The trade could again be facing the fallout from ‘chaos at airports’ headlines, says Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley
The extension of the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme to all non-European nationals not requiring visas last week fired the starting gun on a year of change at Europe’s borders.
The ETA apes the US Esta system, requiring visitors to seek advance authorisation to enter the UK, and from April 2 will extend to those from Europe. The Home Office insists it’s ready.
At the same time, the European Commission and EU governments are preparing to launch the delayed biometric Entry/Exit System (EES), which will require UK travellers to the EU to register faces, fingerprints and passport data on first entry.
A new EES launch date has yet to be announced following the postponement in November, but the EC is set on the system being introduced over just six months and queues at border control appear inevitable at peak times.
No sooner will the EES be in place than the EC plans to launch its own advance travel authorisation system for non-EU visitors (Etias).
It’s hard to envisage all three systems being introduced without any problems, and should the EC launch the EES around the time the ETA is extended to Europe, confusion is virtually guaranteed. But delaying to the summer peak could be even worse.
The media will be primed for delays, with social media posts picked up regardless of how representative they are.
If that happens, the trade could again be facing the fallout from the familiar ‘chaos at airports’ headlines. With hopes high for another positive year, we need sensible heads in government to keep any disruption to a minimum.
Comment originally from Travel Weekly, January 9 edition