Passport queues can cost you
EasyJet warned passengers they could miss boarding if stuck in new passport‑control lines after reports of long fingerprint and border waits — one Palermo traveler said they had only 20 minutes left after an hour in a queue. Other reports say waits at busy airports could stretch two to three hours under the new checks, so build extra buffer before departures. (mirror.co.uk) (examinerlive.co.uk)
EasyJet is warning passengers that a passport-control queue can now make you miss a flight even if you reached the airport on time, because the new European Union Entry/Exit System adds fingerprint and face checks for many non-European Union travelers. The airline’s warning came as the system became fully operational on April 10, 2026. (ec.europa.eu) (gov.uk) The immediate problem is simple: boarding gates still close on airline time, but the new border line moves on government time. In one widely shared case from Palermo, a traveler said they had 20 minutes left before departure after spending an hour in a fingerprint queue and moving only three steps. (express.co.uk) (mirror.co.uk) This is not a new visa and it is not an airline rule. The Entry/Exit System is a European Union border database that replaces passport stamps with a digital record of each entry and exit for short-stay visitors from outside the European Union and Schengen area. (ec.europa.eu) (travel-europe.europa.eu) At the first registration, border staff collect a facial image, fingerprints, and passport details, which takes longer than the old stamp-and-wave-through routine. The United Kingdom government says British passport holders do not need to do anything before arrival, but they should expect biometric registration at the border. (gov.uk) (travel-europe.europa.eu) The change applies across 29 countries using the Schengen border system, including France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Switzerland. Ireland and Cyprus are outside this system, so they continue with manual passport checks instead of Entry/Exit System registration. (gov.uk) (travel-europe.europa.eu) The timing is what makes airlines nervous. The full rollout landed on Friday, April 10, 2026, just as Easter travel ramps up, which means airports are testing a slower border process during one of the busiest holiday periods of the spring. (ec.europa.eu) (manchestereveningnews.co.uk) Reports around the rollout have put possible waits at two to three hours at busy airports, and aviation figures had already warned earlier in 2026 that summer lines could stretch even longer if processing points bottleneck. That turns passport control into the new choke point even for passengers who already checked in online and cleared security. (mirror.co.uk) (independent.co.uk) There is one partial release valve: the official Travel to Europe app lets some travelers pre-register passport data and a photo up to 72 hours before arrival. Euronews reported this option ahead of the April 10 rollout, but fingerprints still have to be handled at the border, so it does not remove the queue entirely. (euronews.com) (travel-europe.europa.eu) The practical result is that “get to the airport two hours early” is no longer a safe universal rule for a flight to Europe if you are crossing into the Schengen area on a non-European Union passport. The risk is no longer only missing check-in or security; it is reaching passport control on time and still losing the race to the gate. (gov.uk) (ec.europa.eu) That is why EasyJet’s warning sounds harsher than a normal travel reminder. If the line is outside the airline’s control and the gate closes before you clear the new checks, the plane can leave without you even though the holdup happened inside the airport. (express.co.uk) (examinerlive.co.uk)
