As we predicted, the implementation of the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES) is causing extended delays at airports across the continent.
The system requires incoming non-EU citizens to supply biometric data (such as fingerprints and face scans) at automated kiosks instead of getting passports stamped. EES became fully operational in early April after a gradual rollout that began back in the fall.
The idea is that the system will ultimately speed up border crossings (you only have to register with EES once every 3 years). But here at the start of the program, EES has caused major bottlenecks at many airports, with passengers reporting nightmarish waits of up to 3 hours that have led to missed flights.
Not every participating airport has experienced horrific lines so far. Early on, some of the worst waits have reportedly been endured at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Berlin Brandenburg, and Lisbon, Portugal.
But even airports that have so far had relatively seamless transitions to EES could quickly go sideways. And the peak summer tourism season looms.
With that in mind, we've come up with four line-prepping measures you can take as you plan for upcoming travel to Europe.
Give yourself tons of time between connecting flights.
If your European flight itinerary includes an intermediate stop in an EU country before you catch another flight to your final destination, you'll need to go through the EES rigmarole after touching down at that first stop.
So, for example, a Stockholm-bound American who books an itinerary that involves making a connection in Amsterdam will have to wait for a kiosk in Amsterdam before continuing on to the departure gate for Sweden.
And since major European airports that handle a lot of connections—hubs like, whaddaya know, Amsterdam—are liable to have a lot of flyers passing through, especially at peak times, it's reasonable to expect those airports to have some of the longest EES lines.
Consequently, flyers are wise to give themselves a lot of time to make connections at European airports in the coming months. If possible, aim for a 3-hour layover at minimum.
Register for EES in advance if you can.
But you probably can't, at least not yet.
The EU and its member states are working on rolling out a mobile app called Travel to Europe that will let you preregister passport data and upload your facial image in advance in order to speed things up at the border.
But so far the app is only functional at entry points for Sweden and Portugal.
As your trip nears, though, keep checking the government travel websites of your destination to see if the country has introduced new ways to take care of at least some EES steps online before you land in Europe.
Consider buying travel insurance.
Specifically, look for a policy with trip delay coverage that will help out with expenses in case you miss a flight due to standing in line for an EES kiosk and then have to pay for food, an overnight hotel stay, and other charges you hadn't budgeted for.
Note that although trip delay coverage is common in travel insurance policies, it's not always included so be careful when shopping around.
Go to a European country that isn't doing EES.
The Entry/Exit System applies to 25 of the EU's 27 member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
But some European countries are sitting this one out, including a couple tourism heavy hitters such as Ireland and Cyprus along with rising stars such as Montenegro and Albania.
And since the United Kingdom isn't part of the European Union anymore, you don't have to do anything EES-related to enter England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, either. (Visitors to the U.K. do, however, have to complete an Electronic Travel Authorization, but that's a different thing.)
If you'd rather give the rest of the continent a few months to get its EES issues under control, we hear the Albanian Riviera is lovely this time of year.