Vindictive EU botches borders, loses my summer cash

TL;DR

Telegraph columnist Robert Taylor blasts EU's botched Entry/Exit System rollout for causing border chaos to British travellers.
Over 100 easyJet passengers missed a Manchester flight from Milan Linate after three-hour queues at passport control.
Taylor vows to skip EU holidays this summer, opting for non-Schengen spots to avoid the hassle and hit EU tourism cash.

The story at a glance

Robert Taylor, a Telegraph columnist, argues the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) has created painful delays for British holidaymakers due to poor implementation. The opinion piece reacts to recent chaos like over 100 easyJet flyers stranded at Milan Linate airport after missing their flight amid three-hour border queues. It comes days after EES full rollout on 10 April 2026 across 29 Schengen countries, amid widespread reports of disruption.[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/14/vindictive-eu-wont-get-my-tourist-cash-this-summer)[[2]](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn897e8280do)

Key points

EES requires non-EU nationals, including Brits, to register biometrics (fingerprints and photo) on first entry, replacing passport stamps to track 90/180-day stays.
Full system went live 10 April 2026, but rollout since October 2025 has led to 2-3 hour waits, missed flights, and calls from airlines/airports for suspensions.[[3]](https://www.internationalairportreview.com/first-day-of-eu-entry-exit-system-ees-disruption-spark-calls-for-flexibility/2135194.article)
Milan Linate incident: easyJet flight to Manchester departed with just 34 of 156 passengers after border delays; airline called queues "unacceptable" but out of their control.[[4]](https://www.aol.com/news/easyjet-leaves-100-behind-border-164314429.html)
Similar issues at Munich, Pisa, Geneva; some airports paused EES temporarily; first-timers face longest checks, repeats should be quicker.
Taylor labels EES "crazy new entry scheme" and EU "vindictive", plans to holiday elsewhere like Turkey or Albania to dodge the pain.

Details and context

The EES aims to automate overstayer detection but first-use biometrics slow things down amid staff shortages and kiosk glitches. British tourists, post-Brexit "third country nationals", hit hardest at busy spots like airports and Dover—though UK exit points like Folkestone and St Pancras have tech delays.[[5]](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-entryexit-system)

Industry groups ACI Europe and Airlines for Europe report flights departing short-staffed and warn of worse summer chaos without flexibility; EU allows partial suspensions but uptake varies.[[3]](https://www.internationalairportreview.com/first-day-of-eu-entry-exit-system-ees-disruption-spark-calls-for-flexibility/2135194.article)

ETIAS, the €7 pre-travel authorisation (like ESTA), is delayed to late 2026 at earliest, needing stable EES first; no impact yet on summer plans.

Key quotes

EasyJet spokesman: "We are aware that some passengers departing from Milan Linate today experienced longer than usual waiting times at passport control... border delays caused by the implementation of the new European Entry / Exit System (EESS) were 'unacceptable'."[[4]](https://www.aol.com/news/easyjet-leaves-100-behind-border-164314429.html)

Why it matters

EU border bottlenecks threaten summer travel recovery, hitting airlines, airports, and Schengen economies reliant on British spending. Brits face missed flights, extra costs, and stress—arrive 3+ hours early advised, but cabin bags only to cut risks. Watch for ETIAS launch (possibly Q4 2026) and any EU flexibility extensions through peak season.