New EU Entry-Exit System Leads to Delays and Missed Flights for Over 100 British Passengers at Milan Linate

# EU Entry-Exit System Rollout Causes Flight Misses and Delays for British Passengers at Milan Linate Airport MILAN (Substrate) -- More than 100 people missed their EasyJet flight to Manchester from Milan's Linate airport on Sunday while stuck in passport control queues.

The new EU digital border control system became fully operational on Friday, resulting in queues building up for hours at the airport. Passengers faced long delays in some cases missing flights since the system became fully operational.

The new entry-exit system was fully rolled out across the European Union on 10 April. The system mandates biometric data collection including photographs and fingerprints for all passengers crossing into the Schengen zone. The new system obliges third-country nationals including Britons who enter the Schengen free travel zone to register biometric information including facial scans and fingerprints.

British holidaymakers are experiencing widespread disruption at airports throughout Europe. Reports of significant delays, flight cancellations and stranded holidaymakers have emerged from airports spanning Brussels to Geneva. British tourists are among the first to encounter the enhanced border procedures.

Passenger Ordeals at Milan Linate Approximately 100 easyJet passengers bound for Manchester were left waiting at Milan's Linate Airport on Sunday.

Some travellers reported vomiting and passing out at border control during biometric and facial recognition checks at Milan's Linate airport on Sunday. On one occasion, no-one had arrived at the departure gate at the time it was meant to close for a flight, and only 12 passengers had turned up 90 minutes after the departure gate was meant to close for a flight.

Michelle Maguire, 38, and her daughter were due to return from Malaga to Liverpool on Saturday evening but did not reach home until a full day later.

The ordeal for Michelle Maguire and her daughter cost the family £1,000. Michelle Maguire and her daughter reached the airport three hours before their scheduled departure and joined the passport queue 90 minutes prior to take-off. Michelle Maguire queued for more than one hour before reaching the border control desks and reached the border control desks with roughly 30 minutes until departure.

Michelle Maguire's husband and son returned to the UK with Irish passports. Numerous empty booths at border control were a consequence of ongoing strikes affecting Spanish airports, according to Michelle Maguire. The Ryanair desk was heaving because they had over-filled the flight, Michelle Maguire stated.

The stress of the situation has put Michelle Maguire off travelling to a destination she has regularly visited in the past. There are ongoing strikes affecting Spanish airports in recent weeks. Carol Boon, 59, from Staffordshire, was on a long weekend hen do in Milan with five others before her airport ordeal on Sunday.

Carol Boon has paid for an apartment in Milan as she waits to take a flight to Gatwick on Tuesday. " Max Hume, 56, from Leeds, spent more than £1,800 arranging to travel via Luxembourg to return to the UK. EasyJet offered affected customers £19 and a flight on Thursday.

Max Hume said he would have had to pay £300 for the Thursday flight option. Passengers were forced to spend thousands of pounds to return to the UK after their EasyJet flight left without them. Joy Oliver arrived at Milan Linate three hours before her scheduled departure time and has rebooked a flight to Edinburgh on Tuesday.

Joy Oliver and her husband look for a way to get home to Lancaster from Edinburgh, and her family has been asked to help collect two cars from Manchester Airport. Adam Hoijard and his family from Wirral arrived three hours early at Milan Linate. Adam Hoijard and his family stood in the queue for hours at Milan Linate and spent £1,000 booking a flight to London Gatwick on Tuesday.

The airport ordeal followed a trip away for Adam Hoijard's mother-in-law's 60th birthday party. Adam Hoijard said his five-year-old son had been 'lying in bed crying' after the airport ordeal.

System Details and Airport Responses Initial reports showed passenger waiting times of two-to-three hours at border control during peak times, according to ACI Europe and A4E.

Until last week, border authorities were allowed to suspend operation of EES altogether if waiting times became excessive. Now, only a partial suspension of EES is permitted if waiting times become excessive. The chaos marks the early days of the EES rollout.

EasyJet warned passengers to allow extra time to travel before the longer than usual waiting times at passport control, according to an EasyJet spokesperson. The EasyJet flight was held to allow customers extra time, and EasyJet provided free flight transfers to those affected, the spokesperson stated.

EasyJet urged border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed while EES is implemented, the spokesperson said.

ACI Europe and A4E insist greater flexibility is needed ahead of the peak summer months.