Overview
- Ryanair has told passengers it will not delay departures for travellers held in passport-control queues caused by the EU Entry/Exit System and says those who miss flights will be treated as the traveller's responsibility.
- The airline treats border-control delays as an 'extraordinary circumstance' and has warned missed-departure charges may apply, a policy that can leave families facing lost fares and a reported £100 rebooking fee.
- Airports repeatedly flagged by Ryanair for long EES-related processing include Tenerife South, Lanzarote, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan Malpensa and Milan Bergamo, where travellers and travel experts report waits of up to an hour or more for fingerprint and facial-registration checks.
- Operators and Ryanair are pressing EU and member-state authorities for short-term fixes such as repaired kiosks, faster data uploads, extra border staff and temporary EES flexibilities to reduce queues at known hotspots.
- Local factors could add to delays this summer because Palma (Mallorca) Airport has planned Swissport and maintenance staff strikes affecting check-in and baggage services on peak days, so holidaymakers are being urged to arrive much earlier and consider hand luggage only.