To find travel in Europe too stressful now with all the extra passport palaver

[Pavementworrier]

Why do all these new systems work so poorly? Who is getting rich on the stupid shit eye scanner things?

Please tell me soothing tales of recent visits to Europe where it was fine.

It’s really not that difficult. And airports with the new security scanners have made that part so much quicker - you no longer need to remove electronics and can take full size liquids (although you need to be aware this may be different for your return journey).

We travelled to Madrid in November. Scanners were not working in either direction so no delays. Husband went to Spain in December for work and they were still not using the new system.

Have decided to cancel my Spanish trip at the end of the month I just can't face it and the thought of the chaos is ruining the anticipation of any fun (it's supposedly equally stressful when you arrive to fly out and you can't solve it by turning up early because baggage check-in doesn't open before the two hour point).

Hate that everything just seems to get worse.

(Also hate how many people say"well this is the brexshit you voted for" it's really annoying and unhelpful and systems that cost billions and billions should fucking work that's a politically neutral fact surely!)

It is probably just as well you canelled your trip it doesn't sound like your anxiety would let you relax anyway.

I don't have anxiety - I just find it utterly depressing being made uncomfortable by shit systems and then the situation worse by lazy or malicious people. So why would I pay thousands of pounds when I can be depressed at home in the rain for free.

It's a fair point OP. Why not travel somewhere in the UK instead? There are lots of nice B&Bs on this website, and this time of year you'll get a bargain.

https://bedandbreakfastnationwide.com/

Are the scanners finally in full operation now? They appeared to be close to it at LHR in October but I've not flown since then.

Depends on the airport as I don’t think they all are. They are operational at Birmingham but I don’t know which others are / aren’t.

Fair enough, but I would have thought that a trip in January when airports are quieter would be the perfect time to hope that you get your registration done on the new system. Which airport had you planned to fly into ?

Travelled to France by Eurostar last month. They took fingerprints at the passport check but it didn't take very long. Certainly not as long as it takes to go through US passport control.

LPA. I was thinking vitamin D and some omega oils for mid winter but I can't handle five hours in the air followed by four hours queuing at a malfunctioning dystopia terminal (then I'd spend the whole time worrying about the return trip).

I agree re this being a quiet time but I don't think the system is very reliable at the moment.

Wondering how Eurostar is, actually.

Oh that's good news. Always find their passport system much better.

Agree re US I haven't been since 2004 and won't be back.

What a mountain out of a molehill. I've travelled to Spain twice in the last 2 months (I have family who retired there). Seriously. It's totally fine.

What a mountain out of a molehill

Without mountains out of molehills MN would wither and die.

I mean some people are missing flights after standing in line for hours without water. Some people can't risk that for health reasons.

You beat me to it. I wish my French ancestors were close enough relatives for me to get a French passport, as Welsh independence is not going to happen in my lifetime.

LPA - Gran Canaria / Las Palmas AirPort? Have you read that they have had particular problems there then?

I have no idea what you're talking about. I go to Spain lots and there are no problems. Fancy cancelling a trip

No, your children should queue with you. If you're going into Heathrow, staff direct everyone with children under 12 to go to the family queue. You then get called to a desk all together, as a single group. (I don't know how it works for older kids - I think you all queue together but then go through the automatic machine individually.)

I know it's an expense, but if you're going to fly back and forth once a year or so, I'd consider getting the kids British passports, for ease.

Spain general seems to be a shit show (airports individually claim the problems are in Madrid but idk if true)

Where have you heard of 4 hour queues to get through passport control @Pavementworrier ?

I think you’ve got your knickers in a twist about nothing tbh. LPA in January isn’t going to be absolutely heaving, it would have been a good opportunity to get your EES information sorted. Shame that you’ve let it get to you this much.

We had 35minutes queuing on 29th dec in Stockholm on arrival due to first time for fingerprints and face picture - all seemed efficiently done, just lots and lots of us to be ‘done’ as 2 flights in at same time -

Do these new systems mean that EU and UK travellers are no longer in different queues?

I don’t understand why UK passport holders can’t go through the EU control. As far as I know EU arrivals are processed at UK airports in the same way that UK arrivals are.

@Pavementworrier

Numerous posters on here who have actually been to Europe in the last 3 months have explained that there have generally been no queues to speak of. When airports have been busy they have usually either decided to only process a few people using the EES scanners, or they have just suspended them and done everything manually as before.

Why not listen to what posters have been telling you rather than be swayed by the sensationalist reports in the media? No newspaper ever reports "Everything went very well again today" - instead they make a great fuss about an isolated event when people might have waited a bit longer than expected.

No shit show. Have done different airports. There has been no problems in Spain.