Anno 2026, the average person spends a lot of time on their phone screen. According to a survey commissioned by Virgin Media O2, for example, UK adults spend around four hours per day on their phone – 36% of which unintentionally. And data gathered by health data management firm Harmony Healthcare IT show Americans are spending an average of 5 hours and 16 minutes per day on their phone.

Of course, global screen time numbers have surged along with the rise of social media. Once, people only used their mobile to call and text. Meaning that unless they had a very social life, they weren’t spending hours on end scrolling. Yet the arrival of social media shook things up.

Firstly, there an unending stream of content to be found online nowadays. Secondly, as proven by the fact that Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay $6 million by a US court in March 2026 as their platforms were found to be designed in such a way as to be addictive, it is harder than ever to look away.

And yet, spending too much time staring at a (phone) screen should be avoided at all costs. While spending four times a day on your screen one or two days on end isn’t likely to cause any long-lasting damage, when it becomes a habit, our health is being put under considerable pressure. Eye damage, back issues, increased levels of depression, anxiety… the list of risks is long and bleak.

While tuning down your screen time isn’t necessarily an easy task, it is one that is very likely to make your life better. These five habits will set you on your way.

1. Track your time

In order to determine exactly how big your screen time problem is, you need to start collecting data. By activating Digital Wellbeing (Android) or Screen Time (Apple), you will immediately know exactly how much time you spend looking at your screen and which apps are the biggest culprits.

While you want to avoid getting too caught-up in numbers – which might lead to even more anxiety – there’s nothing like a little reality check to get things going. Those four hours a day spent scrolling through TikTok could undoubtedly be put to better use.

“We’re really bad at estimating about time we spend doing things, particularly around tech use. Being able to notice when you’re using it when you don’t want to or need to is a really important first step,” Etchells, a professor of psychology and science communication at Bath Spa University, told the BBC.

2. Turn off notifications

How often have you finally put down your phone, only to pick it up again two seconds later because you got a notification? Right. As every peep causes a small spike of dopamine, it is no wonder that we crave to hear our smartphone make some kind of noise, never mind the reason.

For some people, turning off all but the most essential of notifications – think calls and messages – can be a great way of getting the ball rolling. Yet beware: if this means you’ll start checking every single app thirty times a day to make sure you haven’t missed anything, you’d better try something else instead.

3. Apply social distancing

Human beings tend to be lazy. One of the reasons why smartphones are more likely to create a form of addiction is the fact that they’re always there. In the sofa, on the toilet, at a bar, and even in bed: most of us keep our smartphone within reach, at all times.

Yet when trying to cut your screen time, there is an actual upside to this laziness. By putting your phone in another room or even by just leaving it on your desk while you’re sitting in the sofa, chances are, you will be less tempted to inadvertently start scrolling.

This rule becomes even more important when we’re talking bedtime and sleep. If you are used to keeping your smartphone on your nightstand and if scrolling is both the first and the last thing you do on a day, try putting it in another room instead. In the hall, in the dressing room, or in the bathroom: as long as it’s not within reach, al is well.

4. Make your phone less appealing

While turning off notifications and putting your phone at a distance are already a great way to start making it less attractive, it is possible to go even further. For example, most phones allow you to switch the screen to greyscale, filtering all those picture-perfect colours away. You could also choose to adapt your lock screen, not by changing it into some appalling picture (unless that works for you) but by opting for something that reminds you of something in the real world that matters to you. With a little luck, you’ll be turning your attention to that instead.

Another, more radical option could be to (temporarily) use a so-called dumb phone instead. In essence, instead of a modern smartphones, they are more alike the cells used in the 90s and early 00s. Some applications also allow you to turn your own phone into a dumb phone. However, especially when you need to use the internet professionally or even when you’re used for example do your groceries through an app or to scan a QR-code to look at a menu, dumb phones can quickly become unpractical.

