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What should have been a vacation’s start has become an endurance test at airports across Europe. The 3-hour passport lines, the overheated terminals, or the security bottlenecks all feel familiar from travel chaos of old. The problems are no longer caused by a strike or bad weather but rather a regular occurrence.
In the summer of 2018, travellers have reported record-breaking wait times in some of Europe’s most busy airports. Analyzing passenger reviews, it was revealed that not only airports were experiencing the worst queues. What are the measures being taken to combat this? And why does it not only affect travel, but also systems that are constantly under pressure?
Queues that are breaking down
Recent traveller reports paint a frustrating picture: airports across Europe — including smaller resort cities — are struggling to keep up. The worst part is? Often, you’ll find it in places that you’d never expect.
- Brussels (BRU), is getting hit the hardest — some travellers say they waited up to five hours to clear passport control. This is not an isolated incident. The system continues to be overwhelmed by the mix of long haul traffic and non Schengen flights.
- Faro is a city in the south of Spain. It has become a regular occurrence. Delays often exceed the three-hour threshold, especially on flights leaving the UK. Brexit paperwork and aging infrastructure, combined with limited staff, have made this airport a major source of frustration.
- Berlin BrYou can also find out more about the following:enburg (BER) and Venice Treviso They have also been criticized for their irregular flow and long waiting times during peak hours, which is not helped by the summer flight surges or budget carrier traffic.
- In the UK Luton You can also find out more about the following: Birmingham Have joined Stansted As queue hotspots with passengers complaining about missed connections and lack of communication from airport staff.
The complaints are not limited to the ones in this report. Reddit, TripAdvisor and other social media sites indicate that there is a general trend of frustration at Europe’s midtier airports.
Why do wait times seem so long?
The truth is that the cause of the queues is not seasonal crowds. This summer we are seeing delays as a result of systems that have reached their limit.
- Non-Schengen complexityAirports like Brussels or Faro are a hub for non-EU travelers and post Brexit UK travellers. This means that they have to implement additional passport controls. The infrastructure is not up to speed with each additional ID check.
- Personnel mismatchStaffing has not kept pace with the demand for travel despite a rapid recovery. At peak times, many border control booths remain empty. Many countries are still struggling to attract and retain trained airport staff — a post-pandemic issue that has yet to be resolved.
- The technology is outdated or incompleteThe promised biometric gates are not always working. Faro, Berlin and other cities still use old systems. The rollout of digital gates is years behind schedule.
- Poor crowd managementEven when terminals don’t seem to be full, bad signage, queue bottlenecks and lack ventilation can cause stress. Not only does it matter how long you have to wait, but How to get started You wait for updates, as families are left waiting hours without any information and reports of heat exhaustion.
This raises the question of what will happen if traffic continues to increase and airports are unable to handle it smoothly in 2025?
What can travelers do?
Governments are still playing catch-up and travelers are left with these cases. In most cases, the people who are successful in planning for the worst are also those who have done so well. Here are some tips from the experienced Flyers to avoid the airport chaos this summer
- Arrive early than ever: Three hours used to be enough — now it’s five, especially for non-Schengen flights or peak slots (early morning and late afternoon).
- If you can choose between two terminals, do so; Some gates have better staffing, while others even have e-gates in operation that speed up the process. You can save yourself an hour by making a small change.
- Before you go, Check queue apps such as Flio, or even Google Maps. (Yes, this works at some airports). Travellers have started quietly crowdsharing this kind of info — because nobody wants to be the one caught off guard at security.
- If you’re eligible for e-gates, say you’ve got an EU biometric passport — Use them. Double-check that they are actually working. Spain and Portugal are big fans of them, but they don’t always turn them on.
- All you need to do is print: Mobile boarding passes and app confirmations are handy — until they crash. You shouldn’t depend on your phone’s battery. Print your boarding pass. Always carry a backup identification. Airport staff who are stressed out will often be more helpful if you can hold something.
- Pack for delaysBe patient, bring snacks, charge your devices, use reusable bottles of water, and have plenty of patience. Travelling with children or older passengers is especially important.
A few travellers are now shifting their entire holiday dates — flying midweek, avoiding weekends, even pushing to early September when things quiet down. Queues are so bad that travellers have to alter their plans.
The lines are not just a coincidence; they show how airports were designed for a previous era. The airports are not equipped with enough staff or space to handle the demand that spikes every summer.
Treat your airport as a challenge for travellers if it is the gateway to your escape. It’s important to prepare and plan for the airport, but don’t forget that many others haven’t.
The kind of travel experiences that Europe offers are many, but too many of them begin in a line.
