Greece and Spain have been worst hit by border delays
British holidaymakers are being warned that they could experience delays of up to an hour when visiting these 20 European destinations. Stricter border control procedures when entering and leaving certain nations mean travellers from outside the European Union will encounter longer waiting times at security checkpoints as biometric data is collected under the new Entry/Exit System (EES).
Two popular holiday spots appear to be worst hit when it comes to causing delays for UK passengers, while a third recorded the longest average delay time amongst those surveyed.
Analysis by AirAdvisor revealed that Greece and Spain are the destinations experiencing the most disruption, while those flying to Milan, Italy, are likely to face the lengthiest delays.
Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, explains: “Our research found that Greece is by some distance the most disruption-prone country for UK air passengers. Seven of the twenty most disrupted destinations for holidays from the UK to Europe are Greek islands, which might not come as a surprise to frequent travellers to these airports.”
He added: “They tend to be much smaller than hubs in major metropolitan centres and are incredibly popular with holidaymakers from across the world. During the summer period, they frequently operate at maximum capacity, so that means that when a mass disruption event occurs, there are implications for other services.”
Anton continued: “Similarly, the sheer volume of flights between popular Spanish holiday hubs in Palma and Reus can result in full days of travel chaos when multiple services are delayed. When delays start to build up at an airport, a domino effect can occur, causing flights across a single day being pushed back, leading to higher rates of delays, particularly at peak periods.”
The top 20 is ranked by number of flights delayed for more than 60 minutes.
The 20 airports most likely to delay your flight
- Milan Bergamo, Italy
- Nice Cote d’Azur, France
- Kefalonia, Greece
- Pisa, Italy
- Corfu, Greece
- Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- Reus, Spain
- Ponta Delgada, Portugal
- Olbia, Sardinia
- Zadar, Croatia
- Zakynthos, Greece
- Naples, Italy
- Chania, Greece
- Paphos, Cyprus
- Kos, Greece
- Rhodes, Greece
- Ibiza, Spain
- Alicante, Spain
- Mykonos, Greece
- Porto, Portugal
Under the government’s UK261 regulation, passengers whose flights are delayed by more than three hours, or face cancellation, may be entitled to compensation, reports the Express. . The total amount awarded is determined by both the length of the delay and the distance of the flight.
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