5. Create new habits

“Passive screen time is like eating sugar but for your brain. It ‘tastes’ good, and you want it now, but you’re not actually feeding yourself. You’re not giving your brain any nutrition. Instead, replace screen time with an intentional healthy habit that feeds your brain in a healthy way. Lifestyle medicine activities, like exercise, good sleep, social connection, and stress management, function like ‘nutrition’ for your brain and mental health,” Maris Loeffler, MA, Family and Marriage Therapist, and member of the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Cognitive Enhancement pillar, explains in an interview with Lifestyle Medicine Stanford.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when you want to spend less time on your screen is the fact that you might want to start thinking of new ways to use your time. Reading a book, going to a museum, meeting up with friends, gardening, working out, getting those eight hours of sleep per night… Anything works, as long as it works for you.

L’article 5 effective ways to reduce your screen time est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Since 2004, passengers on EU flights that are delayed by more than three hours can claim compensation. Depending on the length of the journey, the amount can range from €250 to €600. The European passenger rights regulation known as EU261/2004 offers a strict and unique set of rules to deal with delays, cancellations, and denied boarding.

Over the past few years, there has been an ongoing debate about a possible reform of the EU261/2004 rule. Some of the proposals put forward by the European Commission included opting for a four-hour threshold instead of the current three hours and capping the amount paid at €500 in order to allow airlines a little extra flexibility.

Delivering for Europeans.

Today, the Council’s delegation to the Conciliation Committee agreed on a joint text on the revision of Air Passenger Rights, with broad support from Member States.

A major achievement of the Cyprus Presidency and proof that Europe delivers… pic.twitter.com/HjhGM34jG5

— Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026 (@CY2026EU) June 12, 2026

On Friday, 12 June 2026, however, the 27 EU member states have decided not to change the current threshold nor to lower the amount paid, thus effectively putting passenger rights above commercial interest. According to the European Commission, airlines pay approximately €8.1 billion per year due to the EU261/2004 rule. The EU member states also included an extra line, forcing airlines to provide eligible passengers with a link to the compensation claim form and this within 48 hours of the scheduled arrival time.

Aside from the maintained and reinforced compensation rules, the proposal includes other alterations to the EU261/2004 rule as well. For example, airlines will no longer be allowed to charge extra to parents who want to sit next to their children on a flight.

Moreover, passengers should be able to correct minor booking errors without charge. Under the current set of rules, small errors can quickly lead to hefty charges. An error of three characters or more, for example, can cost passengers up to €160.

The amendments to the EU261/2004 rule are specifically aimed at improving transparency regarding airline pricing, allowing less room for “hidden fees” that are often added to the original price during the booking process.

“The European Parliament promised passengers that their rights would not move backwards, and we didn’t give up. Today’s decision by EU member states confirms it. The three-hour threshold is preserved. Compensation is preserved. New rights are added beyond the status quo,” commented Andrey Novakov MEP, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator, in a statement from the European People’s Party Group.

The European Parliament tried to include other measures in the amendment, including a free baggage allowance of up to 7 kilograms. Although this was not included in the amendment, the member states are proposing that airlines should include a cabin bag in their basic ticket fee, allowing passengers to opt out later on during the booking process, thus leading to a discount compared to the initially shown price.

The proposal will be reviewed by the EU Parliament as of Monday, 15 June 2026, and will be put forward during a plenary vote on 8 July 2026 for final adoption by the EU ministers. Although the text is expected to be adopted as is, until 8 July 2026, it is not legally binding yet.

L’article EU confirms passengers can claim up to €600 compensation for delayed flights est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Although they were initially welcomed as a creative new means of transportation within the city, shared e-scooters have quickly become a cause for concern within Brussels. Over the course of 2025, not only were 666 people injured in the Brussels-Capital region in accidents involving e-scooters (up 25% from 2024), but many people also complained about carelessly parked scooters, and according to Brussels public prosecutor Julien Moinil, e-scooters were used in 25 Brussels shootings throughout the year.

With the ongoing contracts of shared e-scooter providers Bolt and Dott coming to expire at the end of 2026, the Brussels government took the decision not to renew those and to effectively ban shared e-scooters from the Belgian capital starting from 2027.

We have BIG news!
Bolt scooters and e-bikes are now available in 200 cities across Europe, up from the 170 cities that we had at the beginning of the year! pic.twitter.com/5uEKPuxRW9

— Bolt (@boltapp) June 2, 2022

‘Anyone who falls off a scooter is more likely to be injured than someone who falls off a bicycle, and haphazardly parked share scooters make pavements even more difficult to navigate for people with reduced mobility, parents with pushchairs or the elderly. This decision goes beyond safety alone; it is about choosing a city with enough alternatives to get around quickly and efficiently. That is why share bikes will remain, and we are giving Villo! a long-awaited update,” said Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt in an interview with Brussels news outlet BRUZZ.

