Travel expert Simon Calder has issued an urgent warning to Britons travelling to Europe this summer, as the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) causes significant disruption. The system, fully rolled out on 10 April, has led to hours-long queues at airports across the EU and Schengen area, with some passengers missing flights.
Speaking on his podcast, The Travel Expert with Simon Calder, he advised travellers to 'be prepared for anything' and to arrive at airports three hours before departure, ideally with cabin baggage only to avoid check-in delays. He described the situation as 'annoying' for those heading to the beach or a bar, but critical for those catching a flight.
Co-host Greg Dickinson called the rollout a 'complete scandal', noting that many travellers are having their fingerprints taken multiple times due to machines not communicating properly. He said this should only happen on the first entry to the Schengen area, but many airports lack segregated lanes for those already registered.
Calder previously branded the system a 'Euro shambles' and identified Milan Malpensa, Lisbon, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Copenhagen as the airports suffering the worst delays.
