Border queues and changing plans
Five-hour border waits at EU airports during peak periods are prompting some Britons to reconsider their summer holiday plans, according to polling and industry reports.
A Savanta survey of 2,381 UK adults conducted online from July 17 to July 21 found that 43% said they were changing their travel plans, considering doing so, or feeling more anxious about going abroad because of the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES). The findings were reported by The Independent on August 8.
The polling suggested modest shifts rather than mass cancellations: 15% said they were considering a UK holiday instead of an EU trip, 17% said they might travel at quieter times to avoid queues, and 16% felt more stressed or worried about traveling in the EU. Of the full sample, 48 people said they canceled a trip because of border changes.
EES teething problems
The EES, which requires non-EU citizens to register and be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival and departure from the Schengen zone, has been technically in full force since April after launching last autumn. The Guardian reported that the system has been "beset by teething problems," with passengers facing three-hour delays and missed connections.
Brussels rejected calls by airports and airlines to suspend the implementation of the scheme over the peak summer period, but border police have been allowed to relax requirements if queues become unmanageable under an opt-out that expires next month.
Travelers who shared their experiences with the Guardian highlighted a range of problems. Martin Farrall, a retired university professor, said his EES record failed to record his exit from the Schengen zone and he had to chase authorities to update it. After entering via Hoek van Holland in May and returning via Dunkerque-Dover on June 30, he found his residency tally was rapidly diminishing instead of showing the expected 35 days left. He reported the error to the Directorate General for Foreign Nationals in France on July 13 but received no response. On August 7, the EES website showed he had zero days left; by August 17 it had updated to 34 days. His wife, with the same travel history, had 90 days left.
Other travelers reported similar issues. Nadia from Greater Manchester found a trip to Tenerife in June "quite straightforward," but a Frankfurt trip in July involved a long queue and no fingerprints taken. She expressed concerns about repeated fingerprinting and data privacy. Evie, a student in Munich, was directed to the EES queue despite holding an extended-stay visa, causing confusion. Kevin and Christine traveled to Lanzarote in June but machines failed to register their fingerprints, causing anxiety. Martin, a retired IT worker, struggled with the fingerprinting system at Schiphol, and his passport was not stamped at manual entry. Ed Griffiths' visually impaired wife could not use the EES machine at Prague airport, and they waited one hour and 15 minutes for assistance; he had to re-register in Milan and Vienna despite having already registered in Prague.
Industry and political pressure
Airports Council International Europe, Airlines for Europe, and IATA appealed directly to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, saying the situation had "reached a critical point" and calling for "immediate intervention before the situation deteriorates further." They warned that EES implementation is putting unsustainable pressure on border authorities, airports, and airlines while delaying millions of travelers from entering the Schengen area. Rome Fiumicino's chief aviation officer said the system has nearly tripled passport-control processing times.
Stefan Schulte, president of ACI Europe, said in June that EES was "what keeps me and many other airport CEOs across Europe awake at night."
In the UK, Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton wrote in July to then-Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds — since replaced by Hamish Falconer — asking for an emergency meeting with the Commission. He called the polling "deeply concerning" and urged emergency action. The UK government is understood not to have responded.
Differing perspectives
ABTA, the UK travel association, offered a more measured view, saying EES is "not proving a significant deterrent to travel in practice." This contrasts with the polling and traveler accounts that suggest some impact on decisions and anxiety.
The UK government has committed £10.5 million for infrastructure at Dover, Eurotunnel, and Eurostar, plus another £20 million to expand passport-checking and vehicle-holding capacity at Dover, according to etias.com.
How EES works
The EES records non-EU nationals entering and leaving 29 European countries for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. First-time travelers provide fingerprints, facial scans, and passport details. Residence permit and long-stay visa holders are exempt, and Cyprus and Ireland continue to stamp passports manually. The EU says EES is intended to modernize border checks, detect overstays, and eventually reduce waiting times.
The system began rolling out on October 12, 2025, and became fully operational on April 10, 2026. A related system, ETIAS, has not yet launched and is not accepting applications; it will cost €20 for most applicants and remain valid for up to three years or until the passport expires.