While Bolt and Dott are disappointed by the ban, the decision is being widely applauded, and the absence of shared e-scooters is likely to create momentum for shared (e-)bikes. Brussels bike-sharing platform Villo! is currently managed by JCDecaux until September 2028. Afterwards, a new system is likely to be set up, based on the same principle of fixed docking stations across all Brussels neighbourhoods.

“The decision to ban share scooters from the streets of Brussels is clear and sound policy. By retaining share bikes, we are reconciling individual travel with public order,” Brussels PM Boris Dilliès commented.

Shared e-scooters elsewhere

The news comes at a moment when shared e-scooters are being restricted and criticised within Belgium. In May 2026, for example, Antwerp hospital group ZAS asked to ban shared e-scooters between midnight and 8:00 am, as nightly accidents tend to be more serious. Moreover, Belgian Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke pushed for a new law making the wearing of a helmet compulsory for e-scooters, which are able to exceed 20 kilometres per hour. The new rule should go into effect as of September 2026, but is unlikely to affect shared e-scooters, as providers will probably lower their speed limit.

On a global scale, Brussels will not be the first city to ban shared e-scooters. Previously, destinations including Paris, Madrid, Melbourne, and Prague have made the same decisions based on similar concerns, while others, such as Rome and Copenhagen, have introduced strict rules to limit their damage and nuisance.

L’article Shared e-scooters banned from Brussels from 2027 est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

In 1910, a new and grandiose building was added to New York City’s growing skyline. Penn(sylvania) Station was designed in the then-popular Beaux Arts style by Charles McKim of McKim, Mead & White, who found inspiration in the Roman Baths of Caracalla.

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Although allegedly 100,000 people came to wonder at the new landmark on its opening day, the building didn’t last as long as initially intended. In 1963, just 53 years after its inauguration, the station was demolished. The entertainment arena Madison Square Garden took its place, while the actual Penn Station went underground.

“Through Pennsylvania Station one entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat,” architectural historian Vincent Scully reportedly said about the transformation.

With 600,000 commuters passing through every single weekday, however, Penn Station remains of great importance for New York and its citizens. Therefore, plans to renovate and upgrade the transport hub have been in the making for years, but have had little to no success due to the multitude of parties and administrative hurdles involved in the process.

Fast forward to 2025, when Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy put Amtrak and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in charge of the project, which was previously managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Since then, the Trump administration has effectively been overseeing the plans for the future station.

On May 19 2026, Amtrak and the DOT selected Halmar and Skanska to be the lead developers of the building site, designed by architects PAU and HOK. Days later, the first renderings of the building were released, showing a station defined by grand stone columns, high ceilings, and endless window parties.

According to lead design architect and founder of PAU Vishaan Chakrabarti, the design draws inspiration from the Beaux Arts-style Grand Central Terminal as well as Art Deco buildings across New York, including the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center. The ultimate goal? Restoring the grandeur of Penn Station.

“There was this fearless embrace of ornament and decoration that in some ways we’ve lost. We want to bring some of that sense of craftsmanship back,” Chakrabarti said.

Earlier in 2026, several White House officials referred to the possibility of renaming the transportation hub ‘Trump Station’, both as a branding stunt for the president and as a potential way of raising more funds for the building. However, the first renderings still show the name ‘Pennsylvania Station’, along with the presidential seal and Trump’s name written in the southwest corner of the building’s new entrance.

As per the new plans, Madison Square Garden (MSG) will be able to remain in place. Only a theatre owned by MSG and located directly above the tracks will need to be demolished, the final terms of which are still being negotiated.

The building project is estimated to cost some $8 billion. Construction should start before the end of 2027 and should be completed in different phases over six years, with Penn Station remaining operational throughout. Several people and organisations have already raised their concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the project and the high costs, as it is yet unclear who exactly is expected to pay for the station.

