UK holidaymakers slam 'nightmare' airport queues in holiday hotspots in Europe
Passengers have shared videos of long queues in Portugal and Greece11:10, 23 Jul 2026Holidaymakers have shared videos of long queues at European airports this summer with some describing it as a. . .
Passengers have shared videos of long queues in Portugal and Greece11:10, 23 Jul 2026Holidaymakers have shared videos of long queues at European airports this summer with some describing it as a ‘nightmare’. It comes as the peak travel period gets underway with many schools breaking up this week and last week. This year British travellers face an extra hurdle when entering and leaving Europe due to theEU’s Entry/Exit System(EES). This requires third-country nationals, such as Brits, to provide biometric data - fingerprints and photographs - along with having their passport scanned at the border. This then creates a digital record which is valid for three years and replaces passport stamping. Click hereto get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily NewsletterBut the system has faced backlash in the travel industry as it’s often resulted in long queues at the EU border. In April around 100 Manchester-bound passengers were left stranded in Milan due to the queues. Industry leaders have called for changes to be made, urging the EU to allow airports to have more flexibility to ease the requirements in busy periods. Currently individual airports are allowed to remove the EES for brief periods if queues are too long. But now that the school holidays are underway passengers have reported long queues at European airports in Greece and Portugal. While the cause of the queues could be the EES, other factors could be having an impact such as high passenger numbers during peak periods and low staffing. TikTok user @rubyestellesmith13 shared a video of queues at Kos Airport in Greece, with the caption indicating that it was at passport control. She shared clips of her watch showing the time progressing, stating that they had been in the queue since 12. 30pm. The video then stated: “We got through just after 2pm. ”This video, which has amassed more than 2,000 likes, received mixed comments. One user agreed with the experience, Annie Mc wrote: “We was there too yesterday from 12. 30pm it was awful! Thought I was going to pass out. ” But another, Ellie, said: “Jeez the airport was busy when I was there last week but passport control was literally empty I just went straight through. "Also in Greece, TikTok user @keelyemay123 shared footage of long queues outside Corfu Airport with the caption: “Still queuing outside Corfu Airport with just over an hour to go until my flight sets off. ” She added: “Honestly what a nightmare. Got to the airport three hours before take off and was still queuing outside the airport for an hour later. ”Again, comments revealed mixed experiences. One commenter wrote : “I was there two days ago and it took me about five hours to get through check in and everything. ” But another added: “Was there last week both arriving and leaving was a breeze. ”A video of long queues at Faro Airport, Portugal, on July 21 was also shared by TikTok user @weoutside. pt. Comments were also divided. One wrote: “Went through twice in the last week. Saw zero of this, must be time of day…both landing and taking off was through security and passport in a matter of minutes. ”Another said: “Landed there last monday around 11. Took over 90 minutes to get through passport control. One desk open for queues like that. Absolute nightmare. ”Article continues belowMeanwhile, in a financial update issued for easyJet today, July 23, chief executive Kenton Jarvis said the border control queues at airports due to the new European entry-exit system (EES) had been better than feared for the start of the school holidays, as countries have been given flexibility on how to put the requirements in place at times of stress. But he did call for flexibility to be extended to September, to cover the busy half-term period in October. For more of today's top stories, click here.