Q&A: what are my rights If I miss my flight due to EES queues?
What happens if your flight takes off without you due to delays caused EES queues? The post Q&A: what are my rights If I miss my flight due to EES queues? appeared first on The Travel Magazine.
Black News 
Q: If I miss my flight due to EES queues, who is responsible?
A: Biometric and facial recognition checks are now in place after the introduction of the new European Entry-Exit System (EES). However, the transition to this new system has not been smooth. A recent easyJet flight took off from Milan to Manchester, leaving 122 delayed passengers behind.
EasyJet acknowledged that the passport control queues were “unacceptable”, and even though they delayed the flight by an hour, it still flew with only 35 passengers on board.
Unfortunately, in this circumstance, airlines are not obliged to find you an alternative flight or compensate you in any way. Passengers have no support and must sort out and pay for other last-minute travel arrangements. In this case, EasyJet did agree to waive the flight transfer fee to ease the pain.
No one, it seems, is willing to step up to offer help for the flyers in this situation. The expectation is that travellers should allow ample time – at least three hours – to cater for the delays caused by this new system and have all their documentation ready to show.
If your flight is part of a package holiday, then contact the tour operator, though there doesn’t seem to be much support in place to cater for travellers caught up in this situation.
The Package Travel Regulations say: “Where a traveller is in difficulty, the organiser must give appropriate assistance without undue delay … helping the traveller to find alternative travel arrangements.” Nevertheless, if they do help you find alternative arrangements, you will still be expected to pay.
The best bet is to refer to your travel insurance, though it is unlikely there is a provision for this scenario.
The post Q&A: what are my rights If I miss my flight due to EES queues? appeared first on The Travel Magazine.