L’article New $8 billion project aims to transform NYC’s Penn Station into new landmark est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Gondola rides have long been a practical attraction in mountainous regions but are becoming increasingly sought-after for their high level of entertainment, offering an unusual way to look at the world from above. At the end of 2025, even Paris unveiled a new urban cable car system, which also turned out to be the longest of its kind in Europe.

On 22 May 2026, at the other end of the world, a whole different kind of cable car was inaugurated at the mountaintop adventure park Anakeesta in Tennessee. The Crystal Express, as the attraction is named, is the world’s first all-glass gondola ride, offering visitors previously unseen sights over the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains.

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During a four-minute ride, visitors who embark on the ride at Anakeesta’s Parkway station are transported over 600 feet (182 meters) up the mountainside to the Anakeesta summit. All 56 panoramic cabins feature glass floors and walls, guaranteeing an almost immersive ride and 360-degree views.

“The Crystal Express represents a major step forward at Anakeesta. From the moment visitors leave the Parkway, we want them to feel the magic of this mountain. This new lift enhances that experience with incredible views, greater comfort, and the efficiency needed to welcome even more families to the Smokies,” Bob Bentz, one of the founding partners of Anakeesta, said in a statement.

The Parkway station at the base of the gondola ride was also renovated as part of the building works, resulting in better accessibility. According to the adventure park, strollers now roll directly into the cabins without folding, while the system operates at triple the capacity of our previous gondola, thus limiting waiting times.

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Публикация от Melissa and Wes (@melissa_and_wes)

The Crystal Express is part of a $100 million expansion of Anakeesta, a project called Making More Magic. Aside from the gondola ride, this includes a makeover of the park’s Firefly Village, described as “a whimsical storybook escape”, an elevated treetop walk reaching new heights, and a nighttime firefly experience during the first phase of the project.

“Most visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains never get to see the synchronous fireflies that appear for two or three weeks each summer. During this short window, crowds often descend on the Smokies, but depending on when they arrive during the event, they might only see a few flashing fireflies. Anakeesta is changing that. Starting this May, the park’s new Firefly Experience brings the wonder of one of the Smokies’ most extraordinary natural events to life year-round, with no seasonal window required,” the park explains.

Visitors purchasing a $39.99 general admission ticket for the mountaintop adventure park can enjoy unlimited access to the Crystal Express, as well as a visit to the AnaVista observation tower, the aviary-inspired adventure zone BirdVenture, and the Treetop Skywalk. Some of Anakeesta’s other attractions require an additional fee.

L’article World’s first all-glass gondola ride opens in Great Smoky Mountains adventure park est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Emirates, one of the flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates and based in Dubai, has been directly impacted by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Yet despite rising costs, the airline will be sticking to a strategy of maintaining flight schedules. In an interview, Emirates president Tim Clark explained exactly how the carrier will be encouraging travellers to return.

According to Clark, Emirates’ new incentive programme will not focus on lower fares to reassure travellers and to get them to return to the airline’s hub, Dubai. As airfare is highly aligned with the price of jet fuel, which is prone to fluctuation at the time of writing, reducing ticket prices is not an option for the carrier.

However, all other means are fit to lure back customers, including safety and reliability in an uncertain market.

“We’ll take care of all of that, including flying them on other carriers if necessary to bring them home or get the kids into school,” Clark told Reuters, speaking of people’s concerns about flights getting cancelled or travellers being stranded.

Since the start of the conflict, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been advising airlines not to fly over certain parts of the Gulf and Middle East by applying conflict-zone warnings. This is putting Emirates in a difficult position, and although Clark says he understands their obligation to protect travellers, he is in talks with different governments and regulators in an attempt to ease restrictions.

Concluding his interview with Reuters, Clark indicated that Emirates is still hoping for a good summer season. Once the price for jet fuel drops from $90 a barrel to around $70, the airline should be back on track, although it remains unclear when exactly this will happen.

Emirates in 2026

According to a statement issued by Emirates on 4 May 2026, the airline had restored 96% of its global network. In the weeks before, the airline had progressively resumed services across the Americas, Europe, Africa, West Asia, the Middle East/GCC, the Far East, and Australasia.

With 137 destinations across 72 countries and over 1,300 weekly frequencies, Emirates has reached 75% of pre-disruption capacity.

