before passport control for the flight was open. 

Issues immediately became apparent when those who arrived on time were not allowed to go through passport control as the gate for the Manchester flight had not been announced.

“The two people working there wouldn’t let us through, even though there was nobody going through passport control, because the gate hadn’t been released,” said one traveller who missed the flight to UK media outlet The Independent. 

However, people were allowed to pass through for other flights – including those bound by EES requirements including a service to London – skipping the queue of waiting passengers for the Manchester service.

Once the gate was announced, airport staff began letting passengers through, but the process was extremely slow. 

“There were two officers and one biometric machine. We had to do a face scan, passport scan and fingerprints. Every single person. But there were about 16 machines that could have been used automatically, and they didn’t open them. So everything was going at a snail’s pace,” said the passenger to The Independent. 

EES rules require that passengers register their full information upon arrival, including passport information, a facial photo, and fingerprints, as was the case for most passengers on the flight to Manchester who had already registered on their arrival to Italy.

When leaving the bloc, EU rules state only one of the pieces of biometric data must be checked, reducing queue times at outbound passport control. 

Self-registration kiosks are set to be available for passengers, but several border points and airports are facing issues with them, including in France. 

EasyJet slams airport, passengers criticise easyJet

Some passengers made it through the border process only to be told the flight had departed but their baggage had been taken off, and were directed to the airport’s baggage reclaim facility… which was unstaffed.

Travellers who contacted easyJet were left unsatisfied with its response. 

Some were offered spaces on the next flight to Manchester from Milan Linate, not scheduled to leave for another five days. 

Others travelled as far as Pisa to board new flights to Manchester, and many opted to fly to London and then make alternative arrangements, spending up to 20 hours in the airport for the next available flight. Others took connecting flights to Luxembourg, spending thousands of pounds.

In these cases, easyJet failed to offer full refunds to passengers who missed the original flight – only returning the tax element of the ticket – leaving them heavily out of pocket.

An easyJet spokesperson responded to the issue, saying “We are aware that some passengers departing from Milan Linate [on April 12] experienced longer than usual waiting times at passport control.” 

“We advised customers due to fly to allow additional time to make their way through the airport.”

“We have been doing all possible to minimise the impact of the airport queues, holding flights to allow customers extra time and providing free flight transfers for any customers who may have missed their flight.

“We continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed while EES is implemented, to avoid these unacceptable border delays for our customers.”

“While this is outside of our control, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”