I was bracing for a mess when I arrived in Lisbon and had to enter the Schengen Area using the new Entry/Exit System (EES). Instead, the entire process took about five minutes.
The only thing giving me pause was immigration.
Europe’s new Entry/Exit System has generated plenty of horror stories since its rollout, and Lisbon in particular had a rough start. Late last year, Portugal temporarily suspended EES at Lisbon Airport after serious congestion developed in the arrivals area, while also adding more border-control equipment and staff. The Portuguese government acknowledged the bottlenecks and took “emergency” measures to address them.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
