British tourists heading to Mallorca are set face shorter airport queues this summer, with negotiators on the verge of striking an agreement for British passport holders to use E-gates across Europe. They had been fears that British tourists would face long delays at Palma airport because of staffing problems at immigration desks.
Some passengers told the Bulletin that they had waited for more than one hour to clear passport control this month and they are fears that the problem could become even more pronounced as the summer season gets into full swing.
Pet passports will be brought back so cats and dogs coming from the UK will no longer need pricey animal health certificates for every trip. After Brexit, pet owners had to get a certificate from a vet in the UK then a vet in the EU before returning.
British passports can currently only be used at e-gates in the EU at a limited number of airports in Spain and Portugal.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said the announcement was "a significant breakthrough for British travellers".
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, added: "This is excellent news for British holidaymakers and will enable an even smoother passenger experience for families travelling to the EU."
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Don’t know what the fuss is all about airplane to car in under 15 mins on Monday evening.
Ulla Jackson"Sorry Brexit meant Brexit" — and you got what you voted for. Now, quoting Nigel*, it is time to "move on" which is precisely what today's European reset deal is part of. From your comment, I don't think you fully understand what the EU is. The EU is a trading bloc, with open borders between member nations for trade and free movement of people within those borders. Access to the EU market is crucial for the UK economy. The aim of the deal is to boost UK exports to the EU, given that it remains the UK’s largest trading partner, and to strengthen economic ties. It isn't cherry picking, it is essential economic development to lift the UK out of the 14-year mire of Conservative political and economic lunacy. How else do you think UK-EU trade would function post-Brexit without formalised agreements? This e-gate agreement is simply an opportunity to reestablish a more effective cross-border travel procedure, aligning with the practices of other non-EU countries (Norway and Switzerland). The UK already allows citizens from EU member states, to use e-gates at its airports. This new agreement can be seen as a reciprocal gesture to facilitate travel for UK citizens in the EU. What is wrong with that? *forgive me.
Stephen NivenLeaving last October they stopped working. Then all just opened up and people just walked through.
Er the twice I visited the island last year, we used the e gates , and the year before. In march I entered Schengen in Amsterdam on the way to Florence, and used e gates. In Budapest last December manual passport control no queue. And in Berlin, e gates . So is it me or is someone unaware of this practice.
This is cherry picking. Britain is not part of EU. Either all nationalities with biometric passport should also be able to use the e gates, or non, British passports included. Sorry Brexit meant Brexit
The eGates at PMI are a joke. They are only needed at Terminal A for non-Schengen flights, and the only EU arrivals are from Ireland. EU citizens travelling on a national identity card (most of us) cannot use them, as they only read Spanish cards. Citizens from the other 26 countries have to queue up with the Brits.