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Approximately 100 travelers found themselves stranded at Milan’s Linate Airport after missing their Easyjet flight to Manchester on Sunday. Long queues at border control, some lasting up to three hours, were caused by the introduction of new checks, leaving many passengers unable to board. The situation reportedly led to distress among those waiting, with some people experiencing vomiting and fainting due to the heat and prolonged waiting times.
Among the affected was 17-year-old Kiera from Oldham, who arrived at the airport well ahead of her 11 a.m. flight. Despite arriving at 7:30 a.m., she and her boyfriend faced lengthy lines and only learned their flight had departed without them after reaching the front of the queue. Kiera explained that roughly 30 people managed to board, while about 100 were left behind. Due to the missed flight, her family incurred an additional £520 expense for rebooking, this time to Gatwick rather than Manchester. She expressed frustration with the minimal compensation offered by Easyjet, stating, “We won’t be able to buy a sandwich at the airport for that, and we’re going to be stuck here until we can fly tomorrow.”
Another passenger, Adam Lomas from Wakefield, highlighted the difficulties he and his family endured while trying to resolve the situation. Traveling with his wife and four-month-old daughter, Adam described the frustrating communication with Easyjet’s customer service, which involved chatbots and dropped calls. He explained that to retrieve their baby car seat, they would need to book a flight to London followed by a train journey to Manchester. Adam also noted the back-and-forth between Easyjet and the airport managers over responsibility for the delays, which exacerbated the passengers’ uncertainty and discomfort.
Easyjet attributed the delays to the recent rollout of the European Entry/Exit System (EESS), implemented last October. This system requires biometric data registration, such as fingerprints and photos, at EU borders, which can extend passport control times. UK government advice reflects that travelers may encounter longer waits but assured that no pre-arrival action or cost is involved in the registration process. A spokesperson for Easyjet acknowledged the disruption, stating that the airline attempted to mitigate the impact by holding flights when possible and offering free flight transfers for missed connections. However, the airline emphasized that the cause was beyond their control and called on border authorities to utilize all available measures to ease the process during EESS implementation
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