“The airline is offering more flights, more seats, and more options each day while reaffirming Dubai’s position as a vital hub through which global travel moves. Even as it operated with a reduced schedule, Emirates carried 4.7 million passengers during the disruption, a testament to the enduring demand for travel and the trust that travellers continued to place in the airline to get them where they needed to go,” Emirates wrote.

According to industry estimates, the conflict in the Middle East could cost the region approximately 23 million international visitors and nearly $34 billion in tourism spending.

L’article Emirates launches incentive programme to reassure travellers amid tensions with Iran est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

On 29 May 2026, 52-year-old climbing guide Hillary Dawa Sherpa was last seen while pausing at Mount Everest’s Camp 3, located at an altitude of 7,060 meters. Soon after, his client and the rest of his climbing team from Kathmandu-based company Nepal Mount Everest noticed he was missing.

As the party was one of the last to descend the mountain before the end of the climbing season and as the ladders across the Khumbu Icefall had reportedly already been dismantled, they had little other choice than to complete their descent. When search helicopters found no trace of the guide, the choice was made not to assemble a search team to go looking for Hillary Dawa Sherpa. Since that decision has sparked a lot of debate, people are especially questioning the working circumstances of the Nepali guides on the mountain.

Finally, on 4 June 2026, while his family had already started to organise funeral rites as they had lost all hope of being reunited, Hillary Dawa Sherpa was spotted climbing down the ice at Mount Everest’s Base Camp. Members of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), who are in charge of setting up and removing routes, ropes, and ladders through the Khumbu Icefall at the start and the end of the season, were the ones who found the climbing guide.

“When we first heard about it, we could not be sure if that person was indeed our father. So to be certain we asked for photos to be sent and then only we were sure and very happy,” Hillary Dawa’s daughter, Mendo Lhamu, told the Associated Press.

After the people from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee gave Hillary Dawa Sherpa some much-needed food and water, the guide was reportedly carried down the mountain on the back of another climber. Once arrived, he was airlifted to a hospital located in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. According to news agency Reuters, he was suffering from frostbite and some other complications.

@thetimes A Nepali climbing guide lost on Mount Everest for six days managed to crawl alone to near base camp. Dawa Sherpa’s wife had given up on the mountaineer and had begun to offer the last rites. He was left by his climbing party on the upper reaches of the world’s highest mountain in bitter conditions early on May 30. In his fifties and better known as “Hillary”, after the climber Edmund Hillary, he was found on Thursday morning near base camp by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, a Nepali team that helps set routes on Everest and cleans up waste on the mountain. Sherpa’s wife, Damu, said her family was overjoyed. “We were very happy to hear the news, we had given up hope,” she said. “We also began puja [death prayers] yesterday.” He was recovering from “some frostbite” but was conscious, she said. Click the link to read more #mounteverest #sherpa #nepali #climbing #worldnews ♬ original sound – The Times and Sunday Times

“This is nothing short of a miracle surviving so many days in the mountains facing such harsh condition,” Ang Tshering Sherpa, another climbing guide, said in an interview with AP.

According to a video statement posted after his rescue, the guide fell into a crevasse near Camp 1, located at approximately 6,000 meters. He was only able to free himself after having spent two days inside the icy fissure, at which point he started his perilous descent without food or oxygen bottles.

A busy season

Hillary Dawa Sherpa’s story, considered by many as a miraculous event, comes at the end of the busiest season ever on Mount Everest, which started on 29 April 2026 after weeks of delays caused by a massive serac, a large block of glacier ice that experts warned could collapse at any moment.

Overall, more than 1,000 people summited the south side of the mountain, with 20 May registering no less than a record 274 climbers; images of people queuing at the so-called death zone made global headlines, once again raising the question of how responsible it is to climb Mount Everest in a world hit by climate change and overcrowding.

L’article Missing Mount Everest guide believed dead found alive in Nepal est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Since 10 April 2026, the new Entry/Exit System (EES) has officially been adopted by the European Union, with preparations having started even earlier. The automated system, designed to replace manual stamping, requires biometric data from non-European, third-country arrivals to any of the 29 nations that are part of the Schengen Zone: a facial image, fingerprints, passport information, as well as entry and exit dates.

