British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair have issued warnings to British holidaymakers about significant delays at EU border controls, urging passengers to arrive early at airports across Europe. The airlines cite enhanced immigration checks and understaffing at passport control as key factors causing long queues.
BA has sent text alerts to customers returning from Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona and Milan, advising them to allow extra time. Ryanair recommends arriving at least three hours before departure, while EasyJet urges passengers to check its website for updates and plan accordingly. EasyJet also warned of strike action at Barcelona airport every Friday, Sunday and Monday from 4 August.
Airlines for Europe (A4E), the airline lobby group, blamed governments in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium for underestimating the impact of tighter passport checks and failing to provide sufficient border control officers. Delays are expected at airports including Majorca, Malaga, Lisbon, Lyon, Brussels, Milan and Paris Orly.
Passenger Kate Meeks described missing her flight from Barcelona to Birmingham despite arriving three hours early. She said 22 people missed the flight due to an extra passport control queue with around 1,000 people. Meeks spent £500 on a hotel and lost a day's work, calling the experience 'absolutely horrendous'.
The UK's aviation minister, Lord Callanan, has urged counterparts in Portugal, Spain and Italy to reduce queues. The European Commission described the delays as 'the price of security', citing new measures requiring checks on passengers from non-Schengen countries like the UK. A4E warned that delays of up to four hours are occurring, with some airports producing 'shameful pictures of devastated passengers'.
