EU entry-exit rules: travel leaders share predictions

Simon Calder, The Independent

"I am pretty certain it's going to go wrong." Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Europe's biggest budget airline, Ryanair, was not optimistic when I asked him about the prospects for the EU entry-exit system (EES). As you know, the latest benefit bestowed by Brexit is the right to be fingerprinted and photographed when entering or leaving the Schengen area — in addition to the existing manual inspection and stamping of your passport.

The Schengen area (comprising most of the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) has 1,800 border crossings, with more than 500 million entries and exits a year. Starting on Sunday, the member states have 180 days to make all their frontiers EES compliant, with faces and fingerprints stored on a central EU database. It's fair to say the travel industry is not overly optimistic about how smoothly the new process will prove. Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, advises "leaving yourself between three and four hours from the point of entry" before you plan to do anything sensible.

She told the BBC Today programme: "If you're not leaving yourself enough time and you unfortunately arrive at an airport where there is a bottleneck, which in a lot of places there are already, this is going to add another layer of frustration and delay." Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, the travel association, was frank about the challenge posed by the digital borders plan. "I'm afraid there will undoubtedly be some delays as this new entry and exit system for the Schengen area comes into effect," he told me.

"Once it's fully established, it will actually make travel easier — passports won't need to be stamped in and out, and authorities will automatically know how long travellers have spent in the EU." Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary takes some comfort from the EU's decision to launch the EES in October: "We're moving into the winter period, so there's a lot less pressure on, but I think it will be bumpy and lumpy through the winter.

"Hopefully either by increased staffing or better systems, it would have worked its way out of the system by the time we get to next summer."

Frontex is the EU body coordinating the entry-exit system. Its deputy executive director, Uku Sarekanno, said: "It's highly likely that there will be longer queues, because people need to enrol with all this information."

The prospective destinations for British travellers say you should be patient — and, on your homeward journey, allow more time. The Romanian authorities told me: "We recommend that third-country nationals subject to EES procedures, especially in the context of air travel, arrive at the airport with extra time before their scheduled international flights."

Denmark's immigration minister, Rasmus Stoklund, believes even those lucky enough to have passports from EU countries could be affected. "The increased level of control may affect waiting times for all travellers — especially in the beginning, as authorities and travellers adapt to the new system and procedures," he said.

"Arrive in good time at the airport if you are travelling during the autumn holidays, particularly if you are departing for a destination outside the Schengen area." A lot of the concern is to do with the requirement for fingerprints — something that many British travellers are unfamiliar with, and may find intrusive. My prediction is that fingerprinting will quickly be forgotten. Rudy Daniello, executive vice-president of airport and airline operations for Amadeus, told me: "Some countries still use fingerprints or iris scans, but we believe facial recognition is the future. It's now just as accurate and far less intrusive. Giving a fingerprint or iris scan adds friction, while facial recognition allows you to move seamlessly."

One day, you will breeze along a corridor unaware that you are crossing an international frontier. Until then, the only preparation you can make is emotional — being ready for queues and confusion. Be kind to one another, and the staff who are trying to make everything work. Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel issue — and what it means for you.