Reports of travel chaos caused by the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) have been frequent in recent weeks, following the recent milestone of April 10 when EES became fully operational.
Issues include arrivals at some airports having to spend hours in queues to be registered under the new system, leading to frustration and cutting into initial holiday plans.
Another issue is of passengers missing return flights home due to extensive queues prior to boarding, often linked to the EES’ biometric controls.
Airlines including Ryanair and easyJet have been impacted in Spain, Italy, and even France, and readers have contacted us after missing flights from Paris to the UK.
It has left holiday makers questioning if they need to alter travel habits to arrive at airports earlier to avoid any potential issues.
Calls for EES suspension this summer
EES involves collection of passport and biometric data (fingerprints, facial photo) for all non-EU/non-EEA/non-Swiss travellers crossing external Schengen area borders on temporary visits.
Non-EU foreigners living in the EU with long-stay visas and/or residency cards are not affected by the rule, but may find themselves caught up in longer ‘non-EU’ queues.
Registration is done upon arrival (i.e at the airport or port) except in the case of the three UK-based border crossings at London St Pancras, Port of Dover, and Folkestone’s Eurotunnel hub.
Even if in the system from a previous trip, those affected must still confirm their identity using at least one piece of biometric information on their next exit from or entry to the Schengen area.
EU regulations currently authorise ‘partial suspensions’ of up to six hours at a time if necessary to avoid long queues, but this only refers to not taking biometric data (fingerprints/facial image). This is permitted until mid-July with a possible extension to mid-September.
Travel organisations ACI Europe (representing European airports) and Airlines for Europe (A4E) have called on the EU to allow airports to fully suspend measures at the busiest times in the coming months.
A spokesman for the A4E referred us to a recent ACI Europe statement, which said: “Our latest data from airports across 15 countries shows that waiting times at border control have significantly increased following the full rollout of the EES.
“Queues are now typically averaging two to three hours or even longer during peak traffic periods - despite border authorities still being able to partially suspend the system by not capturing biometrics.”
How early should passengers arrive?
The issue of when passengers should arrive for their journeys is compounded by several other matters, including airport capacity and check-in rules.
Airlines have not generally altered luggage check-in times, meaning passengers cannot arrive earlier than usual to drop-off luggage (if they need to do this) before going through an airport’s passport control.
A recent issue at Milan’s Linate airport saw passengers who arrived early refused entry through passport control as their flight’s gate had not yet been announced, leading to more than 100 passengers missing their journey.
A4E’s spokesman said that in general it may now be necessary to allow three to four hours before your flight, but said individual airlines are best placed to give specific advice.
“We always inform customers directly what time they need to arrive at their departing airport ahead of travel as this varies by airport and is typically between two to three hours,” easyJet told The Connexion.
“We are notifying customers of the new EES process before they travel, advising them to factor plenty of time to get through the airport, have the correct documentation ready and factor EES processing times into any onward travel plans.”
When contacted by The Connexion, the Aéroports de Paris group – that manages Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly – said queues had not generally been affected by the EES rollout.
“We still recommend that travelers arrive at the airport early. Allow two hours before departure for short-haul flights and three hours for long-haul flights,” it said.
At points where French border controls are carried out on UK soil, advice remains the same as prior to EES.
Eurostar says on its website that passengers should “arrive at the station at the recommended time stated on your ticket.”
“This timing takes into account how much time you’ll need for all pre-departure checks,” and has “allowed for any EES steps you may have to complete at border control,” it states.
Recommended times are also shown on its website, such as 75 minutes before for standard ticket holders arriving at London Saint-Pancras and 75-90 minutes at Paris Gare du Nord.
Eurotunnel said to The Connexion: “We can refer you to the LeShuttle website: as of now the recommendations are ‘to arrive at the terminal at least one hour before departure’, as existing procedures and touchpoints continue to operate as normal.”
Its website also advises travellers: “To minimise the risk of delays or additional costs, we recommend arriving well in advance of your scheduled departure time.”
A spokeswoman for the Port of Dover told The Connexion that for a standard journey travellers should “arrive no more than two hours at the port”.
She added: “As we do not have the land capacity to hold early arrivals, we are very much focused on smooth processing times for all arrivals.”
She noted, however, that EES checks have not yet begun for travellers using their own cars (checks are in place for coaches), so the port cannot confirm whether this advice may change in due course.
