‘Nightmare’ queues and missed flights: readers report turbulent start to EU entry-exit system | Airline industry

Some passengers passing through the new EU entry-exit system (EES) are facing major delays at border controls, with some waiting up to three hours, airports say.

The new rules have been gradually introduced in Europe since October 2025 and came into force in the Schengen countries (25 of the EU’s 27 states, as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) on Friday.

Hundreds of people have responded to the Guardian’s online appeal to share their experiences of traveling to Europe since the rules came into force. While some said they had a smooth trip, many reported serious delays causing some to miss their flights.

Travelers reported issues with fingerprints not being accepted and additional delays when traveling with children. Many said there was little guidance on using the kiosks. Some said they had to repeat the registration process on each leg of their trip, even though they had already completed it, as there was no explanation from staff or the staff to ask.

Dave Giles, 47, an IT manager from Raunds in Northamptonshire, missed his flight home from Copenhagen, where he was attending a music festival with his family, on April 12 after arriving hours early but being caught in long queues at passport control.

“When they called the door and we went down to passport control there was probably a line of 80-100 people in front of us and there were only three kiosks checking passports,” he said. “Not long after, one of them closed.”

Staff were aware of the problem but were unable to resolve it in a timely manner. “A supervisor was making calls asking them to keep the door open,” he said, but when he reached the front, “the door had been closed seconds before we arrived.”

This deduction had left him significantly out of pocket, forcing him to book new flights for the next day, find accommodation for the night and pay extra parking at Stansted. He also had to hire a car and drive from Heathrow to Stansted because the only available flight landed there. “We have receipts for around £1,800 – probably over £2,000 in total. This is extremely frustrating.”

Giles said he didn’t expect to see that money again. “Insurance won’t touch it. The airline said it wasn’t their fault,” he said, adding that he emailed the airport. “I would be surprised to hear back from anyone.”

Georgia from London experienced a four-hour delay when they arrived at Pisa airport on 10 April. “There were no staff in sight to advise on waiting times,” he said.

It’s been a tough wait for Georgia, who is five months pregnant. “There were people with babies, but there was no special assistance or anywhere to sit. People at the back of the row were too hot and were trapped in a windowless corridor for hours.

“I sat on the floor and had to tell the people around me that I was pregnant and they had to give me some space as I almost fainted. They were handing out water, but only when you got to the front of the queue, which was about four hours later.”

He said he is now anxious about traveling to Europe again. “I was supposed to fly to Paris with my husband this weekend, but I canceled the trip because I couldn’t face this situation again. I have a trip coming up to Greece, but I saw that they have arrived now.” not complying with the new system“This was great news.”

Stuart MacLennan, 49, from Oban, Scotland, said traveling with children was particularly difficult. On 11 April he flew from Glasgow to Malaga, where he encountered long queues due to too many planes arriving at the same time. Stuart says this delay has been a “nightmare”.

He and his wife, along with their one- and seven-year-old children, had to wait. “There was no real direction as to where to go,” he said. “After about half an hour we were moved to a different queue because children under 12 years old. “Then we waited in line for two and a half hours until we reached passport control.”

The return journey from Malaga four days later was even worse; For those under 12, there was a three and a half hour queue. Like Georgia, he wants to avoid the system in the future. “This will keep me from going back to busier European airports,” he said.

Other travelers said the self-service kiosks to be used to check in were either not yet in use or not working.

Dylan Thomas, 23, an HR worker from Lincolnshire, has experienced delays when using the system on his last two trips. He said there was a two-hour wait when they arrived in Madeira on March 15 and on their return trip from a solo Eurostar trip to Brussels on April 6.

“It was ridiculous,” he said. “There were probably about 20 machines, but they all had plastic wrap on them and couldn’t be used… One person was checking everyone manually.”

Paul Coleman, a retired volunteer from Southend-on-Sea, said that in early February staff at Kraków airport resorted to using their own mobile phones. He and his wife, Nicolette, faced a three-hour wait at passport control.

“The cameras on the machines weren’t working, so they took out their cell phones and took pictures of us. It was really crazy,” he says. “There was no explanation as to what the stalling was, nor was there an apology.”

David, 75, from Durham, said the delays could have a particular impact on older people. During his trip to Gran Canaria in February, he was kept on the plane for 30 minutes due to queues at Fuerteventura airport. “The first single row was huge and everyone had to join, even those who had already provided their biometric information. These should be separate. Better signage displayed earlier would speed up the process.”

“They had a system where they put non-EU passport holders into an area with a glass partition. There are not enough seats. There are a lot of old people standing around who don’t have a toilet. If you have to go to one of the toilets in the other area, you get searched again. It’s a real mess.”

He added: “The airlines seem to have abdicated any responsibility. They just said: It’s your job to get to the door.”

“I think the biggest thing is that it’s inconsistent. You have no idea what’s going to happen when you hit these airports.”