Wizz Air Urges 3-Hour Airport Arrival as EU EES Queues Stretch to 3.5 Hours

4 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 29

Yvonne Moynihan, Wizz Air UK's boss, told British holidaymakers to reach European airports three hours before return flights, saying new border checks have already caused some passengers to miss onward or homebound departures.
The delays stem from the EU Entry Exit System, which requires non-EU travellers to register and verify biometric data; Wizz said disruption is patchy but worst at hotspots in Spain, Portugal and France.
ACI Europe said a survey of 45 airports in 20 EU states found EES queues of up to 3.5 hours, with partial suspensions already common and conditions likely to worsen as summer traffic rises.
The European Commission said EES is working well at almost all crossing points and that registration usually takes about a minute, while member states remain responsible for staffing and implementation.
Since October, EES has logged nearly 80 million crossings and 35,000 entry refusals; Greece has effectively paused biometric checks for Britons, and Portugal plans 360 extra airport border officers in July.

With biometric checks causing airport chaos, is the EU's new high-tech border a security success or an economic disaster?

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As airport queues grow, who is legally responsible when you miss your flight: the airline, the airport, or the EU?