UK Ferry Tickets

Travellers to Spain this summer could face delays at airports, because the Spanish authorities are demanding more information about who is visiting their country.

From June 13, travellers to Spain will have to provide their full given names, surname, nationality, date of birth and passport number. It’s all part of new security measures, similar to those that visitors to the US have had to provide for some time, although Spanish visitors will not have to say where they are staying on holiday.

From next year, most EU countries are going to ask for this advanced passenger information, but Spain is the first to take the plunge.

The information has to be given before anyone boards an aircraft and there are fears there could be big delays at check-in as everyone stops to fill in forms.

The smart thing to do is give your details before you travel to the airport – most scheduled airlines are going to offer that facility.

But, inevitably, many people won’t do that and the Association of British Travel Agents is hopping mad about the new rule. They say it is a stupid time to introduce it, just before the peak summer season. They’ve got a point – why not trial it in the quieter winter months? Around 12 million people go to Spain every year, two thirds of them in the summer.

British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet will enable their passengers to give details on line before they travel. All are confident that there will be no delays for passengers on the way to Spain. We’ll see.

Guest Article by

Jeremy Skidmore

Wednesday, May 30th, 2007