EasyJet Passengers Endure Vomiting and Near-Fainting in Milan Border Chaos
Chaos erupted at Milan's Linate airport as approximately 100 British passengers were left stranded, with many vomiting and close to passing out due to oppressive heat, after facing up to three-hour queues at border control. The delays, attributed to new EU entry checks, caused an easyJet flight to Manchester to depart without them, leaving travellers scrambling to return home.
Scenes of Mayhem as New Border System Fails
Pictures and videos shared online depicted scenes of mayhem, with large queues forming at the international airport. The disruption follows the UK government's updated guidance for travel to the European Schengen area, which now requires biometric registration upon arrival. The implementation of the EU Entry and Exit System (EES), an electronic system replacing physical passport stamping, was reportedly not functioning properly, forcing all passengers to be manually checked by just two border control officers.
Emily Benn, from Grimsby, was travelling with five others on the 11am flight. She described the ordeal: "We got to the airport at 8am and our flight was due to leave Milan Linate at 11am. As soon as our gate came on the board, we went straight to it and there was already a huge queue." The queue served three separate flights, with hundreds of passengers all trying to get through. By 11:20am, they were informed the flight had left without them.
Passengers Face Costly and Stressful Aftermath
Passengers have been left disappointed after arriving at the airport in plenty of time, only to face huge delays returning home. Emily Benn's group, including a child due for spinal surgery in a few days, had to rebook flights to Gatwick instead of Manchester, incurring a £400 taxi fare to retrieve their parked car. Other passengers shared their "nightmare" experiences on social media, with one posting: "You abandoned me and 122 other passengers in Milan. You flew to Manchester with 34 onboard. We queued for three hours and all the time the flight info remained at ‘boarding’ we were then told the delayed flight had left."
Airline Response and Crew Limitations
An easyJet spokesperson stated that the airline held the plane for nearly an hour extra but eventually had to depart due to crew reaching their safety-regulated operating hours. The spokesperson said: "We are aware that some passengers departing from Milan Linate today experienced longer than usual waiting times at passport control and we advised customers due to fly to allow additional time to make their way through the airport." They offered free flight transfers to affected customers and urged border authorities to utilise flexibilities during the EES implementation to avoid such delays, acknowledging the situation was "outside of our control" and apologising for any inconvenience.
The incident highlights the ongoing challenges with the rollout of new border systems, leaving travellers vulnerable to extreme conditions and significant disruptions. As the EU continues to implement the EES, passengers are advised to allocate extra time for airport processes to mitigate similar chaos in the future.
