EasyJet passengers describe EU border ‘nightmare’
EasyJet passengers describe EU border ‘nightmare’
More than 100 travelers stranded at Milan’s Linate airport missed their scheduled flight to Manchester on Sunday due to prolonged delays at the European Union’s new entry-exit system. The ordeal, dubbed a “nightmare” by affected passengers, left them stranded and forced some to incur significant expenses to return to the UK. EasyJet, the airline involved, acknowledged the disruption but emphasized that the issues were beyond its control.
The European Entry-Exit System (EES), introduced earlier this week, mandates biometric data collection, including facial scans and fingerprints, for non-EU nationals entering the Schengen zone. Upon departure, additional checks are conducted. This has led to chaotic scenes at border control, with waiting times reportedly stretching to two or three hours during peak hours, according to ACI Europe and A4E, which represent airports and airlines respectively.
Passenger Experiences
Carol Boon, a 59-year-old from Staffordshire, recounted the event as “simply dreadful.” She had planned a long weekend getaway in Milan with five companions, paying for a city apartment in anticipation of her Tuesday flight to Gatwick. However, the group was left in a “very stressful” situation, with arguments erupting and at least one person fainting, while another vomited.
Max Hume, 56, from Leeds, faced a similar plight, spending over £1,800 to secure a return trip via Luxembourg. He criticized EasyJet’s response, stating, “Even if we were there five hours before, we weren’t told the gate number until about 90 mins before, so there was nothing we could have done.” When informed their flight had departed, he claimed the airline left them “to fend for ourselves,” describing the treatment as “disgusting.”
Joy Oliver, who traveled with her husband and friends, arrived three hours early but still faced “absolute carnage” at the border. She has since rebooked a flight to Edinburgh, adding that her family is now tasked with collecting two cars from Manchester Airport while she and her partner seek a way back to Lancaster from Scotland.
Adam Hoijard, from Wirral, shared his frustration, noting his family had arrived early but endured hours in line before people “freaked out and feeling sick.” He accused authorities of unfairly blaming travelers for not arriving earlier, asking, “How much time can you leave to wait in a queue and be told to wait?” His five-year-old son, he said, “was lying in bed crying” after the ordeal.
Industry Response
ACI Europe and A4E have called for greater operational flexibility ahead of the summer travel season, as the EES’s full implementation has caused widespread confusion. Initially, border authorities could halt the system entirely if delays became excessive, but this option is now limited to partial suspensions. EasyJet warned passengers to “allow extra time” for travel, offering free flight transfers to those impacted. However, some travelers felt the compensation was insufficient, with Hume noting the airline proposed £19 and a Thursday flight instead of a more immediate return.
Passengers like Laura Featonby, owner of Laura’s Travel Village in Sale, Greater Manchester, expressed concern over airlines delaying flights to accommodate the new checks, highlighting the financial strain on travelers caught in the system’s early challenges.
