An Orwell prize-nominated investigative journalist, Kate lives in Portugal and covers news, travel rules, tourist taxes and visas.
With new EES biometric checks causing long queues at some popular European airports, you don’t want to miss your flight because you were hanging around waiting for the bag drop to open.
If you’re travelling to any EU country, apart from Ireland and Cyprus, you’ll now need to undergo extra biometric checks at the border when you’re flying home.
At many airports across Europe, those new checks have lead to long queues. Some passengers have even been left behind, stuck in EES queues while their plane took off.
It won’t affect all airports, but, frustratingly, it is difficult to predict exactly where and when queues will be worst.
I’ve witnessed long queues at Lisbon airport on more than one occasion since EES was fully rolled out. I’ve also read about the 112 passengers left stranded in Milan, and passengers who missed flights in Palma. In some cases, the queues can be several hours long.
It’s for that reason that I’m now taking every step I can to think ahead — and that starts, for me, with my suitcases.
EES checks don’t take place until after security, so you won’t know how long the queue is until you go through - and you can’t go through security with checked luggage.
The problem is that bag drop desks often don’t open until two hours before a flight, and in some airports, that simply won’t be enough time to then get through security and EES checks and make the flight.
That’s why I am not taking a checked-in bag with me this summer - I don’t want to miss my plane because I have to wait for the bag drop to open. I plan to arrive at the airport three hours before a flight to account for potential disruption and extra queues.
It’s important to say that EES queues are not a problem everywhere, but at those destinations most popular with British travellers. The worst queues occur at airports with lots of British flights, especially when they depart at a similar time.
You can research EES queues easily, and you will see that many airports in Spain, Italy and Portugal are often reported to have long queues, but there have also been issues in Krakow and Amsterdam. In short, it is very difficult to predict. What we do know is that the queues are expected to be worse this summer, because more British travellers will need to be checked.
That’s why, as a travel expert, I recommend you skip checked bags altogether this summer. Doing so means you can arrive at the airport when you like, pass through security and join passport control queues more quickly. This may help you account for some extra waiting time in the airport.
Some airlines, like Jet2, allow you to bring an extra 10k cabin bag and put it in your overhead locker, while others like Wizz Air and Ryanair charge extra. You can maximise your packing allowance by choosing a well-designed cabin bag — read our guide to the best hand luggage brands to find out which you should choose for your trip.
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The new EES biometric checks were officially rolled out in April this year, and include giving fingerprints and a facial photograph when entering and exiting Europe’s Schengen Zone.
You do not need to do anything to prepare for these checks, apart from making sure your passport is valid for your trip and preparing for potential delays on arrival and departure from European airports.
Read our guide to the Entry-Exit System to find out more.