Brits Issued Travel Warnings Ahead of Summer Season

British nationals that have plans to visit Europe this summer should expect uneasy travelling as airport chaos caused by staff shortages at airports due to the COVID-19 pandemic awaits them.

Some of the most common problems Brits are to occur this summer include delayed flights, lost luggage and huge queues, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“Things will not change until the government gives us appreciation to us to get the aviation industry back up and running as normal and telling the company to pay us a bit more as the cost of living is getting higher and higher,” an airport worker had said to LADbible in 2022.

In addition, Andy Prendergast, GMB National Sectary, pointed out for LADbible that airport workers need to be recruited and have security clearance which cannot be achieved overnight.

He recommended that in order to solve the issue, airports need to improve their wage offers and prepare for peaks in demand.

“With better wages and better use of furlough, the industry would not be struggling for staff. But cutting skilled workers jobs – a practice we repeatedly saw across the sector during COVID – that cannot be replaced overnight was short-sighted,” he told LADbible.

Eurocontrol, the agency for safeguarding European airspace, has also warned that flight traffic could be an issue this summer as the war in Ukraine and the military needs continue.

Brits have also been warned about carrying their UK passport, as they have to check for their ID validity before hopping on a plane, especially on their passport validity.

They need to have another six months of validity left on their passports after their visit, and their passport needs to be no older than ten years. Passports that no longer have the required time left for the country they want to travel to will need to apply for renewal, while the official UK website reveals that it should take up to ten weeks for a passport to be renewed.

Another travel warning directed to British citizens is an extra fee they will be charged starting next year.

The fee will also apply to travel to several countries in Europe but not the EU, while the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will pre-screen travellers before boarding the plane as security checks are being run to those that want to get into the Schengen countries.

A highly suggested advice is to book early flights, making it less likely to be subject to issues in the backlog of delays. Travellers around Europe should expect disruptions this summer as strikes and protests continue across the zone.

Most importantly, travellers are highly encouraged to purchase EU travel insurance in order to minimise the damage if any inconvenience may occur.