Summer Holiday? Try Leaving Europe

The much-delayed rollout of the new EU-wide digital entry and exit system finally took place in a big way in April this year, and as the European press has shown, has been an utter car crash of a rollout. Massive delays have been caused by the poor implementation of the systems, leaving some passengers stranded as their planes took off without them. The carnage has even caused some member states to pause or even abandon the rollout, with Greece removing Brits completely from the system for the short term to prevent a hit to their tourism industry this summer. France has also suspended their implementation over the summer months, so as not to heavily impact tourism.

Despite assurances and promises from the EU Commission that the British access to eGates would be reinstated, and despite the UK at no point removing EU citizens from the UK eGate system, their use across the EU is still very haphazard and unpredictable. Some airports in some member states have provided UK travellers with eGate access consistently and for years, whereas others have not reintroduced it despite having no technical reason to remove it in the first place.

Here at Britain Unbound we would recommend that you take the inaccessibility of the eGates for British passport holders as the message that it is intended to be – that your custom is neither desired or valued, and to choose an alternate destination to one who intentionally wishes a worse experience for you.

One of the little known deviations in UK and EU law since the UK’s departure from the EU in 2020, is the rule around where airlines can and should refuel for their journeys. In an attempt to force airlines to use more expensive sustainable fuel sources (SAF), the EU decreed that all airlines must source 90% of the fuel for a given flight from the EU airport that they are departing from. This way, through controlling what fuel the airport can sell, the EU can ensure that planes departing from EU airports have to use the more expensive fuel.

The UK did not go the same way with its legislation, and so does not provide the same restrictions. Passenger jets can typically carry significantly more fuel than they require for a single journey, and so those departing from the UK can choose to “fill up” in another non-EU country where the fuel might be significantly cheaper and more abundant.

But why would this be an issue? Why would jet fuel be cheaper and more abundant than in the EU? Well this comes down to the war in Iran, and the access to the Strait of Hormuz – a major marine shipping lane for fuel destined for the EU, which happens to pass through water controlled by Iran.

So at best your return flight from the EU may be significantly more expensive due to the cost of the jet fuel that the airline needs to source from within the EU. At worst, your flights might be delayed or even cancelled, as supplies of jet fuel within the EU get even tighter and priority decisions need to be made on which flights can continue to operate – and the EU will not be prioritising flights carrying British tourists.

The tourism industry is a very competitive one, and government policies very often follow pressure exerted by fluctuations in footfall in tourism. Some EU policies as regards UK tourists seem to be motivated out of nothing more than spite, to try to punish the British for daring to leave their union. For daring to utilise their democratic rights. So British tourists this summer should look to visit those places that actually appreciate their custom and their hard-earned money – and then perhaps EU member states will realise what it is that they are losing, and maybe rethink their spiteful policies in the future.