Greece has shown this week that when push comes to shove, the European Union rule book can be ripped up. With Schengen Area countries having had to introduce the new EES entry/exit scheme and despite having had a six-month roll-out period, most countries have failed. British travellers are facing airport chaos, even being forced to either miss flights or leave luggage behind. Not a good start.
So, faced with the problems and also the added uncertainty of what impact the Middle East conflict is going to have on tourism, Greece has decided to suspend biometric checks for UK travellers under the EU’s Entry/Exit Scheme. The tourist industry has applauded the country for doing so.
And with airports in Spain suffering similar problems - a cry for help was made by Ibiza last week with Britons being held up for hours in the airport - why does not Spain follow the Greek example, even it it just for the peak summer season as many travel groups and airlines have been calling for, until the system is able to run smoothly?
There are going to be plenty of nervous travellers this year with talk of flights being grounded or at last disrupted, due to fuel shortages or airfares being hiked to stay in the air, so why does not Spain give the millions of Britons spending their hard-earned cash in the country a welcome break?