The EU’s new Entry/Exit System is supposed to speed up border checks. Instead, on its April 10 debut, it’s reportedly turned into a headache for some travelers—especially those passing through busy European airports.
According to Misryoum newsroom reporting, the rollout has led to delays of up to three hours to clear the EES at some locations, with knock-on effects like missed flights. One case mentioned in Misryoum reporting: a flight out of Milan left 122 scheduled passengers behind after the exit process ran late.
Misryoum newsroom reporting also points to long lines at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) at one point, with queues extending outside the terminal. It’s the kind of scene that sticks in your mind—someone yelling “passport details” while the air-conditioning hum blends with the airport announcements, and you can almost feel your boarding time slipping.
Airline advocacy group Airlines for Europe has called the situation a “systemic failure,” even while saying it supports the goal of strengthening border security across the EU. The group is urging the European Commission to shelve the EES until the fall, or at least allow full and partial suspension of EES until the end of summer when necessary, to avoid major disruption during the summer travel season.
The Entry/Exit System itself is a biometric registration process for U.S. citizens and non-EU travelers visiting the 29 Schengen Area countries. It digitally records entries and exits for visitors staying up to 90 days within a 180-day period, and it collects fingerprints at all border crossings—including at the Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal in the U.K. Instead of receiving a passport stamp, travelers use self-service kiosks or border checks to provide biometric data: fingerprints, a facial image, and passport details for first-time users.
Officials say the system should make immigration more efficient and reduce wait times, but Misryoum newsroom reporting shows that, so far, it hasn’t worked out that way everywhere. Several Misryoum employees have reportedly crossed borders in Europe without issue—so this doesn’t look like one universal problem, more like a patchwork of operational hiccups. Still, Misryoum newsroom reporting notes that Ryanair’s CEO said the new system was causing lines of up to four hours at some
airports, and it’s not hard to see why. Technical issues are one factor in the first week, but Misryoum reporting also flags staffing gaps to support the kiosks, plus the fact that not all airports have automated border gates that support the EES system. Add to that the Travel to Europe mobile app—meant to let passengers submit biometric details up to 72 hours before arriving—which is not yet available in many countries, and suddenly you
get confusion, frustration, and the occasional missed flight.
For now, Misryoum’s travel desk suggests travelers should plan for longer-than-usual delays when arriving at and departing from European airports, especially at major hubs and smaller border points. Once a passenger is enrolled and their biometric profile is on file, subsequent entries and exits should, in theory, be smoother. And yes, Europe is already moving to the next phase too: the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) is set to launch in late 2026 with a prior authorization and an increased fee of 20 euros (about $23). Hopefully that rollout won’t end up feeling like this one—because nobody wants to test a new system on a tight connection, not really.
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