It is the third consecutive day of queues in the area of security and passport control at Barcelona's El Prat airport. Several passengers who had to catch a flight at 5am had to wait, in some cases, up to 40 minutes to pass through the border control. The situation had normalised by 8am, but then by 10am the queues had grown again, spreading along the length of the T1 terminal to avoid queuing outside. A situation that provoked anxiety and nervousness among passengers, many of whom had already checked in their luggage.
Some of the passengers, worried that they would miss their flights, started seeking ways to claim compensation by taking photos of their watches, for example, in order to prove that they had arrived with the sufficient required time, as recommended by the airlines. It has been the most complicated three days in the area of customs at the airport, with dozens of people missing their flights due to the queues - and which has nothing to do with passport control.
@aena lamentable la gestión del control de pasaportes y acceso a la puerta de embarque. pic.twitter.com/eFJR0xX3fz
— Javi Pozon (@jpg_10) 26 of July 2017
Impotència i vergonya que això encara estigui així. @324cat @aena pic.twitter.com/FozFVdi5CF
— Iván Navarro Durán (@ivicknd) 26 of July 2017
As in previous days, passengers have been using social media to express their indignation at the situation. Some have explained that the long queues have produced anxiety attacks among the travellers, with others labelling the airport a "disgrace", and even describing El Prat as "the worst airport they have been in".
Colas en el control de seguridad a las 6:17 de la mañana @aena #aeropuertobarcelona #SMCustomerService #dosomething #solveitnow pic.twitter.com/kJuf0NUyRY
— anna astals (@annastals) 26 of July 2017
@aena menuda vergüenza de aeropuerto... Qué clase de hub queréis ser con este servicio!! #endless #queue #liningup #alucinante pic.twitter.com/436bc8evCI
— Abe KT (@AbeCarrera) 26 of July 2017
@aena esperas de 2hr en los filtros de seguridad en el aeropuerto de Barcelona, y gente con ataques de ansiedad y solo son las 8:00 am
— jennifer (@jennife34133425) 26 of July 2017
Algunos vamos a trabajar.. #gracias #T2 @aena @rheulen pic.twitter.com/641iL17AEC
— Alba Campabadal (@campalba) 26 of July 2017
#aeropuertobarcelona 55 minutos para una control que suele durar 10.....Aena cada vez lo hace mejor!
— Patuel Sillegas (@manulolos) 26 of July 2017
Long cue et T2C #BCN airport...as T1 @aena pic.twitter.com/47ja0I5tIF
— pietro parma (@pietroparma) 26 of July 2017
Por mucho el peor aeropuerto en el que he estado @aena. filas de más de media hora para control de seguridad, cero internet, pésimo! pic.twitter.com/TT1bPAtYxo
— Marianiux (@MarianiuxGR) 26 of July 2017
It is now the third consecutive day of queue problems at the airport. On Monday, the queues were already forming early in the morning and many passengers had to wait up to three hours. On Tuesday, the situation was similar, with many passengers having to wait an hour to pass through the passport control zone.
The queues are a result of the labour dispute between the security agents of the company Eulen and its management. The workers have denounced the conditions in which they have to work, and the pressure from the burden of the work.
On Tuesday a meeting took place between representatives of the staff and the company, but it failed to resolve the conflict. The committee has confirmed that it will not attend any more mediation meetings with the government until Aena, in charge of the management of the airport, sits down to negotiate.
The situation of queues at El Prat could be aggravated from 4th August, when the airport's security agents have called for an indefinite and partial strike of four hours a day on Fridays, Sundays and Mondays.