Thousands of beleaguered travellers have been left standing for airports for hours, including one of the worst hit, Palma (pictured two weeks ago). Photo / Denis McNeil Twitter
Thousands of beleaguered travellers have been left standing for airports for hours, including one of the worst hit, Palma (pictured two weeks ago). Photo / Denis McNeil Twitter
By Alex Matthews, Richard Spillett and Gareth Davids
British holidaymakers have been enduring weeks of chaos at airports across Europe with queues up to four hours long after tougher border controls were imposed by the EU - it emerged today.
Airports popular with UK tourists have seen queues stretching back hundreds of yards after stricter checks were imposed on entry and exit to the European "Schengen" area.
Palma airport in Majorca, pictured two weeks ago, is one of the worst hit airports after the EU increased border checks on those entering the 'Schengen' countries of Europe. Photo / Cainsey D Twitter
Stricken passengers looking forward to their holidays have been left unaware of the delays which have been ongoing for several weeks but only came to light today, according to the Daily Mail.
Some airports have reported long delays to planes taking off while crews wait for passengers to pass the border, with other travellers missing their flights while standing in line.
Pictures of the hell endured by passengers over the last few weeks have emerged today as British families set off on their summer breaks.
Palma airport in Majorca is one of the worst hit, with tourists fainting in hot temperatures in queues.
Tourist Connor Aston told MailOnline: "There were four guys standing in only one booth yesterday at passport control. I felt they were punishing the UK residents and had a very abrupt attitude. It was absolutely not a good experience."
Mr Aston was trying to get on an Easyjet flight to Belfast with his with partner, mother-in-law and children aged three, six and 12.
He waited around half an hour to get through controls, and added: "It definitely looked as they were on a go slow."
Nicki Gillon from Manchester told The Sun that people were fainting in the stifling temperatures in the hour-long queue she endured at the same airport last month.
Paul Bower had to wait 90 minutes at Bergerac Airport after flying in from Bristol last Thursday. For much of that time, he and other passengers were standing on the tarmac next to a runway beneath a marquee.
He said: "There were three booths open but only one was manned. It was definitely taking longer to check each passport."
This was the scene in Palma, Majorca last month, with further delays expected during the summer holidays. Photo / h6rvy Twitter
Dr Michael Bond said he had a similar experience during a recent trip to Bastia on Corsica, where he waited for an hour on the tarmac to get through passport control.
Dr Bond said: "We used to zoom through passport control after getting off the aircraft. Not this time. The queue stretched from the tarmac where we landed. It was six people wide and there were two people manning the passport control."
The issue is also thought to have affected motorists using Dover to Calais ferries. Nigel Rumfitt had to wait an hour to get through controls at the Port of Calais yesterday.
Mr Rumfitt said: "The port was in chaos with a massive traffic jam at the entrance to the port and about ten lines of traffic funnelling into two lines to get through. We were early but it took an hour and we nearly missed our boat.
This was the scene at Palma airport in Majorca month after the new checks were brought in. Photo / Twitter
"There was no explanation of what was happening but this looks like a deliberate attempt to delay travellers to the UK. The officer to whom I complained blamed staff shortages."
The problems follow an EU clampdown on people of all nationalities entering or leaving the Schengen zone, the border-free area which operates on the continent.
In the wake of terror attacks, it is understood passengers now have to be checked against a security database.
The changes mean waiting times have soared compared to previous summers, when British holidaymakers were waved through after officials checked the photo page of their passports.
Airlines for Europe (A4E), which represents airlines including British Airways and easyJet, said that some EU countries had not staffed their passport control areas to take the new rules into account - further exacerbating the delays.
Some airports in Europe still have slow computer systems, increasing the delays, The Times reported today.
Thomas Reynaert, of airline association A4E said: "Travellers face long lines and can't get on their flights. Queuing for up to four hours has been the top record these days; airports like Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Lisbon, Lyon, Paris-Orly, Milan or Brussels are producing shameful pictures of devastated passengers in front of immigration booths, in lines stretching hundreds of metres.
"At some airports, flight delays have increased by 300% compared to last year - [Schengen] Member States must take the responsibility for this."
Palma airport in Majorca is among one of the worst hit, with reports of long waits even before the schools summer holidays started last month.
Extra border officials had to be drafted in to the Balearic island last month amid reports tourists were missing their flights.
A month after new rules were brought in, passengers were reportedly fainting in the long lines which formed at popular tourist island's airport.
Local official, Maria Salom, told expat paper The OIive Press that new controls for non-Schengen residents "had complicated passport control for British tourists".
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told MailOnline: "UK travellers will have a sneaky suspicion that this is some kind of EU punishment. They are going to be thinking, what has changed?
This was the scene in Majorca in April, the month after the new checks were brought in. Photo / Debbie Andrews Twitter
Mr Bridgen said the economies of countries like Spain relied heavily on the inflow of tourists from the UK, warning that if people were not treated well they would simply go elsewhere.
"You would have thought that with the eye watering levels of youth unemployment on the continent they could find someone to work in passport control to help the holidaymakers coming to spend their money," he added.
A spokesperson for the UK's Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said: "ABTA is aware that new, stricter passport checks are resulting in longer queues at Palma airport which is already busy due to a significant increase in passenger numbers.
"Tour operators will ensure that customers get to the airport in plenty of time so that they are not in danger of missing their flights, however independent travellers will need to ensure that they factor these longer queuing times into their travel plans when flying in and out of the airport."
The countries in the Schengen area are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
