The first is that ten extra customer care staff are going to be on hand to explain to passengers, especially those arriving, to have their passports ready and to also encourage more people to use the individual passport scanner system. Secondly, an extra 20 automatic scanners are going to be installed. And thirdly, two double passport control cabins are already in operation in Terminal A departures and another has been installed in arrivals. So, there are now a total of five double passport control booths in departures and three in arrivals plus the increased number of the ABC System automatic scanners.
The national government delegate to the Balearics, Maria Salom, said yesterday that she is well aware of the problem, but she explained that new European Union border crossing controls were introduced back in May (EU regulation 2017/458). This involves much stricter physical passport controls for non-European Union and Schengen residents, such as the British.
But according to the Spanish Association of Airlines and other airline bodies, the problem of Palma’s passport bottleneck is not only forcing thousands of passengers to queue, for hours in some cases, in non-air conditioned areas, it is also leading to passengers losing their flights as well as flights missing their take-off slots and therefore being delayed. This having a knock-on effect on those passengers waiting to fly out to Majorca on the return trip.
In a letter to the interior minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido Alvarez, the Spanish airline industry states that over 100 passengers a day are missing their flights due to having been stuck in the passport control queues. Any aircraft taking off 15 minutes later than scheduled is officially considered delayed.
So, passengers in the UK waiting at airports to be collected by a plane which has been delayed from Palma are within their rights to claim compensation from their respective airline. Moreover, the airlines informed the minister that non-Schengen flights were already susceptible to delays because of the general air traffic congestion in Spanish airspace, especially during the peak summer months, such as now. In many cases, these flights are quite often delayed for at least an hour.
On average, it is taking at least 30 minutes to get through passport control in Palma, but at peaks times, as over 70 people pointed out on the Bulletin Facebook site yesterday, it can be much longer. "We’ve been stuck there for as long as two hours on occasions with limited and unprepared toilet facilities and shops which are all closed," one reader posted yesterday.
In fact the vast majority of the comments were highly negative and from people who have experienced the passport nightmare. But it appears the matter is being dealt with.
6 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
I was caught in the chaos earlier in the year. Put my property up for sale literally the next day. I guess there are going to be a few years of this. I don't want any part of it. Shame we love the island and it's people.
Hi,Does anyone know if the above steps have been actioned yet?Cheers!
Having been to Majorca some 14 times before, and for the last three summers I was appalled at the situation we met on arrival. However it was even worse on departure. It is utterly ridiculous and detracts from what I've always found to be a very efficient airport. If it is this difficult to travel there I will seriously consider not bothering again. Disappointed
Delays like this will result in people choosing to spend their holidays in other countries- such a shame because Mallorca used to be such a great airport to travel through......
Having been back and forth 8 times since May we've never had to wait more than about 20 minutes for entry. However this seems to be based on luck as to when your aircraft arrives and how many others come in at the same time. On Monday we arrived and got approximately to the end of the bridge before the queue started, however turning round seconds later the queue was all the way back into the terminal. This was compounded by the fact that at 10pm on the dot 4 out of the 5 staff left their posts and just one officer was left to deal with the 800nor so people that had just arrived.
This late morning, walked straight through passport control, and spoiled for choice of for which booth. to go through. Also we may have to get used to allow more time to get through passport control in future. One can use security up to 3 hours before a flight, if one can stand waiting at airports .