Despite the fact that the EES has been in place for two months at the time of writing, issues still remain. Passengers have been known to miss their flights on several occasions due to long waiting times at airports across Europe, including in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

With the traditionally very busy summer season approaching, industry experts are warning non-European travellers in general and Brits in particular to be prepared for long waiting lines caused by the EES. With approximately 52% of British adults planning on travelling abroad during 2026, according to a survey by National Rail and many of them heading to the EU over the summer, things could look grim.

“What we are seeing is a very hard risk of really challenging times or waiting times, talking about expectations of three, four, five, six hours, which is unacceptable. Without EES, it takes between 20 and 25 seconds to process a passenger. With EES, we are talking about 90 seconds and on top of that, you still have issues with technology; you can imagine what the breaking effect would be,” Rafael Schvartzman, the vice-president for Europe at the International Air Transport Association, said during the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, according to The Times.

The Iata vice president, who added that aviation is being treated as a political football, insisted on the fact that European states should man their borders sufficiently, make flight schedules known well in advance, ensure that electronic kiosks are operational, and suspend EES checks in advance when queues are likely to get too long.

The only legal exception to the new system that has been included in the roll-out is the possibility to pause biometric collection for six-hour windows during exceptionally busy times, a measure that runs through July and can be applied until September under certain conditions.

Schvartzman is not the only one to be concerned about the long queues. Earlier in June, Wizz Air began advising British passengers to get to the airport three hours before their flights due to the long waiting times caused by the new European Union border processes.

Moreover, in an interview with news outlet The National, the chief executive of transport platform Mozio, Nicole Kerr, warned future travellers.

“While a holiday is meant to be a relaxing and stress-free experience, experts have warned that changes to the travel industry could cause delays and confusion. While the new system is expected to reduce wait times at passport control in the future, Brits have already experienced long delays as the rollout continues,” Kerr said.

Over the coming months, Brits travelling to or from Europe are thus advised to arrive early at the airport – three hours before a flight should be considered as a minimum.

Later in 2026, Britons should also be prepared for the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will require visa-exempt travellers such as themselves to apply for a travel permission costing €20 per person before travelling to the EYU.

L’article New EU entry-exit could mean up to six-hour queues for UK travellers this summer est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The new European Entry/Exit System (EES), the rollout of which debuted in October 2025, officially launched on 10 April 2026. The system eliminates the need for manual passport stamping at borders, instead gathering biometric data from non-European, third-country arrivals to any of the 29 nations that are part of the Schengen Zone. It is free to use and applicable to those without a residence permit or long-stay visa for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

While on paper and in the long term, EES should improve the border crossing process, the introduction of the system is not going as smoothly as some players had hoped. Due to long queues at airports across Europe, even before the start of the busy summer season, travellers are already missing their flights and budget airline Wizz Air recently urged people to arrive at the airport at least three hours in advance.

Now, research commissioned by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and based on interviews with 2,500 travellers from the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia shows that the complicated rollout of EES might have a serious impact on the European travel industry.

“The introduction of EES is an important step forward in modernising Europe’s borders and strengthening security. Our research clearly shows that travellers support digital and biometric border systems and understand the long-term benefits they can deliver,” said Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC.

The analysis found that if travellers were to face regular border waits of three to four hours when entering the Schengen Area, around one-third would become much less likely to travel to Schengen or would choose not to visit at all. UK travellers would be most likely to change their plans in such a scenario (39%), followed by 33% of travellers from both the United States and Canada, and 27% from Australia.

When applying these findings to 2026 visitor forecasts, this would imply that EES border delays exceeding three hours could put 41 million visitor arrivals and $45.4 billion in visitor spending at risk.

“As with any major transformation, there will inevitably be teething problems. The challenge now is not whether EES should proceed, but how governments, border authorities and the Travel & Tourism sector work together to ensure implementation is as smooth as possible. The good news is that solutions already exist. By making greater use of digital pre-registration tools, improving traveller communications and ensuring operational readiness at border crossing points, Europe can reduce friction and deliver the seamless experience travellers expect,” Guevara continued.

Although the numbers might be cause for concern, the WTTC points towards a positive: interviewees showed a strong underlying support for EES. 65% supported the system after learning about it, while only 6% are very negative towards the use of biometric border controls. Factors including stronger border security (57%), quicker processing on future trips (52%), and greater confidence in border controls (43%) were regarded as the system’s most important benefits. However, more than half of travellers (55%) had heard little or nothing about EES, while 49% did not know what would be required of them when entering or exiting the Schengen Area.

