EasyJet passengers describe EU border ‘nightmare’
EasyJet Passengers Describe EU Border ‘Nightmare’
Disruptions at Milan Airport Leave Hundreds Stranded
Over 100 travelers missed their flight from Milan’s Linate airport to Manchester after being stranded in lengthy passport control lines caused by the EU’s new entry-exit system. The airline called the delays “unacceptable,” with some passengers enduring two-to-three hour waits during peak times. Reports of passengers fainting and vomiting emerged as the system’s biometric checks, including facial recognition, were implemented.
System’s Impact on Travelers and Operations
The European Entry-Exit System (EES) requires third-country nationals, including Britons, to register biometric data upon entering the Schengen zone and during departure. Airlines and airport groups like ACI Europe and A4E noted operational challenges, with some flights delayed so severely that passengers arrived after the gate had closed. Only 12 individuals showed up for one flight 90 minutes after departure time.
Passenger Accounts Highlight Chaos
Carol Boon, a 59-year-old from Staffordshire, described her experience as “very stressful” during a long weekend getaway in Milan. She had paid for an apartment in the city to await her Tuesday flight to Gatwick, but the ordeal left her and others in a state of panic. “People arguing, someone fainted, someone was sick,” she recounted.
“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,” Boon said. “It was just disgusting the way they spoke to us.”
Financial Burden and Unmet Expectations
Max Hume, 56, from Leeds, spent over £1,800 to reroute his journey via Luxembourg after missing his original flight. He criticized EasyJet’s compensation offer, which included only £19 and a Thursday flight. “We would have had to pay £300,” he said, adding that the airline left passengers “to fend for themselves.”
Industry Calls for System Flexibility
EasyJet acknowledged the delays but claimed they were “outside of our control,” emphasizing that they had warned travelers to arrive early. The airline offered free transfers to affected customers, though this did not prevent the financial strain on many. Industry representatives urged border authorities to utilize the permitted flexibilities to avoid future disruptions, especially ahead of the summer travel peak.
Personal Struggles Amid Systemic Issues
Adam Hoijard, from Wirral, and his family arrived three hours early but still faced hours in the queue before panic set in. “How much time can you leave to wait in a queue and be told to wait?” he questioned. His five-year-old son was left “lying in bed crying” after the ordeal. Joy Oliver, a travel agency owner, noted that some airlines had delayed flights to accommodate the new system, forcing her to rebook her trip to Edinburgh.
