Travel expert Simon Calder has identified five European airports where British holidaymakers are most likely to face severe delays due to the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES). The system, fully implemented on 10 April, requires all Brits travelling to the Schengen area to register biometric details, including fingerprints and a photograph, replacing manual passport stamping.
Speaking on The Travel Expert podcast, Calder named Milan Malpensa, Lisbon, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Copenhagen as the airports with the worst delays. He described the situation as a 'Euro shambles', recounting his own experience at Milan Malpensa where fingerprinting took an hour, and later 45 minutes at another terminal, despite rules stating fingerprints should not be required twice.
Calder highlighted particular issues at major hubs like Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt, where connecting flights within Europe are often missed due to long queues. A friend travelling to Frankfurt last weekend faced 90-minute queues, putting connections at risk. He noted that the Foreign Office had issued a rare warning about potential long queues at these airports.
Despite the current chaos, Calder expressed cautious optimism for the summer, hoping delays might reduce as the system beds in. However, he acknowledged a 'litany' of reports of passengers stuck at Dover for hours or missing flights home due to the new procedures.