To support a successful rollout, the WTTC is calling for three priority actions:

• Member States should accelerate the adoption of the Travel to Europe app for digital pre-registration.

• A coordinated communication campaign is needed across key source markets, particularly the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. Clear step-by-step guidance should be provided to airlines, airports, travel agents, tour operators, and destination partners so that travellers understand exactly what is required before they travel.

• Member States must ensure operational readiness across all border crossing points. This includes fully functioning equipment, sufficient staffing levels and measures to streamline processing wherever possible, including for travellers who have already provided biometric data through visa procedures.

L’article EES border delays could put 41 million European visitor arrivals at risk and cost $45 billion, WTTC warns est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

Aurigny flight GR678 took off from Guernsey at 5:17 pm on Sunday, 7 June 2026. Expected to land at Manchester approximately one hour later, the ATR 72 aircraft suddenly made a U-turn when flying near Basingstoke in Hampshire and made an emergency landing at Southampton airport shortly after.

According to the British news outlet The Independent, the short-haul propeller plane experienced a mid-air windscreen cracking, forcing it to cut its flight short.

“In line with standard operating procedures, the flight crew carried out a precautionary emergency landing. Passengers and crew are safe and well,” Guernsey-based Aurigny said in a statement.

The carrier also added that a bus had been arranged in order to take the on-board passengers from Southampton to Manchester. While it is unclear how many passengers were flying on the aircraft at the time of the incident, the ATR 72 aircraft has a maximum capacity of 72.

A different plane was made ready by Aurigny to make the return journey from Manchester to Guernsey, a self-governing British Crown Dependency located in the English Channel. At the time of writing in June 2026, Aurigny was operating a fleet of seven active aircraft, including five ATR 72-600 regional turboprops.

@theinfrequentflyers Can you believe this island is less than 1 hour from London?! So now you know about Guernsey, how do you get here? BY AIR – fly with one of two airlines, @Aurigny – route maps and time tables can be found on their respective websites @British Airways – flying daily from London Heathrow BY SEA – sail with @Brittany Ferries from France, Poole or Portsmouth. You can even bring your car if you want to brave the tiny lanes Either way, the journey is half the fun – sailing past the neighbouring islands or flying in over the golden beaches… the arrival is worth the trip alone (that’s if it’s not foggy, ofc). If you’re planning a trip, or just curious about life on a small island, drop your questions in the comments Follow along for more content about Guernsey, other travel destinations and recommendations. #guernsey #islandlife #thatislandfeeling #guernseyci #channelislands @Islands of Guernsey ♬ original sound – Ben & Ty | Travel

Aurigny throughout 2026

2026 has been an eventful year for Aurigny. On 26 March, approximately one month after the start of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the airline announced it had made some schedule and capacity adjustments on selected routes and dates between mid-April and early June 2026. Flights to and from London City airport were reduced, services to and from South-West England were to be combined between Exeter and Bristol, and many of the flights to and from Paris were pushed back until June.

“Amid heightened global instability, bookings for travel during this period have been slower than anticipated at a time when some travellers may be reassessing their immediate travel plans. At present, bookings for May are approximately 13% below last year, when comparing routes the airline has operated during both years”, the carrier explained at the time.

However, since then, Aurigny and Visit Guernsey launched a joint campaign to promote Guernsey as “The Simplest Way to Feel a World Away” on 1 May. A similar initiative in 2025 had already proven to be effective, causing a 12% in air travellers in 2025 compared to 2024.

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“Having a national airline working in close partnership with a national tourism marketing organisation is a rare combination, and one that provides a strong recipe for success – something clearly demonstrated by our 2025 results. We see Visit Guernsey as an extension of our own team, united by a shared ambition to deliver for the islands,” said Sam Talbot, Head of Marketing for Aurigny.

Finally, on 12 May 2026 and despite the global jet fuel crisis, Aurigny announced the strengthening of its Southampton base through the growth of its local operations. Overall, 18 Aurigny staff members have covered all aspects of customer service and ground handling at Southampton Airport.

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