The five new air travel rules every British holidaymaker needs to know

October half-term is on the horizon, and thousands of families will be planning trips overseas. The Entry/Exit System (EES) is now – at least in theory – in full effect at most Schengen Area airports. It requires third-country travellers, including British passport holders, to go through biometric checks on arrival and departure from the border-free travel zone. British holidaymakers may notice other changes when travelling to Europe, including pricing for flights and add-ons and the e-gate process on return to some UK airports. Here are five things to look out for. Using your face as a passport British passport holders will soon be able to use their faces to get through e-gates at UK airports (Photo: Akabei/Getty) E-gates at UK airports will soon work without a passport, thanks to upgraded facial recognition technology. British passport holders will be the first to use the gates passport-free. When a passenger checks in, their details are sent to border control in the UK. The list of passengers arriving at the airport will be checked against Home Office systems. When a British passport holder uses an e-gate, the gate should open after the passenger’s photo is successfully matched to an image within the system’s gallery, without requiring a passport scan. Passports will still be needed to check in for a flight and to board the plane. Birmingham and East Midland’s airports are set to be the first to introduce the “contactless borders”, within the coming weeks. The update should reduce waiting times at e-gates. Airlines banned from charging parents to sit with children Airlines operating in the UK will be banned from charging parents to sit with their children on flights, under new government plans. They will also be banned from charging passengers to correct name errors made on a booking. Ryanair was the only airline that had recently charged parents to sit next to their child. Airlines typically specify that children under 12 need to sit with an adult on the booking. The main change in the government plan is increasing the age requirement to under 14. Shorts …And what this means for Ryanair In June, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Ryanair charging seat reservation fees for parents to sit with children. Ryanair announced an update to its family seating policy on 25 June, after the CMA investigation was launched. It said that it would ensure that children under 12 would always be seated next to at least one adult on a booking as part of random (fee-free) seat allocation. However, most of the randomly allocated seats are towards the back of the plane. On some Ryanair flights, passengers can exit from both the front and the back of the plane – but, typically, they can always exit from the front of the plane. Airlines operating in the UK will be banned from charging parents to sit next to their children, under new government plans (Photo: Isbjorn/Getty) EES update (and how to avoid queues) Sit near the front of the plane Flexibility that allowed EES biometric checks to be suspended in busy periods officially ended on 6 September. But at least nine countries were permitted to continue pausing biometric checks. France, Portugal and Italy were among them. Even if an airport has this choice, passengers may find biometric checks are being enforced. With the Airports Council International (ACI) reporting hours’ long queues at some airports earlier this year, it’s worth planning ahead. Securing a seat near the front of the plane, and being among the first passengers to get off the flight and arrive at passport control, is an easy way to cut down your queueing time. Arrive on time for departure EES applies in both directions, so be prepared for a queue at passport control ahead of your return flight to the UK. Use the EES app Sweden and Portugal are the only countries to have adopted the EES app that allows travellers to enter some information for EES ahead of their trip. Sweden is using it in full, allowing passengers to pre-register their passport, a photograph of themselves and details about their journey. It can save 20–23 seconds per passenger at passport control, which quickly adds up when a plane-full of passengers is being processed. Visit an EES-free European country EES only applies to countries in the Schengen Area. Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU, but not in Schengen, so EES doesn’t apply. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are in either the EU or Schengen. Right to a free ‘personal item’ In July, the EU updated its air passenger rights rules. Among the rule changes was that airlines must include at least a carry-on trolley bag (rather than just a bag that can fit under a seat) when listing starting prices for flights. This does not mean that passengers can now bring a trolley bag without charge. Instead, the cost of a carry-on case will automatically be added to the listed starting price (and can be removed in the booking process, if preferred). Passengers also now have the right to take one personal item, such as a small bag or backpack (with maximum dimensions of 40x30x15cm), without an extra fee. Etias launch postponed (and rogue websites) The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) was the next change for third-country travellers visiting the EU. No date has been provided for its launch. The EU webpage states: “The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch.” Etias is effectively a visa waiver, functioning in a similar way to the Esta (used for travel to the US). Visa-exempt third-country travellers, which includes British passport holders, will need to have an Etias to visit any of 30 European countries. Etias will be linked to a passport. The EU says most applications will be processed within minutes and will last for three years, or until a passport expires, whichever is sooner. It is set to cost €20 (around £17), but under-18s and over-70s will be exempt from the payment. Some direct family members on EU nationals, such as spouses and children under 12, will be exempt from the application fee. There are several bogus websites claiming to be processing Etias applications. Applications will be processed through official websites and are not open.