UK holidaymakers have experienced severe summer travel disruptions at five major European airports, according to travel expert Simon Calder. The new EU Entry/Exit System (EES), fully rolled out on Friday 10 April, has triggered substantial travel chaos, with lengthy queues and missed flights.
EES System Causes Delays
The EES replaces manual passport stamping and requires all Britons travelling to the Schengen zone to create a digital record and register biometric information, including fingerprints and a photograph. This has led to long queues at airports across Europe.
Simon Calder's 'Worst' Airports
On The Travel Expert podcast, Calder named Milan Malpensa, Lisbon, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, and Copenhagen as the airports experiencing the worst delays. He described the system as a 'Euro shambles' and shared personal experiences of lengthy waits.
Calder said: 'From what I have experienced, and certainly one of them is Milan Malpensa. The fingerprint stuff took an hour, and I was the first one off the EasyJet plane from Gatwick.' He added that Lisbon, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Frankfurt are frequently mentioned, with huge hubs causing connectivity issues.
A friend who travelled to Frankfurt faced queues lasting 90 minutes, putting their connecting flight in serious jeopardy. Copenhagen was also named as a hotspot for significant hold-ups.
Optimism for Summer
Despite the disruption, Calder remained optimistic about the summer travel season, hoping delays might ease. Co-host Greg Dickinson noted that the Foreign Office had issued warnings about long queues at these airports.
UK holidaymakers are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for border processing when travelling to Europe this summer.
