EES biometric checks spark hours-long queues for travelers at European airports this summer

Many people traveling to Europe this summer may be greeted by lines stretching for hours at popular destinations—and that’s before they even leave the airport. The European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU travelers has been causing chaos at some airports since it was fully implemented in April. And with peak travel season now in full swing, that situation has only worsened. In recent weeks, passengers traveling through airports in places like Lisbon, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Milan have experienced waits of several hours to pass through the biometric screening process that uses face and fingerprint scans in lieu of manual passport stamps. While British travelers have been advised to arrive at airports up to three hours early to budget for long lines, they’ve been warned it could take up to six hours to make it through these lines, according to The Independent. And one official warned on Tuesday that it could take up to two years for the situation to stabilize, as some of the member states of the Schengen Area—the border-free travel zone for 25 EU and four non-EU countries—have been “struggling” to adopt the new system, according to reporting by The Guardian.  In late May, the CNN reporter Clarissa Ward described the “chaos” she experienced while traveling through Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport.  “It is quite honestly astonishing and testimony to just what a disaster these new EES rules are regarding all passport holders who are not from the European Union,” Ward said in a video posted on social media. “This system is completely broken.” Despite any promises you read online, there’s no way to bypass border checks altogether, but you can download an official Travel to Europe app that allows you to preregister your passport data and facial image and complete the entry conditions questionnaire in advance of reaching a border crossing point. According to the European Commission, which oversees the system, the app “makes border crossing smoother and faster and more efficient.” FALLOUT FROM NEW SYSTEM The new digital system was implemented with the goal of making border checks more efficient and easier, and to provide better security for the 29-member Schengen Area, but prolonged delays are creating other problems. Passengers who miss flights due to long lines create havoc for airlines, particularly at a time when they’re grappling with high jet fuel costs. Back in February, the International Air Transport Association sounded the alarm that the new system could create “severe disruptions” during the summer travel season. What’s more, the system could create an economic headache for European countries.  Up to $45.4 billion in visitor spending could be at risk if delays persist, according to a report from the World Travel & Tourism Council released on Tuesday. If they must deal with a three-hour or longer delay, 39% of travelers from the U.K. and 33% of travelers from the U.S. and Canada said they would be much less likely to travel to Schengen countries or wouldn’t visit at all, according to a survey conducted by the London-based travel group. On a United Airlines subreddit, one traveler even advised others to rethink their summer travel plans to Europe altogether. YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY But it’s important to note that not everyone is experiencing the same chaos. Travelers have taken to social media to share their firsthand experiences of EES lines at various airports—both the horrors and delights. And there’s even a new travel flex of sorts: Some people are bragging about how quickly they got through EES lines, boasting about wait times of 30 minutes or less.  As with any travel experience, it seems that the saying “your mileage may vary” applies. That’s because some travelers through popular destinations are able to zip through EES lines, depending on the time of day they’re traveling. In response to one Redditor’s query about wait times at the Barcelona airport, another with the username u/LPedraz responded: “What time of the day? You’ve likely heard mixed things because it varies massively. Anything from 10 minutes to 2 hours.” FAST TRACK OF ENTRY Finally, there’s good news for frequent travelers: shorter lines in the future. One factor in the delays is that anyone who hasn’t visited Europe since the EES was implemented must provide their personal information to be enrolled—meaning their fingerprints and facial images are captured. After that, border crossings for enrolled travelers should become more efficient, according to Uku Särekanno, a director of the EU border agency Frontex.  “If a person is visiting the EU again, they don’t have to go through the same process, so they can have a more fast track of entry,” Särekanno said, as The Guardian reported.

During the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s recent annual meeting, the association’s vice-president of Europe, Rafael Schvartsman, said he expected continued delays and long passenger queues following the introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) checks. The new system, which asks non-EU citizens visiting a travel bloc called the Schengen area to upload biometric data like their fingerprints to a database, has already created chaos and hours-long lines in multiple airports.UK citizens are among those affected by these new changes.“What we are seeing is a very hard risk of really challenging... waiting times, talking about expectations of three, four, five, six hours, which is unacceptable,” Schvastsman said, per The Times.He added that there have already been “many cases” where passengers missed their flights due to these delays.Why might EES checks make airport queues longer?EES checks create a digital record that stays valid for three years. These are now needed if you’re a non-EU national travelling to a Schengen country for a short stay. However, even though you only need to do the checks once every three years, and the UK Government has said “EES checks should take only a few minutes per person,” some problems remain. Firstly, passengers are all signing up to the recently rolled-out system at once.Secondly, Schvartsman said, even a few extra seconds can more than double airlines’ passenger processing time.“Normally, [airlines] would process a passenger in 20 to 25 seconds, and you’re already stipulating that [EES checks] will take 90 seconds,” he said, according to The Guardian. “On top of that, you have unreliability of the systems. The probability that people will be waiting in lines for a long time is very, very high”.These lines can affect those who don’t need to do EES checks or have already done so, too, as the build-up has a knock-on effect.Which countries require EES checks?You don’t have to go through EES checks if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.Ireland and Cyprus, while in the EU, aren’t Schengen countries. They’re exempt from EES checks. “Greek authorities have indicated that they will not collect biometric data (fingerprints and photos) for UK travellers as part of EES,” even though Greece is a Schengen country, the UK Government added. Still, they say rules on the ground may vary.The Schengen countries involved are:AustriaBelgiumBulgariaCroatiaCzechiaDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandItalyLatviaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerland.How can I make going through EES checks easier and faster? Airlines like Ryanair, British Airways, and easyJet have already shared their advice for passengers flying to countries with EES checks.These include arriving two hours before your flight departure for short-haul flights and three hours before long-haul flights, heading straight to passport control when you arrive, and bringing some water with you in anticipation of a long wait.Keep your travel documents, including your passport, within easy reach for faster processing, too.And remember that for most EU countries, passports more than 10 years old will not be accepted.This is especially relevant if your passport was issued before 2018: this was the last year in which the passport office stopped adding up to nine months’ worth of leftover validity to new documents. Related...British Airways Boss Issues Jet Fuel Flight Price WarningAll 19 UK And EU Airports Affected By Ryanair Flight CutsTravel Expert Clarifies Whether You Can Bring A Fan On Your Flight