EasyJet hits out at EU border checks ahead of UK bank holiday

EasyJet has issued a stark warning about “completely unacceptable” delays at EU border controls as the UK heads into a busy bank holiday period, raising fears of queues, missed flights and costly disruption for thousands of holidaymakers.

New EU checks collide with peak holiday traffic

The warning comes as the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System is tested during its first major summer getaway, coinciding with a UK bank holiday that traditionally sends passenger numbers surging on routes to Spain, Italy, Greece and other popular destinations.

According to ITV News coverage, EasyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis criticised the way the new border regime is being implemented, arguing that authorities have had several years to prepare for the change yet passengers are still facing long queues and confusion at some airports.

The entry and exit scheme requires non EU travellers to register fingerprints and facial images at automated kiosks on their first journey under the system. Travel industry reports indicate that these extra steps, combined with space and staffing constraints in older terminals, have created bottlenecks at peak times.

While some hubs appear to be coping, EasyJet and other carriers describe a patchwork of experiences across the continent, with passengers in certain airports able to pass quickly through border control while others encounter queues stretching close to an hour or more during busy periods.

Missed flights highlight scale of disruption

Concerns intensified after an incident in Milan in April in which around 100 EasyJet passengers were left behind when new border formalities delayed them getting to the gate in time. Publicly available accounts of the episode describe travellers stuck in lengthy queues at passport control as their Manchester bound flight departed without them.

The airline has argued that strict crew working time rules limit how long flights can be held before departure, and that leaving the passengers behind was necessary to avoid the service being cancelled entirely once staff went out of hours. Consumer advocates, however, say the Milan case illustrates how fragile the system has become when additional checks are layered onto already busy infrastructure.

Similar stories have circulated from other EU airports as the scheme has been expanded, with travel forums and social media feeds filled with reports of families sprinting through terminals, narrowly catching flights or being forced to rebook at significant cost when they do not. The pattern has heightened concern that a surge in bank holiday travel could expose further weaknesses in how the checks are managed on the ground.

For EasyJet, which operates one of the largest short haul networks between the UK and the EU, even relatively limited disruption can quickly ripple through its tightly timed flying programme, affecting aircraft rotations and connections over several days.

Airline presses EU states to use flexibility

EasyJet is now writing to EU governments urging them to make fuller use of the flexibility built into the rules to reduce pressure at peak times. Public comments from the airline indicate that it wants national authorities to sequence implementation more carefully, adjust staffing levels and, where permitted, relax some requirements temporarily during the busiest waves of arrivals.

In the ITV News interview, Jarvis suggested that introducing or intensifying checks during bank holiday Saturdays or school half term peaks is particularly problematic, arguing that authorities should prioritise quieter periods for major operational changes. The airline points to examples where airports appear to have moved more slowly, allowing processes to bed in before demand reaches its highest point.

Industry groups have previously warned that infrastructure constraints at several European hubs would make it difficult to scale up biometric enrolment quickly enough for mass travel seasons. Some airports have invested heavily in additional kiosks and queuing space, while others are still reconfiguring terminal layouts to accommodate the new technology.

Airlines say that without closer coordination between carriers, airport operators and border agencies, passengers are likely to bear the brunt in the form of uncertainty, longer waits and missed departures, particularly when multiple flights arrive simultaneously from the UK and other non EU countries.

UK travellers urged to build in extra time

For British holidaymakers preparing to fly to Europe over the bank holiday, travel advice from airlines and consumer organisations now strongly emphasises arriving at airports earlier than usual. Some guidance suggests allowing significantly more time at departure and, crucially, on the return leg when passing through EU exit checks before boarding flights back to the UK.

Reports in specialist travel outlets have already highlighted queues for Spain bound flights and at Italian airports, with some carriers warning that passengers who misjudge the impact of border controls could still miss flights even if they have cleared check in and security in good time.

Package holiday customers who rely on shared coach transfers to the airport are being encouraged to review pick up times and, where possible, choose earlier options to build in additional margin. Independent travellers are similarly being advised to factor in potential delays when booking taxis or public transport to and from airports.

Consumer advocates note that standard travel insurance policies may not always cover losses caused solely by delays at border control, leaving some passengers out of pocket if they have to buy replacement flights or last minute accommodation as a result of missed departures.

Wider questions over Europe’s new border regime

The current disruption forms part of a broader debate over how Europe balances security, migration management and the smooth movement of legitimate travellers. The Entry/Exit System aims to modernise checks on visitors from non EU countries by creating a centralised record of entries and exits, replacing routine passport stamps with digital data.

Supporters argue that, once fully embedded, the scheme should speed up processing for frequent travellers, reduce opportunities for overstaying visas and strengthen the bloc’s external border. They say the early problems are growing pains that will ease as more passengers are enrolled and staff become familiar with procedures.

Critics, including some airlines and airport operators, question whether enough investment has been made in terminals that were never designed for high volume biometric capture. They warn that without additional resources and infrastructure upgrades, the system risks recurring congestion every peak season, particularly in destinations heavily reliant on UK and other non EU tourism.

For now, the clash between a new layer of bureaucracy and one of the busiest weekends in the UK travel calendar is sharpening scrutiny of how ready Europe’s borders really are. With airlines like EasyJet openly describing recent scenes as unacceptable, the coming bank holiday will be an early test of whether lessons from Milan and other flashpoints have been learned before the main summer holidays begin in earnest.